Denver's Youth Violence Prevention Center in danger of losing funding, potentially cutting key staff

A group from the Youth Violence Prevention Center in Denver hosted the second screening of Breaking the Cycle, a documentary addressing youth violence and community efforts to stop it, particularly in neighborhoods like Northeast Denver.

Annecya Lawson, a leader with the center, became involved after losing a friend to gun violence. Her experience motivated her to seek change in her community.

"It just gives me hope that the community is here to support us," Lawson said. "It opened my eyes to see that there's more out there than just hoping that you can help."

The center funds events like the Breaking the Cycle screening to guide young people in the right direction. Between 2016 and 2021, arrests among young people for violent crimes dropped by 75% in Denver's Northeast Park Hill neighborhood, according to researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Beverly Kingston, director of CU Boulder's Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, highlighted the importance of resources in underserved communities.

"Programs like these infuse critical resources into communities that often lack them," Kingston said. "They build social infrastructure for prevention."

The study, published in the American Journal of Criminal Justice, focuses on prevention strategies like social-emotional learning and youth-led initiatives, including the Game Changers program.

The Youth Violence Prevention Center is funded through a $6 million grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but that funding ends in September. Without renewal, the center faces a potential $1.2 million budget cut, which could lead to the loss of 40% of staff and a reduction in research efforts.

"If we want to keep the numbers down, we have to keep the infrastructure strong," Lawson said. "This has to be a continual process."

The center is urging for sustainable funding and community support to continue its vital work.