National Children and Youth Safety Campaign

The Edward Byrne Memorial Competitive Program: National Initiatives, administered by the Office of Justice Programs' Bureau of Justice Assistance, furthers the Department's mission by assisting state and local jurisdictions in improving the criminal justice system and assisting communities in preventing drug abuse and crime. In FY 2008, the program will focus on funding local, regional, and national efforts within five major categories: 1) preventing crime and drug abuse; 2) enhancing local law enforcement; 3) enhancing local courts; 4) enhancing local corrections and offender reentry; and 5) facilitating justice information sharing.

The National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) will implement the National Children and Youth Safety Campaign project under category 1: preventing crime and drug abuse. The goals of the campaign are to: educate children on personal safety; engage children in service projects that contribute to the community and school safety; and educate parents on various strategies to help protect their children. NCPC will develop new resources for their cyber bullying campaign, and enhance the capacity of educators and crime prevention practitioners to teach children and youth crime prevention safety skills. NCPC will also continue to support the McGruff® Club program that teaches young children how to ensure personal safety and gain additional conflict management skills.

CA/NCF