Sharing ideas: Leaders gather in Milwaukee for second annual gun violence prevention summit

MILWAUKEE (WITI) – On Wednesday, December 10th, Milwaukee’s Coming Together Partnership hosted its second annual gun violence prevention summit.

The summit was scheduled from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Student Union. The summit brought together Milwaukee youth with community workers and leaders to advance strategies to prevent and reduce gun violence.

The summit, centered around a “Become a Change-Maker” theme, included remarks by Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, Milwaukee Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Darienne Driver, and Medical College of Wisconsin Chair of Emergency Medicine Dr. Stephen Hargarten.

Dr. Driver says she believes progress can be made through communication with Milwaukee's young people.

"Everything is paying attention to all the negative things that are in our community, but our young people are doing tremendous things, and it's our jobs as the adults to support them, to help them, and to follow them. Let's be honest about this -- we really need to start listening to what our young people are saying to us," Driver said.

A session moderated by County Supervisor David Bowen encouraged youth to discuss experiences and preventive strategies. Interactive workshops for adults and youth worked to engage youth, discuss recommendations, and develop actions to prevent gun violence.

The day was sponsored by the Coming Together Partnership, a coalition that includes Community Advocates’ Milwaukee Brighter Futures Initiative, City of Milwaukee Health Department Office of Violence Prevention, the Medical College of Wisconsin’s Violence Prevention Initiative and Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin’s Project Ujima.

The event was co-sponsored by The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Department of Student Affairs.

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