country programs
From its base in Erlanger, Kentucky, Youth Crime Watch of Kentucky (formerly the YCWA Appalachian Regional Expansion Center) helps schools and communities in Kentucky and southern Indiana and Ohio start and sustain their YCW programs. Services include:
- Background information about Youth Crime Watch
- YCW awareness presentations
- YCW implementation training for your site
- Technical assistance getting your site started
- Technical assistance once your site is up and running
YCW Kentucky is operated by the Kentucky Crime Prevention Coalition.
News from Kentucky and Ohio
November 2009: Kentucky planning conference for June 2010
YCW leaders in Kentucky have been meeting with partners to plan an exciting event for June 2010. The Kentucky Youth Prevention Conference will bring together area students with members of the law enforcement and education communities to address questions of crime and safety in their communities. The powerful event has been a success in the past and we look forward to this one. Partners signing on to the event include: Youth Crime Watch of Kentucky, the Kentucky Crime Prevention Coalition, the National Guard, the Kentucky Center for School Safety, the Justice Cabinet, and the Kentucky Department of Education. Procedes from past SRO/DARE/Crime Prevention conferences will also help finance the event. With funds promised so far, organizers already know that they will be able to cover costs for at least 75 students and 25 adults.
June 2009: Kentucky Newsletter
YCW of Kentucky presents the June 2009 issue of their newsletter. In this issue:
- Turkey Foot sixth-grader Tammy Nguyen creates a "true" beer bottle label
- North Livingston Elementary introduces bathroom monitors and holds a number of educational events
- Clay Elementary and Middle Schools use a tip/praise box
- Tichenor Middle School's "bully box" helps kids turn in bullies
- Action project idea: Backpacks for kids in need
- Ideas for the 2009-2010 school year
- ... and that's just the beginning
The Bully Box at Tichenor
June 2009: Fingerprints at Turkey Foot MS
Students at Turkey Foot Middle School in Edgewood, Kentucky, tried out their detective skills in the classroom. The local press was there to cover the fun.
See the feature in the Community Recorder.
April 2009: Turkey Foot Students Start Crime Watch
Turkey Foot Middle School students launched their own Youth Crime Watch program this spring. The program will serve the middle school, located in northern Kentucky. Acting as advisor to the group is the school's SRO, Terry Chinn, who went through implementation training with the members of the core group. Turkey Foot's YCW program is off to a quick start, with projects slated for thei semester targeting underage drinking and crime prevention awareness. Students will also get to learn more about criminal justice practices such as fingerprinting and crime scene investigation. With a committed core group and adult team, we are sure that the Watch at Turkey Foot will not only make their school and community safer, but will have a lot of fun.
See coverage in the local press.
(Photo/Jason Brubaker, The Community Recorder)
Edgewood Police Officer Terry Chinn poses with Assistant Pricipal Deb Obermeyer and members of the new Turkey Foot Youth Crime Watch Michael Clark, Zachary Pugh, Emmanuel Martinez, Zach Miller, Ciara Goins and Megan Mauer.
April 2009: East meets West! YCW in two new schools
On April 23, 2009, the Kentucky Crime Prevention Coalition's Youth Crime Watch team trained core groups from two middle schools to start YCW programs. Students from East Jessamine Middle School and its cross-town rival West Jessamine Middle School participated in the joint training. The students learned crime prevention basics as well as valuable information for running their program at the day-to-day level, from organizing school asssemblies to promoting action projects with their peers. We wish them the best of luck!
East Jessamine Middle School's core group on training day.
West Jessamine Middle School's core group after training.
Nov 2007: New site at East Carter High School kicks off with implementation training
Students at East Carter High School in Grayson Kentucky met for Youth Crime Watch implementation training on November 15, 2007. A new school resource officer and a core group of 22 excited and committed students will lead the program in this school in northwestern Kentucky. The site can expect strong support from the school's Superintendent, who attended a workshop at the Kentucky Safe School Conference earlier this year. Happy to have you on board!
Students at East Carter in their full-day Youth Crime Watch training.
East Carter Youth Crime Watch's inaugural core group and advisor.
Feb 2007: YCW Kentucky State Conference:
About 50 students from Kentucky attended the Youth Crime Watch state conference Feb. 27-28, 2007, in Fort Mitchell. For more information contact the Kentucky expansion center: kcpc@fuse.net
Feb 28, 2007: YCW students gather for statewide conference
See Student Training in Crime Prevention coverage from WKRC-TV, Channel 12 news in Cincinnati, Ohio, Feb 28, 2007. Includes link for video.
Students from across the state came together for crime prevention training lead by the Kentucky Crime Prevention Coalition. They'll take the lessons they learned back to their home schools with them.
Feb 2007: Kentucky students prepare for national conference
See Students to attend crime-fighting session, by Sarah Hardee, The Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati Enquirer, Feb 17, 2007
A team of students from Tichenor Middle School is preparing for their trip to YCWA's 18th National Youth Crime Prevention Conference in Colorado (conference website). "I want to learn what more we can do for our school," said student Austin Ferrara, "I hope we can learn more about things we can do here that work other places."
Dec 2006: KCPC speaks out against the promotion of drinking games
See Drinking games marketed, Officials: Send wrong message, by Shelly Whitehead, The Kentucky Post, Dec 12, 2006.
As the holiday season spun into motion this December, Youth Crime Watch of Kentucky's Bob Douglas began a campaign of his own. Upon learning that a regional department store chain was selling drinking games, Douglas stepped in to point out that the games could be attractive to under-aged drinkers. "It's surprising to me, especially at this time of year when social drinking is such a problem," Douglas said. "On the one hand, we're saying, 'Have a safe holiday,' and we have all this DUI enforcement. Then, on the other hand, we have stores selling drinking games to people. I'm sure they'll say they are for use in the home, but people still have to drive home from there."
Oct 2006: Kentucky's regional YCW draws interest
In October several regional Youth Crime Watch conferences brought together local participants for training and networking. Look for more training in Kentucky in the first quarter of 2007. Contact the Expansion Center for more - kcpc@fuse.net.
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