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Cleveland Job Corps Youth 2 Youth: Partners for peace

Cleveland Job Corps Youth 2 Youth: Partners for peace

September 14, 2015- This week was the national kick off for the Y2Y Partners for peace. Cleveland Job Corps started the week with a candle light vigil with over 315 students in attendance for the event. As the students reflected on the loss of loved ones, the atmosphere became very solemn and quiet because everyone has been affected by violence in some degree. In the wake of two child murders on the eastside of Cleveland the students were very emotional and wanted to be a part of the solution to advocate on a continuous basis to stop the senseless violence that is plaguing our inner city communities.

Students were also asked to participate in an essay contest to address how has violence affected their lives and how has Job Corps helped them? One students was quoted saying “violence was the reason I was scared to walk the streets at night because of gunshots. Bullets don’t have eyes. Violence was the reason why I packed my bags and ran away. Violence was the reason why I started drinking. Violence is the reason why I cried myself to sleep hoping there’s a better place away from it.” The students then went on to say “Cleveland Job Corps is what made me feel safe. Cleveland Job Corps is the reason why I can trust again. Cleveland Job Corps is what made me believe that all these years God was sending me this way”. This is just a few of the quotes that were written about violence. As we started to read the essay’s we decided that there couldn’t be just one winner because they were all winners, they survived the violence to live another day. Each student will be taken out for dinner and a game night, and they will all be recognized at the pep-rally.

Our student Y2Y ambassadors were asked to speak with the students and have them sign the pledge cards promising to stop the violence and become a part of the solution. We exhibited the cards on the windows at the recreation building. The students also produced a wonderful video that will be shown during our Monday morning business meeting.

As the week came to a close we had an Y2Y pep-rally for the entire campus every student and staff person wore an Y2Y tee shirt that was designed by the student ambassadors. We had three guess speakers and we also showed the Y2Y National video. The energy was high and the students were excited and ready to begin our peace walk through our community. The Cleveland police department gave us an escort and all 315 students and staff began to march; three local media stations were there along with cheering pedestrians. The peace walk, organized in partnership with Y2Y campaign started at Cleveland Job Corps and continued to 152nd St. before turning back towards the center. This was a wonderful way to end the week and the students did an outstanding job in an effort to change the way our community perceives the center.

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