Latest News from CNE

Milwaukee Honors 15 MPS Students for Behavior, Academic Achievements

More than 200 business, government, and nonprofit leaders assembled to honor 15 students from seven Milwaukee High Schools for succeeding against the odds—for turn-arounds in their behavior and/or for excelling in academics despite challenging circumstances. The event was hosted by the Rotary Club of Milwaukee on Tuesday, May 27. Milwaukee Public Schools Superintendent William Andrekopoulos and principals from the seven high schools participating in the CNE Violence-Free Zone program presented trophies and medallions to the students. It was the second in a series of “Staying True” awards, created by the Center for Neighborhood Enterprise (CNE) and its Milwaukee community partners the Latino Community Center (LCC) and the Running Rebels Community Organization (RRCO). The CNE Violence-Free Zone (VFZ) program is currently helping to reduce violence and motivate students at Milwaukee’s Bay View, Custer, Madison, Marshall, North Division, South Division, and Washington High Schools. One student from each school was honored for Most Improved Behavior and one for Academic Achievement in Challenging Circumstances. At Bay View High School, twin sisters received the behavior award, bringing the total number of awardees to 15. (5/27/08) more

  

VFZ Successfully Working in Antelope Valley, CA

The CNE Violence-Free Zone programs in two public high schools in California’s Antelope Valley towns of Palmdale and Lancaster are making significant impacts on violence and other negative indices. Despite a total increase in enrollment of 14% between the two schools, total fights were down this year 2%, gang activity down 2%, class cutting down 89%, citation loitering down 21%, and disrespect down 31%. These figures were reported to the school boards and city councils by CNE's Antelope Valley community partner Murrell's Farm and Boy's Home.

(5/7/08)

Milwaukee VFZ Schools Show Double Digit Reductions in Violence

Second quarter results released by the Milwaukee Public Schools show double-digit reductions in violent and non-violent incidents at the six Milwaukee public high schools with the Center for Neighborhood Enterprise’s Violence-Free Zone initiative. Compared to the same period a year ago, the overall record for the six schools is a 23% reduction in violent incidents (fighting, assaults, gang activity, etc.) and an 11% decrease in non-violent incidents (class disruptions, disorderly conduct, etc.). The six schools posted an aggregate drop in suspensions from 35% to 32%, or a 9% reduction. The Center for Neighborhood Enterprise Violence-Free Zone program is implemented in Milwaukee by The Latino Community Center and Running Rebels Community Organization. More

(4/28/08)

CNE President is 2008 Bradley Prize Winner

CNE President Robert L. Woodson, Sr. has been named the recipient of one of four 2008 Bradley Prizes for outstanding achievement. The award will be presented June 4 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. In announcing the award, Bradley Foundation President and CEO Michael W. Grebe said “Woodson’s commitment has yielded remarkable results in reducing youth crime and gang activity in Washington DC, Dallas, Baltimore, Milwaukee, Atlanta and Prince George’s County, MD.” Woodson originated community-based Violence-Free Zone initiative that is successfully reducing youth violence and disruptions in 28 public middle and high schools around the country. more
(5/1/08)

Milwaukee Schools Expand CNE Program; First Quarter Results Impressive

Milwaukee Public Schools Superintendent William Andrekopoulos announced at a media conference February 5 that the school system has contracted with the Center for Neighborhood Enterprise to implement the Violence-Free Zone initiative in a seventh Milwaukee public high school. CNE’s Milwaukee community partners, the Latino Community Center (LCC) and Running Rebels Community Organization (RRCO), already operate the VFZ initiative in Bay View, Custer, Marshall, North Division, South Division, and Washington High Schools. James Madison High School will now have a VFZ, Andrekopoulos announced. First quarter reports from MPS indicate that combined, the six schools in the program had a 25% drop in violent incidents and a 23% drop in nonviolent incidents compared with the same period a year ago. Individual schools varied somewhat.

In addition to funding by the Milwaukee Public Schools, nine Milwaukee foundations are supplementing MPS funding to make the programs possible. The foundations are: Argosy Foundation, Helen Bader Foundation, Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, Elizabeth Brinn Foundation, Greater Milwaukee Foundation, Richard and Ethel Herzfeld Foundation, Marshall & Ilsley Foundation, Faye McBeath Foundation, Northwestern Mutual Foundation, and Jane Bradley Petit Foundation. (2/05/08)

Students Succeed Against the Odds

Twenty-four Milwaukee Public Schools students were awarded trophies and medallions at a gala banquet January 29 honoring their achievements in behavioral improvement and academic success. The students attend the six Milwaukee high schools where the CNE Violence-Free Zone initiative operates.

