DETROIT (WXYZ) — A surge in youth violence in Detroit last summer, which included the fatal shooting of a 4-year-old at a park, has sparked a new program aimed at preventing violence before it happens.
Organizers launched a Community Violence Intervention, or CVI, youth flag football league to keep at-risk youth engaged and teach them long-term skills.
Watch Christiana Ford's video report below:
"We think one life lost is too many," organizers said.
Cierra Renee with nonprofit FORCE Detroit said the violence last summer prompted the groups to take action.
"Last summer was heartbreaking. We had so many violent incidents around our youth. We said this summer, we have to be proactive and make sure we have things that are leading up to the summer, so that they can be engaged and be ready," Renee said.
Each CVI team — Team Pursuit, Detroit Friends and Family, Live in Peace, Detroit 300 and The Peoples Action — will have their own group of 20 players ages 11 to 17. The league consists of at-risk youth that many of the organizers have already been working with.
Pastor Maurice "Mo" Hardwick, leader of the Live in Peace Movement, says the league provides an additional dedicated time to focus on the youth.
"Coming here and breaking bread with them, talking to them. We have all kind of interventions, all type of things we do with them, but being in sports, having a moment like this where we take aside our day, our Friday evening and make this all about them," Hardwick said.
The goal is to not only keep the youth busy over the summer but to teach them long-term skills.
"We were very intentional about building a curriculum, where we’re going to focus about themes every week while they’re in practice. They're going to take time out and really learn about conflict resolution, emotional health. We're gonna learn about grounding," Renee said.
Keontae Alexander, 17, said the CVI group Live in Peace intervened when he was about to get into an altercation.
"It was this one day, I’m at the park, I was up there about to fight and they were up there and they grabbed me and they pulled me to the side and they talked to me," Alexander said.
Alexander said the group never left his side.
"My life changed 100% around all thanks to LIP," Alexander said. "I feel like this is most definitely gonna keep me off the streets and keep me occupied, give me something to do."
Markell Windham, 14, is participating with the CVI group Team Pursuit and said he can hardly wait to start. His mentors have already bonded him out of juvenile detention, got him back on track and helped him return to school.
"It’s good and it’s very motivating like it’ll push you to do stuff you don’t even think you’ll be able to do," Windham said.
Games are Friday nights at the Chandler Park Fieldhouse.
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Organizers hope the league serves as a long-term strategy to protect youth in the city.
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