Newtown, Conn. – On Wednesday, October 23, thousands of students from Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE) Promise Clubs across the country will be participating in National SAVE Day with activities designed to build connectedness and make school safety a priority.
These youth-led, peer-to-peer efforts are taking place during a challenging start to the 2024 fall semester that saw elevated school threats nationwide and an unusually violent September. Despite these challenges, youth across America are taking a stand against violence and working together toward a brighter future.
October 20-26 is America’s Safe Schools Week, which is a national initiative to promote school safety and provide education about how schools can be made safer. Throughout the week, SAVE Promise Club students will be raising awareness about the warning signs of potential violence, suicide, or self-harm, working together to plan and host relationship-building activities, holding town halls with Trusted Adults to discuss school safety issues, honoring the memories of those who have been taken by gun violence, working to reduce social isolation, and much more.
The SAVE Promise Club network, which is overseen by the National Youth Advisory Board, is the largest network of student-led anti-violence clubs in the United States and the youth leadership initiative of Sandy Hook Promise (SHP). SAVE Promise Clubs serve to empower young leaders of all backgrounds to take an active role in violence prevention, share their ideas, and help drive culture change playing a central role in developing and implementing solutions.
“When people see the SAVE Promise Clubs in action, one of the biggest takeaways I often hear is how incredibly impressed they are by the engagement and enthusiasm of the students. These young people are driving meaningful change in all kinds of unique ways, and it all adds up to safer, more cohesive, school communities. The heart of this entire program is about building those peer-to-peer relationships. When people feel more connected to each other at school, they are far less likely to engage in harmful behaviors or other negative acts,” said Crystal Garrant, chief programs officer with SHP.
There are more than 5,000 SAVE Promise Clubs in schools nationwide, totaling more than 153,000 members. Their efforts are making a tremendous impact in fostering kinder, more inclusive schools and communities by giving young people a voice and encouraging hope.
The origins of SAVE Promise Clubs date back to 1989, when a West Charlotte High School student in North Carolina named Alex Freeman Orange was senselessly murdered during an anti-violence event held off campus at a private residence. When an armed group arrived at the event seeking to make trouble, Orange stepped forward to intervene and make peace but was shot in the chest and killed. Not long after the incident, West Charlotte students and educators formed SAVE to build upon Orange’s legacy of speaking out against violence. For information about how you can bring National SAVE Day activities to your school or SAVE Promise Club, visit this resource page on Sandy Hook Promise’s website. There, you’ll find guides, ideas, social media action kits, planners, and much more.
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Sandy Hook Promise (SHP) envisions a future where all children are free from school shootings and other acts of violence. As a national nonprofit organization, SHP’s mission is to educate and empower youth and adults to prevent violence in schools, homes, and communities. Creators of the life-saving, evidence-informed “Know the Signs” prevention programs, SHP teaches the warning signs of someone who may be in crisis, socially isolated, or at-risk of hurting themselves or others and how to get help. SHP also advances school safety, youth mental health, and responsible gun ownership at the state and federal levels through nonpartisan policy and partnerships. SHP is led by several family members whose loved ones were killed in the tragic mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012.
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Nick Dmitrovich | [email protected] | 203-304-9780 Ext. 279