City of Blue Springs Media Advisory
For Immediate Release: April 10, 2002
Citys Youth Outreach Unit to Receive
Federal Funding for Gothic Culture Research
(Blue Springs, Mo. April 10, 2002) The Blue Springs Police Departments Youth Outreach Unit (Y.O.U.) is seeking federal grant funds in the amount of $237,437 to address local issues and concerns in Blue Springs and Eastern Jackson County involving youth associated with the gothic culture. The money from the grant, which is being supported by Blue Springs Congressional Representative Sam Graves, has tentatively been earmarked and approved by the Federal Appropriations Committee. The Blue Springs Youth Outreach Unit provides critical public safety crime prevention and at risk youth services. The recent gothic culture movement in the area over the past two years has given rise to concerns among city and school district officials, businesses, families, and concerned residents. These concerns center on the potential increase in youth crime, drug use, self-mutilation, depression, suicide, and various acts of violence sometimes found among extreme members of the gothic culture.
Approximately one third of Y.O.U.s funding comes from state, federal, and county funding. The funding for the proposed gothic program will supplement existing services already in place and allow the city to target additional at risk youth in the gothic culture. The funding will support public safety efforts including surveillance, training, education, awareness, and youth and family counseling in order to reduce incidences of criminal and delinquent activity tied to this youth movement and counter culture. The population served will be the City of Blue Springs and the surrounding communities. This project is committed to accomplishing three goals.
1. The City will host town hall and informational meetings, with the purpose of educating community members so they will be better informed about the gothic culture. These meetings will be aimed at helping to identify the signs and symptoms of at-risk kids, and gothic related activity that may lead to severe self-abuse, drug use and other criminal activity.
2. The City will conduct detailed educational trainings for front-line staff in the Blue Springs School district, where most initial encounters with the gothic culture are made. Training will be directed toward principals, counselors, teachers, nurses, bus drivers, paraprofessionals, mental health workers, clinicians, school resource officers, youth associated police officers, church pastors and assistants, faith-based organization leaders, youth group sponsors, and after-school club leaders whose primary responsibility is to identify, serve, and/or refer youth to appropriate agencies.
3. The funding will also provide assessments, individual, family and/or group therapy, case management, and follow-up sessions for youth that clearly have behavior problems that could lead to negative and harmful participation in the gothic culture.
By educating individuals who work with youth about gothic characteristics, music, books, magazines, jewelry, fashion trends, movies, comic books, various subsets and language, we hope to make them more aware of who they are interacting with and what the potential is for at-risk youth to take this movement to an unexpected level of harming themselves or others.
The Youth Outreach Unit of the Blue Springs Police Department brings together a committed team of professionals with extensive training and experience in prevention services and youth intervention to provide supportive services to the youth of the community. The mission of the Y.O.U. is to provide services to children and families in crisis, respond to youth who are engaged in life-threatening or criminal behaviors, empower young people to make healthy lifestyle choices, and to act as a partner with the citizens and community providers in Blue Springs who make a positive impact in the lives of young people.
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And it's the beginings of another "Goth kids are all fucked up and none of them are actualy responsible humanbeings" When was the last time there was a "Goth War" like the local gangs? Jeasus christ....stupid people.......
For Immediate Release: April 10, 2002
Citys Youth Outreach Unit to Receive
Federal Funding for Gothic Culture Research
(Blue Springs, Mo. April 10, 2002) The Blue Springs Police Departments Youth Outreach Unit (Y.O.U.) is seeking federal grant funds in the amount of $237,437 to address local issues and concerns in Blue Springs and Eastern Jackson County involving youth associated with the gothic culture. The money from the grant, which is being supported by Blue Springs Congressional Representative Sam Graves, has tentatively been earmarked and approved by the Federal Appropriations Committee. The Blue Springs Youth Outreach Unit provides critical public safety crime prevention and at risk youth services. The recent gothic culture movement in the area over the past two years has given rise to concerns among city and school district officials, businesses, families, and concerned residents. These concerns center on the potential increase in youth crime, drug use, self-mutilation, depression, suicide, and various acts of violence sometimes found among extreme members of the gothic culture.
Approximately one third of Y.O.U.s funding comes from state, federal, and county funding. The funding for the proposed gothic program will supplement existing services already in place and allow the city to target additional at risk youth in the gothic culture. The funding will support public safety efforts including surveillance, training, education, awareness, and youth and family counseling in order to reduce incidences of criminal and delinquent activity tied to this youth movement and counter culture. The population served will be the City of Blue Springs and the surrounding communities. This project is committed to accomplishing three goals.
1. The City will host town hall and informational meetings, with the purpose of educating community members so they will be better informed about the gothic culture. These meetings will be aimed at helping to identify the signs and symptoms of at-risk kids, and gothic related activity that may lead to severe self-abuse, drug use and other criminal activity.
2. The City will conduct detailed educational trainings for front-line staff in the Blue Springs School district, where most initial encounters with the gothic culture are made. Training will be directed toward principals, counselors, teachers, nurses, bus drivers, paraprofessionals, mental health workers, clinicians, school resource officers, youth associated police officers, church pastors and assistants, faith-based organization leaders, youth group sponsors, and after-school club leaders whose primary responsibility is to identify, serve, and/or refer youth to appropriate agencies.
3. The funding will also provide assessments, individual, family and/or group therapy, case management, and follow-up sessions for youth that clearly have behavior problems that could lead to negative and harmful participation in the gothic culture.
By educating individuals who work with youth about gothic characteristics, music, books, magazines, jewelry, fashion trends, movies, comic books, various subsets and language, we hope to make them more aware of who they are interacting with and what the potential is for at-risk youth to take this movement to an unexpected level of harming themselves or others.
The Youth Outreach Unit of the Blue Springs Police Department brings together a committed team of professionals with extensive training and experience in prevention services and youth intervention to provide supportive services to the youth of the community. The mission of the Y.O.U. is to provide services to children and families in crisis, respond to youth who are engaged in life-threatening or criminal behaviors, empower young people to make healthy lifestyle choices, and to act as a partner with the citizens and community providers in Blue Springs who make a positive impact in the lives of young people.
_______________________________________
And it's the beginings of another "Goth kids are all fucked up and none of them are actualy responsible humanbeings" When was the last time there was a "Goth War" like the local gangs? Jeasus christ....stupid people.......
