The National Association of Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE), a founding partner along with the Guidance Channel of the National Youth Violence Prevention Campaign, held its 11th Annual National Youth Summit “SAVE: Teaming Up for a Better Tomorrow.” As a culmination to the week of activities nationwide during National Youth Violence Prevention Week, held March 26-March 30, 2007, over 500 students, teachers, law enforcement officers, counselors, and community leaders from across the nation came together to help celebrate 18 years of SAVE and to share their ideas and accomplishments of the year.

Activities for the Summit included motivational workshops with interactive activities, a presentation on Behaving Respectfully by the current Miss Virginia, Adrianna Sgarlata, and a presentation by Dr. Jody Roy, author of the book, How We Hate, Why We Hurt. The Summit program was rounded out by a performance by Charlotte (NC)-based Illusionist Joseph Daniels entitled “Violence is not an Illusion” and a national service project effort geared to provide school supplies to needy students. Workshop sessions were filled with both fun and educational information taught by SAVE members from across the country.

A special session was conducted by The Allstate Foundation’s Keep the Drive team. Keep the Drive is a teen-to-teen, peer-led movement tackling the problem of teen driving crashes head on, one person at a time. The Keep the Drive: Start Your Engines session addressed teen driving issues and how teens can be a part of the solution to help protect themselves, their friends, their future and their freedoms. Presenters included Megan Prombo from The Allstate Foundation’s Home Office in Northbrook, Illinois, and North Carolina teens and Keep the Drive Crew Members Jessica Mann and Jasmine McDowell.

The annual SAVE Summit is a rare and much anticipated opportunity for young people to speak with other young people and exchange ideas. SAVE students and advisors learn about successes of each other’s SAVE chapters, receive tips on how to make their chapter more effective, and how to influence other students at their school to be proactive and prevent violence. Exceptional SAVE chapters, students, and advisors who have been instrumental in promoting safety in their school and community were recognized at the Summit.

“SAVE’s vision is for all students to be able to attend schools that are safe and secure, free of fear, and conducive to learning. As more students join SAVE chapters all across the country, we are moving closer to making our vision for safer schools a reality” said Executive Director of SAVE, Dr. Pamela Riley.

Heather Hernandez, a senior at Poway High School near San Diego, CA and Chair of the National SAVE Youth Advisory Board says “Being involved with SAVE has motivated me to become a better person. Before, I was afraid to speak up in groups and public speaking, even in front of a class of thirty, would make me lose sleep. Now in groups, I’ve developed leadership skills and usually the first to get the work going, willing to compromise ideas to help better the project, knowing that there isn’t only one way to do something. SAVE has inspired me not only to be more confident, it has given me a way to make a difference in the lives of others.”

SAVE started at West Charlotte High School (NC) in 1989 following the tragic death of a student who was trying to break up a fight at an off-campus party. Students met first to console each other, then as an organization to promote violence prevention and to work together to prevent future incidents from occurring.

The National Association of SAVE is a student-run, student-initiated public non profit violence prevention organization with over 1,600 chapters in 45 states and close to 200,000 members in elementary, middle, high schools, colleges and communities nationwide. SAVE provides education about the effects and consequences of violence and helps provide safe activities for students, parents and communities.

The Summit was sponsored in part by the Walt Disney World Co., Jones Apparel Group and the NASCAR Foundation.

For further information on the Summit or other SAVE activities, please visit www.nationalsave.org. Anyone interested in starting a SAVE chapter at their school can contact SAVE at 1-866-343-SAVE to receive free start-up materials and guidance.