Dialogues for Change Final Report
This report encompasses all the hard work and dedication of organizers, community members, youth, and law enforcement. The dialogues were a dynamic effort that involved courage, flexibility, commitment, and hope. There were many lessons learned and much to be proud of in terms of our community’s willingness to be bold and dive deep to create shared safety and community well-being.
This project would not have been possible without the many dedicated volunteers and partners who generously contributed to their time, perspectives, and wisdom. The organizers, facilitators, and circle participants gave countless hours to this project, which in turn deepened the connections in our communities between young people, families, and law enforcement.
In this report, you will read about the development, potential next steps, and the value the dialogues brought to community members and law enforcement. We acknowledge how now more than ever, this project created a foundation for future conversations and relationship building efforts moving forward.
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Amended August 2020:
The purpose of the Youth Violence Prevention Network’s Dialogues for Change report is to share why and how a dialogues model was implemented across Santa Cruz County to address community-law enforcement relations as they relate to safety, equity, and policing that works for all.
We want to acknowledge that this issue has continued to evolve both nationally and locally, and what is expressed in this report is the result of the inclusive dialogue process from the spring of 2019 and may or may not be reflective of how the dialogue participants feel today. It is for this reason that the report has been amended from the version released in July 2020. That being said, it is our hope that this energy and knowledge will continue to drive forward collaborative action for positive community change.
This project would not have been possible without the many dedicated volunteers and partners who generously contributed to their time, perspectives, and wisdom. The organizers, facilitators, and circle participants gave countless hours to this project, which in turn deepened the connections in our communities between young people, families, and law enforcement.
In this report, you will read about the development, potential next steps, and the value the dialogues brought to community members and law enforcement. We acknowledge how now more than ever, this project created a foundation for future conversations and relationship building efforts moving forward.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Amended August 2020:
The purpose of the Youth Violence Prevention Network’s Dialogues for Change report is to share why and how a dialogues model was implemented across Santa Cruz County to address community-law enforcement relations as they relate to safety, equity, and policing that works for all.
We want to acknowledge that this issue has continued to evolve both nationally and locally, and what is expressed in this report is the result of the inclusive dialogue process from the spring of 2019 and may or may not be reflective of how the dialogue participants feel today. It is for this reason that the report has been amended from the version released in July 2020. That being said, it is our hope that this energy and knowledge will continue to drive forward collaborative action for positive community change.
Our Calls to Action:
- To share this report widely to increase awareness of dialogue as a meaningful tool for community change and the need for inclusive public safety efforts;
- To engage with others to organize action teams to hold additional dialogue circles and/or implement action ideas
- Please reach out to us if you are interested in doing so!
Actions Currently Taking Place:
- Watsonville is taking applications for an Ad Hoc Committee on Policing and Social Equity. The Ad Hoc Committee will be composed of City Council members, Police Chief, City Manager, City staff, and 12 community members to facilitate community conversations that will inform the future of policing and community services. Interested? Apply by August 7th!
- Santa Cruz City Council is currently in the talks of creating a working group and community advisory committee in the next couple of weeks. Their tentative goals are to review police policy and work with residents to strengthen the police’s commitment to eliminate racism discrimination, excessive use of force, and improve relations between the community and police. Mayor Cummings has also already met with Black and Latino leaders in recent weeks to discuss police reform. To learn more, check out this article by Santa Cruz Local: Click Here
- The Youth Violence Prevention Network (YVPN) has been exploring how to continue the momentum of the LE Community Dialogues efforts. YVPN and the Community Corrections Partnership Community Education and Engagement Workgroup are having conversations to partner next year to roll out Shared Safety Dialogues that will focus on the Shared Safety framework. The Community Dialogues focused primarily on law enforcement systems, where Shared Safety includes multiple systems coming together to envision, plan, invest, evaluate, and strengthen community safety.
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