Auburn Gresham Residents Digitally Lobby In Springfield
Published: April 4, 2012
In the early morning of Wednesday March 28th, Auburn Gresham residents and community leaders headed to Springfield Illinois, to lobby state representatives on behalf of continued state funding for (FY) Fiscal Year 2013.
IVPA was established by the Illinois Violence Prevention Act of 1995, the Illinois Violence Prevention Authority (IVPA) is the first state agency of its kind dedicated to violence prevention in the United States. In creating the IVPA, the Illinois State Legislature recognized the need for a comprehensive, collaborative public health and public safety approach to violence prevention.
The IVPA is co-chaired by the Illinois Attorney General, Lisa Madigan, and the Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, Damon Arnold, M.D., MPH.
The primary goals of IVPA are:
- Develop and implement a statewide plan for violence prevention
- Fund local and statewide anti-violence programs
- Coordinate existing violence prevention initiatives and encourage collaborative projects
- Evaluate and provide technical assistance for violence prevention programming
- Conduct public education and awareness efforts about violence and its prevention
For the Auburn Gresham/Englewood community, IVPA is in its second year of extensive community based work. These components include mentoring Job Plus, which focuses on employing over eighty youth during the summer months. A reentry component designed to focus on youth, between the ages of seventeen to twenty four in reducing recidivism in neighborhoods where the reentry population is high. For the western suburb’s this would include Maywood, and for the south side communities Auburn Gresham and Englewood. In taking such a comprehensive approach in reducing potential violent incidents, Illinois along with the city of Chicago can serve as a model for the rest of the nation, by buffering violence and crimes with a strategic approach.
The Greater Auburn Gresham Dev. Corp, Community/Tech Organizer Jimmy Prude, along with a special group of Auburn Gresham residents, accompanied IVPA to Springfield. When asked why they were in Springfield, Prude stated
Susan Ellis, Smart Communities resident and Community Organizer Jimmy Prude, work to lobby on behalf of IVPA
“We are in an age where technology is not only a driving force for our personal needs, but our political needs as well. The integration of technology in the process of political lobbying, will be key if IVPA is to be successfully funded for 2013. Digital lobbying is just as important as physically lobbying.”
Holli Beecher, Auburn Gresham Smart Communities resident, w/ Jimmy Prude Community/Technology organizer.
Resident Susan Ellis and Hollis Beecher, of the Auburn Gresham Smart Communities initiative, meticulously recorded the efforts and digitally lobbied on behalf of IVPA in Springfield to the Auburn Gresham Web Portal, as Barbra Shaw and Khalilah Muhammad testified, to the committee on Public Safety. To see video click here. The smart communities’ residents who attended are a-part of an ongoing federally funded initiative, out of the Obama administration, for technology and broadband expansion which includes infrastructure development, and digital literacy training. The five "Smart Communities" neighborhoods of Chicago, include Auburn Gresham, Englewood, Chicago Lawn, Pilsen, and Humboldt Park. Auburn Gresham being the lead agency for the South West side Digital Excellence initiative.