U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan will give remarks at the National Summit on Preventing Youth Violence, hosted by the U.S. Department of Justice, on Monday, April 2, at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington, D.C. He will highlight the national issue of youth violence prevention and commend the work of six cities that have developed comprehensive plans to help reduce youth and gang violence, improve opportunities for youth, and encourage innovation at the local and national levels. Representatives from each of the cities—Boston; Chicago; Detroit; Memphis; Salinas, Calif.; and San Jose, Calif.—will discuss their city's progress and participate in interactive dialogues on topics such as prevention, intervention, enforcement, and efforts to avert youth violence.
Other participants in the two-day summit, taking place Monday-Tuesday, April 2-3, will include Attorney General Eric Holder, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy R. Gil Kerlikowske, White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs Mary Lou Leary, Congressman Robert C. Scott (D-VA), and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Additional summit speakers include Grammy-nominated hip hop artist Lecrae Moore, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, President and CEO of Casey Family Programs William Bell, faith and business leaders, and federal officials.
The summit will bring together mayors, police chiefs, school officials, youth, and other local representatives who will report on their efforts to prevent youth violence in connection with the Obama Administration's National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention. In 2010, at the direction of President Obama, the Departments of Justice and Education launched the National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention, along with participating localities and other federal agencies. The Administration created the forum as a context for participating localities to share challenges and promising strategies with each other and to explore how federal agencies could better support local efforts. For more information on the National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention, visit: http://www.findyouthinfo.gov/youth-topics/preventing-youth-violence.