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ETV Forum Tackles Youth Violence in South Carolina

Program Airs on Wednesday, May 16 at 7 p.m.

For Immediate Release
June 10, 2007

Columbia, SC...Once upon a time, schools were a safe haven for our children.  Yet, the barbaric killing spree that recently took place on the Virginia Tech campus shines a disturbingly brilliant light on the epidemic of unbridled aggression. On Wednesday, May 16 at 7 p.m., ETV Forum: Youth Violence Out of Control takes an unvarnished look at the occurrence of violence in our schools and neighborhoods.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), youth violence is the second leading cause of death for young people between the ages of 10 and 24.  Among the same age group, homicide is the leading cause of death for African Americans and the second leading cause of death for Hispanics.  On average, 16 persons between the ages of 10 and 24 are murdered each day in the United States.  In light of these staggering statistics, host Beryl Dakers advances the conversation with local law enforcement officers, agency representatives, and youth advocates through challenging recommendations intended to help reduce the incidence of violence in our communities.

Throughout the hour-long program, parents, educators, and community leaders are urged to look at the various media through which violence is propagated.  Seemingly innocuous pastimes are often the most culpable. Cleverly channeled advertising, video games, movies, prime time television programs, and song lyrics minimize the gravity of the violent messages and images they seem to endorse.

While addressing the importance of effective communication, Johnnie Cordero, Columbia City Parks and Recreation Youth Violence Program Specialist, cites an Albert Einstein quote that states: "You cannot solve a problem from the same level of consciousness that created it."  Cordero, speaking of parents’ responsibility to their children says, "Parents have allowed media, advertisers, and music moguls to disseminate information to them that is detrimental to them. We need to elevate our thinking..." Ultimately, parental involvement is the key to curbing youth violence.

Yet, despite increasingly grim forecasts for this problem, there are programs that aid in stemming the tide of violence in schools and communities. The Harmony Program is one initiative that empowers teens to be productive citizens, peers and role models by promoting academic achievement.  Two students in the Harmony Program, Qwan Cornelius and Kimaria Somerville, speak of their initial unwillingness to join, but agree that the structured balance of fun and responsibility has positively affected their lives.  Mike Myers, Columbia City police officer and co-founder of the Harmony Program, says "kids want supervision," though they may not say it.

Program participants included:

• Maj. Norman Caldwell, City of Columbia Police Department
• Carter Clark, Executive Director, Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Columbia
• Johnnie Cordero, Youth Violence Program Specialist, Columbia City Parks and Recreation
• Qwan Cornelius, Student, Harmony Program
• Dr. Judy W. Fair, School Social Worker, Richland School District One
• George Jackson, Director, Kershaw County Department of Juvenile Justice
• Leon Love, Volunteer Arbitrator, Lexington County
• Val Moorer, MPO, Harmony Program - Columbia Police Department
• Michael Myers, MPO, Harmony Program - Columbia Police Department
• Kimaria Somerville, Student, Harmony Program
• Chris Stokes, MPO, Harmony Program – Columbia Police Department
• A. V. Strong, Executive Director, A Better Way
• Nathan White, Principal, Olympia Alternative School
• Roscoe Wilson, Jr., Vice President, Associated Marine Institutes
• Rev. Preston Winkler, Executive Director, Greater Columbia Human Relations Council
• Frank Wright, Director, Office of Community and Parental Partnerships

South Carolina ETV is the state's public educational broadcasting network with 11 television and eight radio transmitters, and a multi-media educational system in more than 2,500 schools, colleges, businesses and government agencies. Using television, radio and the web, SCETV's mission is to enrich lives by educating children, informing and connecting citizens, celebrating our culture and environment and instilling the joy of learning.

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For more information, contact Rob Schaller at (803) 737-6556 or rschaller@scetv.org.