Charlotte city leaders hope ‘The 704 Way’ leads to positive opportunities for area teens

Originally posted on Queen City News: Charlotte city leaders hope ‘The 704 Way’ leads to positive opportunities for area teens

CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Cutting down on violent crime in Charlotte continues to be a priority. In January, CMPD announced a 21 percent reduction in violent crime, and now the city is adding another tool in the fight.

Officials with the City of Charlotte are partnering with nonprofit My Brother’s Keeper Charlotte and the Charlotte Office of Youth Opportunities to come up with ways to curb violence, especially by keeping the youth out of trouble.

The nonprofit is currently accepting applications for an advisory board called ‘The 704 Way,’ which is aimed at getting teens ages 13 to 18 more involved in positive opportunities.

“The purpose of the board is to really think about what are positive ways that we can disrupt violence. There are so many cities around our country that have youth at the real table and not the kiddie table. So it is exciting to see Charlotte take those steps,” said Ricky Singh, executive director of My Brother’s Keeper.

The board will span over two years with the goal of providing internships and other opportunities to help guide Charlotte into the future.

“So we are going to have youth really think about how do we uplift positive and peaceful strategies, and what are neighborhood pop-ups that can happen?” said Singh. “Our world is going to continue to get better by people like all of us doing our small parts. But the largest change is not going to come from me, it’s going to come from the next generation.”

The application window closes on February 15. To learn more about the organization and how to get involved, visit mbkcltmecklenburg.or