INDIANAPOLIS (WRTV) — In the continuing initiative YATVAC, which stands for Youth Alternatives to Violence & Crime, more and more community stakeholders are joining us in the fight against youth violence.
WATCH FULL STORY BELOW
A recent gathering of local leaders came to the studios of WISH-TV and WRTV studios to roll up their sleeves to help. You could call it a “check-in”: a conference room of community leaders in one place, checking in almost a year after the YATVAC campaign began.
It was just an idea from Circle City Broadcasting CEO DuJuan McCoy. The Indianapolis native asked himself and others last summer how the community could come together and provide youth alternatives to violence and crime.
“I think what we’re doing is pretty substantial for the community, and I think people are recognizing that,” he said.
Several stakeholders joined McCoy at the table, including businessman and entrepreneur Emil Ekiyor, IndyGo Bus spokesperson Carrie Black, attorney Mitch Waldroup with the Hensley Legal Group, and others, sharing ideas, best practices, and sponsorship dollars to make the YATVAC initiative even more impactful.
Rebecca McCracken, president of Hoosiers Concerned About Gun Violence, challenged the campaign to provide a deeper level of healthcare resources.
“If I’m somebody who’s really looking for health care, and I do believe that health care is part of the public health solution to gun violence, and I only see the health department, that doesn’t mean anything to me,” she said.
Overall, this group is about connection: providing story ideas and community contacts to organizations that are already providing youth alternatives to violence and crime, while also amplifying what the initiative is about.
One example is IndyGo buses displaying YATVAC ads with QR codes linking to community resources; anything to get the message out. Jason Hunter, director of sales for Circle City Broadcasting, added, “And it could help to spur ideas, too. If you walk away with anything, it’s not our ideas, it’s everybody’s collectively around here.”
The partners left the meeting with a YATVAC toolkit, complete with the YATVAC logo, public service announcements, and other information so that each participant can amplify the message of YATVAC.
The goal is to make a difference and truly provide youth alternatives to violence and crime.
