City Office of Violence Prevention outlines March and June outreach; coalition plans youth conference and calendar coordination

An Office of Violence Prevention representative (Zeke) reported on city violence-prevention programs and upcoming events. He announced Anthony Dixon (from Rise Up Rochester) as the new coordinator of Pathways to Peace and gave dates and purposes for several outreach activities: March 6 (Father Tracy House area), March 13 (Lau/Chow Street area), March 20 (Goodman Plaza), and March 27 (Liberty Pole Way), each from 3–5 p.m. He also described a Rocky Youth resource and employment fair March 29 (1–4 p.m. at East High) for youth services and employers, and a youth conference on March 21 (12–5) aimed at ages 11–17.

Zeke asked coalition members to accept emailed flyers and details routed through Dassie for distribution. He also promoted a June 6 Wear Orange/End Violence event with partners including Moms Demand Action, Rise Up, SNUG and the University of Rochester, featuring a march and vendors.

Coalition leaders emphasized the need for a shared summer calendar to avoid overlapping events and asked partners to send event information to Dassie for distribution.

Why it matters: City-run outreach, employment fairs and youth programming are key prevention strategies that connect young people to services and jobs, bolster community engagement, and align city and nonprofit efforts during high-risk months.

Next steps: OVP will email event materials to Dassie for coalition distribution; coalition members will share events so staff can build a shared calendar.