Too often youth are seen as ‘the problem’ when many youth have already endured more hardships than some adults face in their lifetime.  As a city, our task is to help ensure youth’s wellbeing and their growth into successful adults. Many youth are victims of violence directly or indirectly. Nationally, youth under 25 years of age have the highest rates of homicide and violent crime victimization. For example, poor birth outcomes related to smoking, drugs, lead poisoning, witnessing domestic violence, and child abuse can affect a child’s development. In turn, they increase the likelihood of a child becoming a delinquent or adult offender.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced Wednesday the city will develop a strategy to combat youth violence with help from President Obama’s National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention, also known as The Forum. Health Commissioner Leana Wen said youth violence should be treated as a public health issue as well as a criminal justice issue.

Recently, a group of fourth grade students at Kipp-Harmony Elementary School created a photonovella about smoking and its effects on families.  Through a series of photos, the students portray a father who smokes to relieve his stress levels, negatively impacting the rest of the family, including a newborn baby.  With his family’s support the father is able to finally quit.  The photonovella paints a simplified picture of a very real issue: smoking and tobacco have a huge effect on youth.