The 6th Annual Lock-In

4th Annual STVI Christmas Store

Caring Place, located at 2901 N Post Rd sponsors the Christmas Store to families around the city of Indianapolis.  STVI was blessed to have had 70 of our families participate in the Christmas holiday store. Thanks to Pastor Chad Temple of The Caring Place, youth from age 3 to 12 were able to shop at their Christmas store at Washington Square Mall on Saturday, December 8th.

The youth purchased gifts for their family members and walked away with some items of their own. What a wonderful time to have had the opportunity and we look forward to 2019.

Click on link for more information, 2018 Christmas Store flyer 

STVI

The 5th Annual Lock-In

The 5th annual lock-in is approaching fast! It will be held at Incrediplex, located at 6002 Sunnyside Road, Indianapolis, IN 46236 on November 25, 2017. This event is FREE; however, a charge of $25 will be collected after the first 100 attendees. This is based on a first come first serve basis.  Parents are required to attend a 15 – 30 minute orientation.  Parents MUST sign their youth in, any youth NOT signed in by an adult will be asked to leave – NO EXCEPTIONS.

• Registration starts at 10:00 pm (doors will NOT be open until that time) and is based on a first come, first serve basis (First 100 free, $25 fee after that)
•  Age requirement is 10 – 17 NO EXCEPTIONS (if you are volunteering, please make arrangements for children under 10)
• Money is not required, this is a FREE event (Food & entertainment)
• STVI is NOT responsible for lost, stolen or misplaced items

For additional information call the office at 317.692.9929 or email admin@stoptheviolenceindy.org

Stop the Violence Indianapolis, Inc. and Microsoft Partnership

STVI is pleased to announce that they have partnered with Microsoft to offer a program called Youth Spark Camp: Start You Own Business for young ladies between the ages of 13 & 18.

This is a four-week program with two hours per session where they will turn their passion into a great entrepreneurial business idea. All participants will receive guidance on developing their ideas into a robust business plan with a polished pitch ready to share with the world.

The young ladies will go through a series of engaging hands-on group activities to introduce key business concepts, including:

• How to create a product or service
• Marketing and promotion
• Pricing and costs
• Manufacturing and distribution

This is a 4 week program and you MUST be able to attend all 4 weeks. Each week is a two-hour session located at the Microsoft office at Keystone at the Crossing Mall Store.

We will go in groups of 10, with another class starting at the completion of the first. During the final session, participants will have the opportunity to present their completed business plan for feedback and insight from their parents and/or guardians.

If your young lady can commit to a 4 week session.  The dates are to be determined.

Please submit the following (You must be pre-registered):

• Name
• Age
• Grade
• School
• Short essay as to why they would like to participate in this program

Please send to Cassandra Anderson-Money at admin@stoptheviolenceindy.org 

The first ten that have submitted their information will be enrolled.  All others will be added to the next class. This is on a first come first serve basis and the best part is it is FREE to you!

4th Annual LOCK-IN

The 4th annual lock-in is fast approach.  It will be held at Incrediplex, located at 6002 Sunnyside Road, Indianapolis, IN 46236.  This event is FREE; however, a charge of $25 will be collected after the first 100 attendees.  This is based on a first come first serve basis.  Parents are required to attend a 15 – 30 minute orientation.  Parents MUST sign their youth in, any youth NOT signed in by an adult will be asked to leave – NO EXCEPTIONS.

• Registration starts at 10:00 (doors will NOT be open until that time) and is based on a first come, first serve basis
•  Age requirement is 10 – 17 NO EXCEPTIONS (if you are volunteering, please make arrangements for children under 10)
• Money is not required, this is a FREE event
• STVI is NOT responsible for lost, stolen or misplaced items

For additional information, please see the flyer, call the office at 317.692.9929 or email bbeverly@stoptheviolenceindy.org.

