SPRINGFIELD — Amid a push across several Miami Valley communities to eliminate gun violence involving children and teens, community members gathered in Springfield Thursday to discuss solutions.
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The Clark County Department of Job and Family Services and the Clark County Advocacy Center hosted a conference focused on gun violence and youth Thursday as part of Child Abuse Prevention Month.
The conference was held at the Hollenbeck-Bayley Creative Arts and Conference Center on the Clark State College campus in Springfield.
“Hopefully today, we can be proactive and talk to our youth, see what’s going on with them, put your cell phone down, have a conversation, and listen because they will tell you if you’re actively listening,” Director of the Clark County Child Advocacy Center Shelby Lowe said.
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Dion Greene lost his father in the Oregon District shooting in 2019. He founded the Fudge Foundation in his father’s memory to help other trauma survivors.
“There’s a lot of people that don’t know their purpose in life. I had to go to hell and hot water, and I’m standing, but guess what? I wake up every day knowing what my purpose is in life,” Greene said.
As reported by News Center 7 at 5:00, Greene talked with the group about creating genuine connections with the youth in the community to make a real difference.
“When you do it from the heart, you can never go wrong, because it’s from the heart. So, you know, just being intentional in spaces and they see that,” Greene said.
Greene said trust is the most important thing when having these conversations and working with young people in communities of color.
Gun Violence Prevention Coordinator with the Opportunities for Individual Change, Inc. Caleb Perkins and County Juvenile Court Judge Katrine Lancaster also spoke at the event.
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