“In a time when a fight or disturbance among youth is front page news, we wanted to hold up some who are courageously turning away from negative behaviors and who are striving for educational success,” said Robert L. Woodson, CNE President. “This is an event in which the whole community came together to honor young people for choosing the right path away from violence.”

Not only did most of Milwaukee’s political and educational leadership turn out to honor the students, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel published a long editorial commending their efforts and listing all the students by name.

(1/18/08)

Antelope Valley Establishes Two VFZs

The Center for Neighborhood Enterprise welcomed two new Violence-Free Zone sites in January as the California Antelope Valley cities of Palmdale and Lancaster installed VFZs in one high school in each city. The Center provides overall direction and management to the VFZ initiative, and has selected Murrell’s Farm and Boys Home, a youth serving organization in Antelope Valley, to be the site leader organization there. Murrell’s will hire, screen, train, and supervise young adults from the same neighborhoods or backgrounds as the students to work in the schools as “Youth Advisors.” There will be from five to seven Youth Advisors assigned to each school, including a Supervisor. They act as hall and cafeteria monitors, and work with groups of high risk students who are assigned to the program by school staff, or who ask to join the program. Antelope Valley officials paid a site visit to Washington, DC last fall and toured two schools that have the VFZ. Upon their return, they relayed their findings to the school boards and city councils in each location and the decision was made to have the project in two schools, Pete Knight High School in Palmdale and Eastside High School in Lancaster (1/29/08).

Young Leaders Take Creative Ideas to Capitol Hill

Forty-five young leaders from across the country came to Washington, DC in January to present information about risks and potential solutions in their neighborhoods to their elected representatives. The young people are members of the Weed and Seed National Youth Leadership Council, a joint project of CNE and the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Community Capacity Development Office of Weed and Seed. While in DC, the young people also participated in workshops to further develop their leadership skills.

The initiative targets youth from high-risk neighborhoods who want to become positive forces to address problems in their communities. CNE and CCDO have sponsored four summer Youth Leadership Camps and four National Youth Leadership Council meetings. (1/18/08)

Financial Literacy Program Results

CNE and HSBC North America provided financial literacy training to 4300 adults in 2007, and are launching a new round of financial literacy workshops for 2008 using HSBC’s Your Money Counts curriculum. Under the agreement with HSBC, the Center will partner with community-based organizations in its network and deliver 150 five-hour workshops. (1/20/08)

Send a Youth to Leadership Camp!

The U.S. Department of Justice Community Capacity Development Office has turned to CNE once again to continue its Youth Leadership Development activities. CNE will convene the 5th Annual Summer Youth Leadership Camp July 19-26, 2008, at Stetson University, DeLand, Florida. For more information about the program and costs, call Charles Perry or Ruth Cleveland at (202) 518-6500. (1/20/08) 

Triumphs of Joseph Released in Paperback

The book that led thousands to understand the role of grassroots organizations in addressing societal problems has been issued in paperback. The Triumphs of Joseph: How Today’s Community Healers Are Reviving Our Streets and Neighborhoods by Robert L. Woodson, Sr., is available from Amazon.com and in bookstores.

Here are some readers’ comments that were posted online:

“The Triumphs of Joseph is simply one of the most important books to be written since the Civil Rights Movement. I teach diversity classes and I use Triumphs as a primary text to offset the constant presentation by black leaders (often self-proclaimed) that African Americans are somehow deficient in ordinary resilience and social strategies and need the paternalistic help of governmental and private agencies…Woodson is sure to offend those who are the vicarious victims and parasitic victimizers of the poor but the validity of his message cannot be denied.”

“This is one of the most inspiring books I have ever read…This book is inspiring, practical, and immensely moving. I believe it should be read by every person in the United States who has even a bit of honesty to face the problems of our communities, even a little strength to care about others, and a desire to have their eyes opened to the powerful solutions that are available in very humble quarters!”

The book was first published in 1997 by the Free Press, a division of Simon and Schuster. (10/5/07)