2015 Stop the Violence Indianapolis Youth Summer Camps

The youth of Stop the Violence Indianapolis, Inc. completed a full summer of learning and fun over six weeks during our career enrichment camp.  The high school age teenagers had the opportunity to:

• Visit Indiana Supreme Court during Law and Policy week
• Fly airplanes during aviation week
• Create a cool safety bike life for youth during Architect week
• Visit Horton’s in Fishers and IUPUI during Engineering Week
• Met healthcare professionals during Healthcare Week

Often time’s youth in the urban areas of Indianapolis are left out of the equation of authentic opportunity – especially Black Males. There are many different reasons for that reality. The career opportunities that are most available to urban youth are usually DOA – Dead on Arrival. Which is why Stop the Violence Indianapolis, Inc., teamed up with CAFÉ and several other organizations to offer several opportunities through out the summer that helped to enhance and advance urban youth.

Highlighting one of the organizations that helped with the summer camps is; Indy ACE Camp led by Ryan Lynch – A Pilot for Republic Airways.  Lynch inspired the youth, raised their awareness and gave our youth hope in the aviation field by introducing them to an array of high tech careers in anticipation that the youth would consider pursuing a career in aviation.

The weeklong experience was an excellent opportunity for our youth to meet with a very diverse group of other students across the Indianapolis area, share career goals, network, and build life long relationships.

Indianapolis ACE is uniquely positioned as an informal HASTEM educator to leverage human assets and resources to impact the community in a manner previously unseen.  The mission of Indy ACE Academy is not to make all of our student’s pilots, but to make them aware of the potential for greatness within them. The Indy ACE Academy team members’ and external affiliations provided out youth with access to a vast network of airlines, government agencies, universities, fraternal and community-based organizations, school systems, branches of the United States Armed Forces, medical boards, and other outreach organizations.  These relationships have been leveraged by aligning programs already in existence with a new approach to implementation, resulting in a collaborative union that achieves tangible and measurable results.

As part of Indy ACE mission and by exposing our youth to the Indy ACE Academy, one of our youth was offered an internship at Rolls Royce after visiting their facility at the Indianapolis Airport.

The youth is a” C” average high school student in Indianapolis.  His mother has always been concerned that he would have a difficult time getting into college if he did not improve his grades.  Needless to say, he thrived in a setting that was more conducive to his learning style and has continued to flourish.

The “Christmas Store” 2015

Caring Place, located at 2901 N Post Rd sponsors the Christmas Store to families around the city of Indianapolis.  STVI was blessed to have had 30 of our families participate in the Christmas holiday store. Thanks to Pastor Chad Temple of The Caring Place, youth from age 3 to 12 were able to shop at their Christmas store at Washington Square Mall on Saturday, December 12th.

The youth purchased gifts for their family members and walked away with some items of their own. What a wonderful time to have had the opportunity and we look forward to 2016.

Thank you to Pastor Chad Temple of The Caring Place!!

2015 ANNUAL YOUTH LOCK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CAFE’

Our goal is to create a safe place for youth to have fun while learning the game of life.  This year 150 youth attended our annual Youth Lock In at Incrediplex in partnership with CAFÉ on the Far Eastside of Indianapolis.  Funds are provided by CICF. The age range of the youth was 10-17 years of age.

This year the topic of discussion was “Snitching versus Reporting.”  In the Blackburn case where the pastor’s wife was shot and killed, IMPD and other assisting agencies arrested three people who are accused of the crime.  According to news reports, the detective on the case said one of the three accused helped identify the other two persons which led to their arrest.

Why is this topic so important?  In the Black Community, the word is “Snitches get Stitches” thus a high rate of black on black crime occurs from retaliation.  The victim in many of the homicide cases look like the perpetrator.

Data has find that there are several reasons that the Black Community does not report crime (to name a few:

• Some of it has to do with trusting law enforcement or should I say the “lack” of trust
• People are afraid of retaliation even if it is their own family member
• Others just simply do not believe in “snitching.”

The problem with the latter reason – the definition of a snitch has been entangled with the definition of reporting.  The Black community has been misled on what the true definition means to be a Snitch.  Ultimately “snitching” comes down to distrust of law enforcement.  Due to all of this information and the mindset within the black community – STVI felt that it was important to educate and inform the attending youth on the topic!

Praise and Prayer Report – March 2015

Stop the Violence Indianapolis has been very fortunate to be in a position to help others and lift their families out of rough situations.  Today, Sharon Bryant and her family are rebuilding their lives through the assistance of STVI. Bryant has completed the necessary requirements and has now moved into a home that was donated to STVI by the Martindale Brightwood CDC.

