Busy PAVE

The last few weeks have been very busy for PAVE. We hosted the 5th Annual Peacemakers’ Showcase and Take Back the Night Rally, a free community event to learn about violence prevention. The Showcase included displays, videos, poetry, improvisation, & a performance of William Mastrosimone’s play Bang Bang, You’re Dead.

A week after the Showcase and Rally, PAVE was recognized with a Strategies Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE) Award. The SAVE program based in Franklin County empowers youth to speak up against violence and model peaceful behaviors in their schools, communities and lives. Performing a drama based on dating relationships versus true friendships, PAVE was awarded for Best Resiliency message, as two girls who were once close friends discovered that they shared the same boyfriend. Initially they started fighting, but soon realized that the problem was with him, not them and resolved things peacefully.

Finally, just one week later, PAVE was recognized by the Ohio State Attorney General’s office at the annual Two Days in May Conference on Victims’ Services. PAVE was created in 1994 to help build assets in teens while teaching them to be peer educators in the middle schools. Now PAVE hires college age contract staff to allow graduating students to remain in the program and continue teaching in the high schools. We offer clubs to area schools to discuss the issues that are relevant to their community. Parents and teachers are also included in community programming. PAVE was recognized as a Promising Practice for all the work, research, dedication and commitment in the program. From elementary schools, to senior care, PAVE is about increasing the peace everywhere.

Now that the school year is coming to a close, PAVE is getting ready to have its annual awards dinner to recognize the volunteens in our group for all of their hard work along with several members of the community that have been dedicated or shown support for the program. We invite anyone to come and enjoy the night with us. It is going to be held on May 26th from 6-8 p.m. at the Heath Church of Christ.

Ashley Shaw
PAVE Coordinator