LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Youth violence prevention is a main focus for Javoughn Brown-Lewis, a member of the Louisville YES Team.

What You Need To Know

  • Mayor Craig Greenberg hosted the first Violence Reduction Action Summit this week

  • There was so much interest in the event that Greenberg’s office says another is in the works

  • Office of Safe and Health Neighborhoods co-hosted the event  

  • YES stands for “Youth, Engagement, Services” and is a subgroup of OSHN

On the morning Mayor Craig Greenberg was hosting his “Violence Reduction Action Summit,” Javoughn Brown-Lewis is hosting his own event that is very much in-line with the goals of the aforementioned summit. That’s because Lewis is an employee of the Office of Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods, a co-host of the violence prevention event.

On Tuesday morning at Simmons College, Brown-Lewis brought together a long list of organizations at this “YES Connections” event. Youth violence prevention is a focus of Brown-Lewis and the Yes Team.

“Part of the youth-led initiatives that we have is increasing youth voices in these spaces, right? So they are extremely motivated to meet and talk with the Mayor, Metro Council and a lot of the leadership we have here in government,” Brown-Lewis said. 

This daytime event connects like-minded organizations which have, among many, the goal to help prevent violence in the city but also support families, children and young adults affected by violence and trauma.

“We really seek to increase our network. That is one of the biggest things is increasing the network that we have,” Brown-Lewis said. “So we have a list that is 180 organizations deep. We really want to increase that tenfold.”

Brown-Lewis is not merely creating a roll-a-dex of supporting organizations but bringing their leaders together to synchronize their missions, reduce redundancies—therefore, having the greatest and most efficient impact on the community they serve. 

One floor down, a colleague of Lewis’, Nannette Dix, speaks about her work in building “trauma resilient communities.”

“If you have that one person in your life that is helping you, that can change a lot of your life trajectory,” Dix told a large audience in attendance. Dix’s work is also within the umbrella of the Office of Healthy and Safe Neighborhoods.

Dix explained not only does her work support families and children living with trauma but also supporting those who work with children, say, in after-school programs or at the YMCA.

And as Dix explained, trauma can present itself in many ways. Certainly a topic of discussion expected the Mayor’s “Violence Reduction Summit,” happening Tuesday evening at the Muhammad Ali Center.

A spokesperson for the Mayor’s Office told Spectrum News on Tuesday that interest in the summit was so high that Mayor Greenberg is planning a second summit in short order. 

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