Teens

The local Mayor wants to know what to do next to make her city a safe place. She and other city leaders have acknowledged that they “can’t do it alone.” That there's a need for “more community support.” A Neighborhood Safety Summit of city leaders, local law enforcement agencies, and residents has been announced.
A teenager was shot and killed near his home a week or so ago and no one, even those closest to him, seems to understand why. Can’t see what might have led to this loss of life.
No one wants this sort of tragedy to ever happen again. What can parents and relatives do to protect their children from such a fate? Or from being killed in an alcohol-related automobile accident such as happened near here not too long ago. There are no guarantees in life. Even in the closest-knit, most loving families tragedies occur. But there are signs to observe, risk factors to mitigate.

Consider the teens in your life:
Do they live in a single parent household?
Do they have parent/adult supervision?
Who are there friends?
Do you know where they are and whom they are with?
Have they dropped out of school?
If so, are they unemployed?
Do they live in an area where gangs are active?
Do they wear gang colors?

Parents, guardians, teachers, mentors, and friends, your community cannot be a safe place without your awareness of what’s happening in the lives of the teens you know.