Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray announced that the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office will host its seventeenth “World Against Violence (WAV#17) Youth Conference, entitled: “Overcoming Obstacles: Achieving Your Goals!” on Tuesday, December 4, 2012.
This invitation-only youth conference will be held at Rutgers University, The Paul Robeson Center, at 350 Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd., Newark from 9:00 a.m. through 2:00 p.m.
Approximately 300 students from East Orange, Orange and Bloomfield are expected to attend. The goal of the one-day summit is to engage teenagers on the consequences of negative behavior and motivating them to set goals towards positive choices.
First Assistant Prosecutor Robert D. Laurino is scheduled to deliver the opening remarks. The students will then experience a variety of speakers and breakout group discussions focused on the theme “Overcoming Obstacles: Achieving Your Goals!” The breakout sessions will include:
1) “Do you have the wheel?” This workshop will make students aware of the consequences of unsafe driving practices. The audience is invited to participate in a lively Q & A part of the presentation;
2) “Love Shouldn’t Hurt.” This workshop will discuss the issue of teen dating violence. The workshop will teach students about the signs of healthy versus abusive relationships, so they can make better choices for themselves.
3) “Being Safe in Cyberspace!” is an interactive workshop designed to make students aware of the dangers of online predators and ways to keep safe on the Internet.
4) “Gang Life: More dangerous than you know” is a workshop to discuss the dangerous realities of gang life. This workshop will also discuss how bullying and peer pressure pay an integral role on how young people are recruited into the gang lifestyle.
5) “The Big Yard or the Graveyard!” is a workshop that will offer students information about the realities and dangers of guns and gun violence.
6) “Critical Thinking for Today’s Youth” is an interactive workshop that will engage students in a series of thinking exercises to teach them how to make sound decisions.
Major funding for this program is provided by the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice. Reporters are welcome. For additional information, please contact Assistant Prosecutor Gwendolyn Williams, Director Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Juvenile Justice Unit, at 973-621-5381 or Nicole Graves-Watson, Community Justice Coordinator at (973) 621-5377.
