Officials Present Anti-Violence Curriculum, Billboard for Middle School Students

An updated version of Understanding Violence was announced last week when officials representing law enforcement, education, and city government gathered at a Roxbury middle school. A new billboard was also unveiled.

According to a recent press release, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley, UMass Boston Chancellor J. Keith Motley, Suffolk Sheriff Steven J. Tompkins, and Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh were joined Thursday by students of the James P. Timilty Middle School to announce Overcoming Violence.

Overcoming Violence is a teaching tool that updates the Understanding Violence curriculum Suffolk prosecutors have presented to thousands of Boston’s youth over the past 10 years. The new curriculum uses an interview documentary, guest speakers, site visits and group discussions to demonstrate for young people the long-term consequences of their positive and negative choices. The program specifically targets a middle school audience to reach city youth earlier in their lives.

Seventh graders at Timilty will be the first to receive the new curriculum over the next several weeks, and a billboard promoting it was unveiled outside their school at last week’s event.

That billboard is one of several to be posted free of charge by Clear Channel Communications; the others will be posted at:

• Dorchester Street and E. 8th Street in South Boston
• Blue Hill Avenue and Walk Hill Street in Dorchester
• Blue Hill Avenue and Fairway Street in Mattapan
• Dorchester Avenue and Hoyt Street in Dorchester
• Saratoga Street and Bremen Street in East Boston
• Cambridge Street and Brighton Street in Charlestown
• Brighton Avenue and Cambridge Street in Allston
• River Street and Central Avenue in Hyde Park
• Washington Street and Metropolitan Avenue in Roslindale

Photo courtesy of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office

(Roxbury’s James P. Timilty Middle School students, Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley, Suffolk Sheriff Steve Tompkins, UMass Boston Chancellor J. Keith Motley and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh at the unveiling of a billboard to promote Overcoming Violence.)