Teen violence intervention programs building up kids and parents

A heightened focus has been put on finding solutions addressing a troubling trend in the Twin Cities: kids involved in deadly violence. 

Earlier this week, a 14-year-old was shot and killed in Minneapolis, and Wednesday charging documents highlight a 17-and-14-year-old’s involvement in a deadly stabbing in St. Paul from late March. 

“They’re getting younger and younger,” Miki Lewis, with the 8218 Truce Center in St. Paul, said. 

Lewis says his phone is always on. 

“Call me at any given time, [I’ll] talk to a parent about what maybe you’re going through, or put me on the phone with that child,” Lewis said. “Let me try to see if I can create a rapport and talk with that child.”

While their services strive to empower kids, Lewis says the work needs to start at home, adding part of their programming involves ‘co-parenting’ which helps start those tough conversations and build courage. 

“It’s not so much that some of these kids are just bad kids, or whatever. It’s that they haven’t had that parent just take time out to have a conversation with them,” Lewis said, adding, “‘Why don’t you tell me how you actually really feel deep down inside, and what’s going on with you?’”

At the core of nonprofit Urban Ventures‘ mission is supporting families and setting up children for success. 

“I just encourage families to not give up on their kids. Every child has purpose. Every child has meaning, and sometimes they just need to be pointed in that right direction,” Erica Schimelpfenig, CEO of Urban Ventures told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS. 

One of their programs is called ‘Lake Street Works‘, which trains students for the trades while in school.

“They have learned about values, they’ve learned about trades,” Schimelpfenig said. “We’re getting to pull them in, tell them that they have purpose, tell them that they have meaning.”