The Miami-Dade Violence Intervention Project (VIP) is a campaign designed to create public awareness about youth violence, and encourage non-violent activism among children and teens so they may prevent violence in their neighborhoods and schools.  According to Miami-Dade’s Juvenile Services Department, in 2008, 3,504 youth were charged with a violent crime, 740 youth were charged with aggravated assault and battery, and 21 youth were charged with a homicide offense.  In a survey that the department conducted with 294 Miami-Dade students, 67 percent had witnessed a violent act and 52 percent admitted to having a friend or family member injured or killed by violence.

“It is sad when we have thousands of young people whose potential is squandered because they are involved in a violent crime,” said Commissioner Edmonson. “It’s not enough to just ‘lay down the law’ with children living in neighborhoods where violence is an every day fact of life. Programs like VIP are so important to helping our children realize that there are better alternatives than resorting to hate and hurting others.  There’s a dialogue that’s created, one we hope will help young people think twice before making a life-changing decision.”

Since its inception in 2007, VIP’s movement against violence has reached over 2,500 young people, collected over 1,200 pledges to non-violence cards, and helped to bring about open and honest dialogue between young people and adults through events like VIP “Rap Sessions,” which bring together youth and adults to discuss the root of the violence problem in Miami-Dade.

Commissioner Edmonson has been a stalwart force on combating youth violence in her district. This past January, the commissioner responded to the deaths of two teenagers killed in a Liberty City mass shooting by distributing “Hot Spot” cards to nearby residents. The cards allowed residents to anonymously report any illegal activity in their neighborhoods. She also partnered with the Brownsville Community Development Corporation to host the “Stop the Violence” Rally and Resource Fair, which consisted of assemblies at several local schools aimed at violence prevention.

For more information on Miami-Dade VIP, visit www.miamidadevip.org.

Miami-Dade County Commissioner Audrey M. Edmonson speaks to local youth at a Miami-Dade Violence Intervention Project (VIP) seminar at the Joseph Caleb Center on Saturday, March 21, 2009.