August 2, 2007

D.A. Rice and Uniondale Schools Empower Teens  

DA’s“Peacemaker Teens” give back to community through CPR  

MINEOLA – Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice and the Uniondale Schools are sponsoring the training of thirty teenagers in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) as part of the District Attorney’s ongoing Peacemakers Violence Prevention programs. The Uniondale program, managed by the Uniondale Community Council, will be held at the Council’s offices at 806 Jerusalem Avenue, Uniondale today at 1 pm.

This special training is just one of District Attorney Rice’s many community outreach and crime prevention initiatives targeting Nassau County’s youth through violence prevention.  At the request of the United States Attorney – Eastern District of New York, the District Attorney’s team coordinates violence prevention at five target middle schools under the federal Project Safe Neighborhood program.

‘Peacemakers’ is a nationally recognized evidenced-based program of violence prevention techniques. It stresses anger management, conflict resolution, negotiating skills and how to prevent disputes from getting out of hand. With support from the United States Attorney and the Urban Institute, the District Attorney’s team brought in trainers to work with each of the schools. The team works with each school to implement Peacemakers in unique and creative ways tailored to the needs of their at-risk youth.

In Uniondale, the Peacemaker program operates at Uniondale’s middle school after school programs run by the Community Council. This summer the counselors are using CPR training to empower their teens.

District Attorney Rice said, “Uniondale is the site of Nassau’s main emergency shelters (Coliseum and Hofstra). This vital training will give teens the confidence, self esteem, and ability to serve and protect their community in an emergency situation. It will also make them eligible for teen-type jobs such as lifeguards and camp counselors. I am committed to helping our community’s kids stay out of trouble and that starts with providing them access to jobs, anti-violence training, mentorship programs, and specialized trainings like this one that allow them to be leaders in times of crisis.”

Jeremy Shapiro, PhD. the Ohio-based founder of Peacemakers said “I am delighted at the creative way that District Attorney Rice has applied the program. Peace and healing -- that's so harmonious and on target.”  This year more than 600 teens have participated in the violence prevention program.  Expansion of Peacemakers is planned for all five of the middle schools.

The District Attorney will be on-hand at 1:15 p.m. and looks forward to joining the counselors and teenagers in the training.