Best Practices

Block Organizing Startup Manual

April 2011

The Block Organizing Startup Manual is the result of research conducted on neighborhood organizing models utilized in Milwaukee, throughout the U.S., and even other countries. The information was compiled by James Wankowski, Carroll University undergraduate in Criminal Justice, and intern with Safe & Sound, Inc., Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

view/download the PDF Block Organizing Startup Manual - Appendix

April 2011

Resource appendix to the Block Organizing Startup Manual

view/download the PDF Juvenile Community Conferencing

March 2010

Through a circle process, young offenders are brought face to face with representatives of the community. They include community volunteers, block club captains, police, youth workers, community organizers, teachers, but perhaps most importantly, their trained youth peers.

view/download the PDF Safe Neighborhood Walk

December 2008

Safe & Sound Community Partners have organized community walks with great success in Milwaukee. The objective of a particular walk may vary, but is typically an opportunity for people to reach out to the surrounding community, create a visible presence, and discuss specific topics of salience to the neighborhood along the way. Walks often include specific stops, such as taverns, convenience stores, or locations of actual crimes. Walks can also be directed to look for signs of disorder and involve appropriate law-enforcement, clergy or city services personnel. A great follow-up to a neighborhood walk is a gathering at a local restaurant, church, tavern or residents home to share snacks, stories and camaraderie.

view/download the PDF Safe Night Youth Events

December 2008

The concept of Safe Nights is still the same: provide a safe place for youth with a positive message speaking out against crime and violence in our city. These events have taken place for years and helped thousands of youth learn a positive message while keeping them off the streets during the highest crime hours for youth.

view/download the PDF Safe & Sound ‘3-on-3’

December 2008

Safe & Sound 3-on-3 basketball intends to bring Safe Place youth and the surrounding community from 10-19 years of age together with law enforcement to play basketball and develop a team spirit that transfers off the court. Teams consist of youth and law enforcement officers and play several matches to determine the best overall. After the game the entire group discusses their first impressions, and share individual opinions and experiences from the day.

view/download the PDF Peace Making Circles

December 2008

Safe & Sound Community Partners have used Circles as an alternative communication form for working with Safe Place youth and community members. It is a process that brings together individuals who wish to engage in conflict resolution, healing, support, decision making or other activities in which honest communications, relationship development, and community building are core desired outcomes. Circles offer an alternative to contemporary meeting processes that often rely on hierarchy, win-lose positioning, and victim/rescuer approaches to relationships and problem solving. Derived from native traditions, circles bring people together in a way that creates trust, respect, intimacy, good will, belonging, generosity, mutuality and reciprocity.

view/download the PDF Community Conferencing Program

December 2008

Safe & Sound has been involved in a successful collaborative relationship with the District Attorney's Community Conferencing Program for years. We now facilitate all drug and graffiti cases with the involvement of Safe Place youth and residents. Community conferencing is a process in which a victim, offender and affected community members come together in a safe setting with an impartial facilitator to discuss the facts and impact of a particular crime. During this process the victim and community can ask questions and express directly to the offender how the crime impacted his or her life.

view/download the PDF Operation Clean & Safe Projects

December 2008

Operation Clean & Safe is a comprehensive plan to attack the areas of the City of Milwaukee with the heaviest blight and debris. It is a way to get the community involved and build pride in neighborhoods which suffer from obvious signs of neglect. The process brings together community stakeholders and City services to make a visible and measurable change in the neighborhood.

view/download the PDF Safe Place Music Program Manual

December 2008

A custom 8 week music program manual designed specifically for youth community organizations. Written by Geraud Blanks through his Public Allies service with Safe & Sound Community Partners and his work with the Running Rebels Community Organization music program, a Safe & Sound funded organization.

view/download the PDF