Bryant was introduced to STVI a year ago.  She came with many barriers in front of her personal goals which included short term homelessness. Bryant understands that STVI is here to help and not handicap which means she will be held accountable to her goals. She has been paired with an intern from Ivy Tech School of Social Work to aid her in the process.

Parent Creed

“We are strong and caring parents who show love and set limits. We are helping our youth become responsible young adults.”

Prayer for:

• Strengthening Families Program – parent development as leaders of their homes. Many parents want to help their children do well but there is lack of tools in many basic areas.  Children who are not able to fully develop in their childhood stages grow to become under developed adults
• The Families involved with the 13 year old who was gun downed in a shooting.
• STVI Board of Directors  – leadership development and a more high level engagement
• STVI Summer Programs
• Outreach Programs for the Summer of 2015
• Personal Development – spiritual and relational
• New Focus Team for STVI around Crime Prevention and Policy that support family develop versus creating more barriers
• Coaching Leadership Training

Praise:

• Sharon Bryant – moves into STVI home to rebuild her family
• Partnership with CAFÉ
• Partnership with Edna Martin Center
• Partnership with Churches – Oasis of Hope, Word of Faith, Emmanuel MBC and Shiloh MBC
• Partnership with IPS (Joyce Kilmer Academy)
• IT Prospers Organization is helping  STVI develop a Strategic Plan – Mrs. CoraLyn Turentine offered her services pro bono

Organization fighting gang violence by giving young men hands-on skills

Source: fox59.com (click to view video)

Stop the Violence Indianapolis, a local nonprofit, is trying to help area police combat the ongoing violence and gang activity in the city with a new training program.

The organization is working with young men who have had violent pasts by giving them skills that are intended to give them a fresh start by making them more attractive potential employees.

“Anthony in there, at nine and 10 years old, was hustling in the streets, that early,” said Anthony Beverly, the founder of Stop the Violence Indianapolis.

Beverly took Fox59 through a former daycare center where the nonprofit is building its headquarters. The men, who they are serving, are renovating it with the help of an area contractor as part of an important training course.

“I got a second chance at life so I knew I had to take advantage of it,” said Antwan Davidson, a training program participant.

Davidson said a fresh start had once seemed impossible.

“I saw it happening, and I was doing it. I always believed that’s how it was supposed to be,” said Anthony Smith, another training program participant.

The donated building is now the backdrop for the program that could help police in Indianapolis with their work. Year to date, the IMPD Criminal Gang Unit has made 304 arrests for crimes ranging from attempted murder to simple battery.

“Gangs in Indianapolis and Marion County are a problem.  A majority of our gang members are juveniles, some as young as 11 years old,”  said IMPD  Lt. Christopher Bailey with the Criminal Gang Unit.

“Gangs in Indianapolis are not the ‘bloods’ and ‘crips’ we see dramatized in the media.  Our gangs are loosely affiliated groups who identify themselves with a certain area of town or with an ‘entertainment’ group.

“There is very little organization and a lack of an identifiable leadership hierarchy.  However, this does not mean they are not dangerous and violent.  They are involved in all types of crimes and they affect all of Marion County, not just the inner-city.

“We cannot arrest ourselves out of this problem, we must to save as many kids as we can from the gangster life by offering them and their parents assistance.”

The IMPD Gang Unit works very closely with the Community Affairs Branch to identify and help juveniles who are the most vulnerable to the gang life. They also work with several area nonprofits like Stop the Violence Indianapolis.

“We all need someone walking along beside us, and that’s what we try to do with these guys,” said Beverly.

Beverly said the men cannot just be told to do better and be better. They need real skills to start over. The men are also earning a stipend thanks to a donations for their renovation work.

“On most jobs, employees won’t have time to do a lot of training. They want them to have a general understanding of what they want to achieve,” said Dan Gushee, an independent contractor and volunteer who helps mentor the men.

“We need to really take a deep look at how we’re helping versus handicapping, giving handouts is not it. We need to draw out of these guys what’s inside, their God-given talents,” Beverly said.

“You just got to grow up one day, and I was blessed with a couple of people that would help me start growing up,” said Smith.

Stop the Violence Indianapolis mostly operates on the east side and far east side.