Since founding the event, National SAVE and The Guidance Channel (Sunburst Visual Media`s portal, a division of School Specialty, Inc.), have been teaming up with various associations to encourage participation in the initiative. Within the first two years, they gained the support of the American School Counselor Association, Teaching Tolerance, Association for Conflict Resolution, National Association of Student Councils, Youth Service America, National Youth Court Center, National Education Association`s Health Information Network, National Association of Social Workers, National Association of School Safety and Law Enforcement Officers, United Religions Initiative, and YouthNOISE.

The coalition has expanded enormously for the 2005 event, bringing a wide variety of perspectives and resources to the campaign. Thousands of students are taking part through associations such as FCCLA`s Stop The Violence, Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), United National Indian Tribal Youth (UNITY) and the National Peer Helpers Association. Mental health professionals are involved through the National Association Of School Psychologists, American Counseling Association, National Mental Health Association, and School Social Work Association of America. Researchers are offering their expertise with the support of such sponsors as the Hamilton Fish Institute, Institute for Mental Health Initiatives at GWU`s School of Public Health And Health Services, UCLA`s School Mental Health Project/Center for Mental Health In Schools, and Portland State University Research and Training Center on Family Support and Children`s Mental Health. On a state level, The Governor`s Prevention Partnership of Connecticut, Ohio Commission on Conflict and Dispute Resolution, and Kentucky Center for School Safety signed on, as well.

The campaign is also facilitating interagency collaboration among violence prevention programs and agencies throughout the country. Prevention specialists from the Empower Program, Non-Violence Project, BiasHelp of Long Island, and PAX Real Solutions To Gun Violence are connecting through the campaign. Community-based activists are mobilizing local action with the help of MADDADS of Jacksonville and the Institute for Community Peace. Large coalitions, such as the National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS) and the Stop Bullying Now! Campaign, are sharing information through their network of member groups. National leadership is also coming from organizations such as the National School Safety Center, National Dropout Prevention Center, and the Help Increase the Peace Program (HIPP) of the American Friends Service Committee.

By facilitating a dialogue among the country`s top violence prevention advocates, National Youth Violence Prevention Week is creating a national roundtable to address this important issue. It is also modeling an approach that will be replicated on a local level. On April 8th, participating schools will be hosting in-school violence prevention conferences during which they will be initiating community roundtables to develop action plans to reduce violence throughout the year. Like the national roundtable, these roundtables will be engaging voices and visions from all sectors of each community.

All those involved in the campaign will have the opportunity to connect through the campaign website, www.ViolencePreventionWeek.org. Serving as the crossroads to the campaign, the site features links to the sponsors` websites, message boards for networking, e-cards to share activity ideas, and a media kit to promote the event. It also provides everything needed to prepare for the event, including the official campaign Action Kit that serves as a step-by-step planning guide, suggestions for how each sector of the community can support the campaign, and access to the campaign newsletter to keep updated on campaign events around the country.

Another resource is the 24-page campaign brochure which features even more activity ideas, as well as engaging educational videos, curricula, games and activity books that can be used to teach violence prevention during the event and throughout the year. The brochure also offers t-shirts, ribbons, bookmarks, pencils, and other celebration items to inspire participants and reinforce the concepts promoted through the campaign. To request a free copy of the National Youth Violence Prevention Week Brochure write to The Guidance Channel, 135 Dupont Street, PO Box 760, Plainview, NY 11803-0760, call 1-800-99-YOUTH or visit the campaign website, www.ViolencePreventionWeek.org