The City of Aurora is committed to preventing youth violence, and they are now putting their money where their mouth is by working with the local school districts.
Cherry Creek School District and Aurora Public Schools have each been given $50,000 by the City of Aurora’s Youth Violence Prevention Program to offer at-risk youth violence prevention programming.
That funding is used for the Leadership Academy Program at Cherry Creek Schools. a program that teaches students who are at risk of engaging in juvenile violence that there are alternatives to the streets.
Joseph Cooks and Brian Barie joined the program in the eighth grade. They have made great progress and are now preparing for their senior year at Smoky Hill High School.
“I was going through like a lot of trouble, I guess. I had been suspended like eight times,” Joseph stated.
“I felt like I was, like, bigger than my parents. I felt like I was at the top of the world,” Brian stated. “I really needed just some bigger role models to show me that I could strive for more.”
Mr. Jasper Armstrong, Cherry Creek Schools’ Director of Youth Leadership and Student Support, served as their inspiration. In addition, he said he enjoys his work as the director of the Leadership Academy.
“The joy in doing this work is taking somebody who has never seen themselves as a scholar, and then watching that transformation take place,” said Armstrong. “They’ve always been pushed to the side or shunned. We try to say you have worth, right? You have real value. Inherent value.”
The program is starting its third year after just finishing its second. In order to learn how to set goals and come up with ideas for making the school community safer, students first get together in the summer.
According to Joseph and Brian, it has transformed their lives.
“Sometimes I be feeling like if they weren’t here, I don’t know where I would be in high school,” Joseph stated.
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Both of them are currently enrolled in CCSD’s aspiring teacher program because they wish to inspire the next generation.
“I just want to be able to bring kids to love learning,” Brian stated.
This city funding program has an accountability component. School districts are required to submit an annual report to the city detailing the number of children enrolled in their programs and their progress.
Angela Lawson, a council member for Aurora City, stated in a statement:
“The City of Aurora recognizes the ongoing need to address youth violence, a public health issue impacting communities around the country. This funding will support our education partners as they to continue to work on this issue, with an emphasis on evidence-based programs and data-driven accountability.
The school districts are required to report back how many students are participating in their programs and city staff will provide input and guidance throughout. As someone who cares deeply about Aurora’s youth and community safety, I believe it is through strong, consistent partnerships like this that we uplift Aurora’s youth, giving them the tools to interrupt or stop violence before it starts, reduce crime and build a safer Aurora.”
