P.A.V.E. - Partnership to Address Violence through Education

Paving the Way to Safer Communities
"You can be a victor without having victims" - Harriet Woods

P.A.V.E., the partnership to address youth violence through education, is a multifaceted approach to educating communities about the dangers of youth violence. The goal of P.A.V.E. is to present information that is timely and up-to-date. At P.A.V.E. we are committed to transforming, enlightening and enriching the lives of children with the message that violence is not the answer.

Lieutenant John Reis (retired) is the former commander of the Providence Rhode Island Police Department's Youth Services Bureau. John established the School/Community Gang Intervention Team in that department and has over 20 years of experience working in the field of gang prevention, relationship violence, bullying and school safety.

Lt. Reis has spoken across the country on these issues and consulted for Youth Crime Watch of America, National Crime Prevention Council, Boys & Girls clubs of America, New England Community Policing Consortium and numerous educational and human service agencies. He is Founder and President of the Rhode Island Juvenile Officer's Association and worked as Rhode Island's first Crime Prevention Specialist for the Department of Attorney General. He is also President of Friends of radKIDS. Friends of radKIDS is a support group for radKIDS.

The Power of PAVE

Dear Lt. John Reis,

I would like to take this time to extend my gratitude and appreciation for your guidance in my exhibition. It was a true honor to have you serve as my mentor for these past few months. After all of our work together, I hope to make you proud in the completion of this project.

First off, I wish to thank you for the inspiration and enthusiasm you brought to the question at hand. Your help in developing my core question made for a strong start to the flow of work that followed. When I asked you personally, how do you think peer pressure influences teenage crime?", your answer was a very big help. Since you put thought into your response, I can quote you and your other anecdotes throughout my reflective essay.

I am grateful for all the knowledge I acquired and the amount of insight about my field of inquiry that I gained. Mr. Reis, feel proud that I learned a lot from your power point and assembly at my school. I learned that it is very important to stand up to violence and bullying in any form. You really set in this importance that I dedicate my exhibition in teaching others the negative affects of peer pressure on crimes. Most of these crimes involve violence and the gang life you mentioned.

Lastly, I wish to thank you for lending me all those books and videos about gang life, teen crimes and peer pressure. You made it very simple to find reliable sources that met the required standards for my exhibition. The video can serve as my technology component ant eh power point you showed me would be a very cool addition. I hope that this experience gave you as much joy as it gave me and I wish you success on the PAVE project for it is truly a wonderful organization.

Sincerely
Ami Shah
Lincoln High School