Augsburg News

News Archives - 1998

Developing strategy to prevent violence among children is topic of continuing education symposium at Augsburg

Jan. 07 1998

A 1986 Minnesota State Planning Agency report (Minnesota 2010: A projection of Arrest and Convictions in Minnesota, 1986) predicted an 83 percent increase in juvenile arrests for violent crimes by the year 2010. In recent months, there have been numerous local and national news reports of violent crimes committed by juveniles, suggesting that the prediction above may be accurate.

City Pages in its Dec. 31 issue (page 3) summarized five incidents of juvenile violence that have made national headlines since September. In the Twin Cities, a youth this past fall was allegedly involved in the shooting death of a woman in a moving vehicle.

In response to incidents like these and concern about how to reduce and prevent violence amoung our nation's youth, Augsburg College and three partner organizations are sponsoring a continuing education symposium titled "In Dialogue for our Children: Violence and Community Responsibiliy" that will be held on March 12 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Augsburg's Christensen Center.

The primary objective of the symposium is to create a unified strategy to address this issue, motivate organizations to take ownership of the strategy and then make a commitment to action.

In formulating this strategy, participants--to include representatives from business, government, health care, law enforcement, social services, education and religious institutions--will attempt to identify the community's moral, ethical and civic responsibilites in preventing youth violence.

The symposium's opening speaker will be Minnesota senator Ember Reichgott Junge. Other speakers will include Duane Benson from the Minnesota Business Partnership Council; U.S. District Attorney David Lillehaug; Pat Hoven from The Honeywell Foundation; Brenda Brown from the Council on Black Minnesotans; and David Walsh from the National Institute on Media and the Family.

Also speaking will be representatives from Allina Health; The Minnesota Department of Children, Families, and Learning; the Augsburg Youth and Family Institute; the Alternatives to Violence Coalition; and Hennepin County Medical Center.

The registration fee for the symposium is $45, or $65 for those participants who wish to receive six hours of continuing education credit. The fees include lunch and refreshments. Continuing education credit is available to teachers, law enforcement officers, social workers, nurses, pastors and associates in ministry.

To register, call Laura Lee at (612)330-1520. For additional information about the symposium, call Patty Murphy at 330-1244.

The Christensen Center is located at 720 22nd Ave. S. on the Augsburg campus. Parking is available on the street and in the Riverside Professional Building Ramp at Riverside and 23rd Avenues.

Joining Augsburg in sponsoring the symposium are: the Alternative to Violence Coalition (AVCO), Turning Point, Inc., and the National Institute on Media and the Family, with support from Aid Association for Lutherans (AAL).


FUTURE CONTINUING EDUCATION PROGRAMS AT AUGSBURG --
May 29, 1998 - Focus: Technology and Management Skills

A one-day workshop for professionals in nonprofit organizations that emphasizes hands-on experience. Participants are grouped according to level of expertise.