Youth Violence In America Essay

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Youth Violence Prevention in America Many people believe that there’s only one type of violence, adult violence. But what many people don’t know is that youth violence is the second leading cause of death for young people between the ages fifteen to twenty-four, behind only accidents such as car crashes, unintentional injuries. Many causes of youth violence are bullying, fighting, weapon use, electronic aggression and gang violence. People at risk of youth violence are people with prior history to drugs, alcohol, tobacco use, delinquent peers, poor grades, and poverty in their community. Youth violence is young people hurting other peers who are unrelated to them or who they may or may not know well. However youth violence can be prevented …show more content…

This is the second deadliest mass shooting in the United States. The Virginia Tech massacre. This shows what happens when a mental illness can lead to youth violence. It all started in 2005, when Seung Hui Cho was ordered by a judge to seek outpatient care after making suicidal remarks to college roommates. Seung was a senior at Virginia Tech University. He was born in South Korea in 1984 and became a resident in the U.S in 1992. Virginia Tech did not know of Cho’s mental illness therefore he was accepted into the University. On the day of April 16, 2007 Cho entered classrooms in the morning and slaughtered thirty-two people and wounded twenty-five others before shooting and killing himself. This brought beloved President Bush to tears. This case shows what happens when a mental illness goes ignored. It also shows when youth violence is put under the radar. Youth violence needs to be brought out of the shadows, and be known so, we can solve it and prevent these terrible …show more content…

However, we can prevent this by using or having different programs such as parent family based programs, social development strategies, and mentoring programs. West High School has programs such as freshmen mentoring club, and one of the required courses is called success strategies which introduces you to basic things you need in life such as college financial help and many others. Handling peer pressure from other peers with the right training can lead you down the right path. Having good grades and not falling in the trap of drugs, alcohol, or tobacco use. Having a reliable, great community to rely on to help you not get into these traps is vital for a successful life. Finally, youth violence needs to be shown and prevented. It’s killing kids and young adults. Youth violence needs to be prevented for a better, brighter, future for our next