Our Context

Citing “youth violence,” nearly every state in the U.S. as well as the District of Columbia changed their juvenile justice policies in the 1990s to more punitive approaches. Young people of color were most impacted by this shift, particularly African-American youth in poor, working-class neighborhoods. This pattern persists today. Calls to increase “public safety” and address “youth violence” are often answered with policies that widen the reach of the criminal-legal (criminal justice) system into the lives of young people and their families. These responses do not lead to increased safety. Rather, they lead to increased violence against youth and their families ranging from police harassment and brutality to the destruction of low-income housing. Although we are painfully aware of the devastating impacts of the criminal-legal system, we lack alternative visions and strategies for making our communities safer.

Our Beliefs

Youth most impacted by violence are marginalized from the development of analysis and approaches that center their knowledge, experiences, and ideas.

Youth need support to build and promote their analysis, visions and solutions.

Youth are impacted by multiple forms of violence from individuals and institutions, but conventional ways of talking about youth and violence do not reflect this understanding.

We need language and analysis that provide a holistic understanding of violence against youth and facilitate the development of transformative solutions that foster healing and social justice.

Our Goals:

The Visions to Peace Project uses arts, media, education and organizing to:

• Center the voices and visions of marginalized youth in public conversations  about violence and what can be done to stop it
• Increase understanding of the relationship between violence, oppression, and inequality, especially as they impact Black youth in working-class communities
• Learn about and develop transformative actions that youth and non-youth can take to prevent, intervene in and respond to violence
• Promote visions and strategies to end violence that do not rely on oppressive systems and institutions, which undermine work for safety, peace and justice
• Decrease support for policies and actions that respond to violence with acts of oppression, domination, threats and additional violence
• Increase the commitment and ability of youth, communities and youth-serving organizations to challenge all forms of violence against youth including rape, relationship abuse, shootings, police brutality, criminalization, and imprisonment