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INDIANAPOLIS — WISH-TV’s ongoing YATVAC campaign, which stands for Youth Alternatives to Violence and Crime, is highlighting another local group that’s making difference. It’s called “Indy Peace Leaders” and involves exceptional students identified and nominated by their school to go through a year-long program of learning and growing, conflict resolution, and peacemaking in an effort to reduce youth violence and crime in schools and on the streets.
“We’re looking at how do these young people see themselves in their community, at school, at home and then we kind of dive deeper into concepts around emotional intelligence, cooperation and teamwork,” said Brandon Randall, the founder of Tru Colors Indianapolis which runs Indy Peace Leaders. “We do a lot around violence and healing from trauma and then we also look at community engagement. How do we get young people involved in our community?”
The program is a school based anti-violence and crime seminar, where students at Arsenal Tech, Warren Central High, Belzer Middle and Longfellow Middle School spend an entire school year meeting in four phases where they work on themselves, and the solutions they can offer to promote peace, safety, and healing from trauma…