Atlanta teens joined community leaders, prevention partners, and city agencies at City Hall on April 29 for the Future of Youth Roundtable Expo & Youth Violence Panel Discussion, helping inform strategies to reduce youth violence and expand opportunity ahead of the summer months.
Hosted by the Mayor’s Office of Violence Reduction (MOVR) in partnership with HWPL Georgia, the event centered youth voices in conversations about safety, mentorship, conflict resolution, and access to structured activities across Atlanta neighborhoods as the City continues its Year of the Youth work.
The gathering included youth-led roundtable discussions, a cross-sector prevention panel, and a community expo connecting teens directly with organizations offering leadership, workforce, recreation, and mentoring opportunities.
Youth Voices Help Shape Prevention Priorities
Participants emphasized that young people want to be included not only as participants in programs, but as partners in shaping solutions to youth violence.
Across conversations, teens highlighted several priorities:
- more safe, structured environments
- consistent mentorship and trusted adult relationships
- access to jobs, internships, and leadership pathways
- stronger conflict-resolution and communication skills
- continued collaboration between youth, schools, and community organizations
Youth leaders also emphasized a “village approach,” describing prevention as a shared responsibility across families, neighborhoods, schools, and city agencies.
Building on Atlanta’s Year of the Youth Investments
The roundtable reflects the City’s broader Year of the Youth strategy to make Atlanta the best place to raise a child by expanding access to safe spaces, mentorship, enrichment programming, and workforce pathways.
Across Atlanta, recreation centers and At-Promise Centers already provide structured programming designed to keep young people engaged through academic support, leadership development, meals, mentoring, and community connection. Additional efforts such as Safe Passage strategies around schools and neighborhood-based engagement programs continue expanding the network of support available to youth and families.
Families can explore youth programs, camps, safe spaces, and engagement opportunities across the city at ATLYearoftheYouth.com.
Strengthening Partnerships That Support Prevention
City leaders and partners also identified several next steps following the discussion, including:
- strengthening youth engagement pipelines through the MOVR Youth Ambassador initiative
- expanding Safe Passage strategies around schools and neighborhoods
- deepening mentorship partnerships across community organizations
- increasing workforce and internship connections for teens
- continuing youth-centered conversations that inform programming and policy decisions
The event brought together youth leaders alongside organizations including Atlanta Public Schools, Mothers Against Gang Violence, Play 4 Peace, The Progress Place Inc., Wii-Care Atlanta, Power Atlanta, Slushy Box ATL, At-Promise Centers, and the City of Atlanta Department of Parks and Recreation.
Supporting Mayor Dickens’ One Safe City Strategy
Together, these partnerships support Mayor Andre Dickens’ One Safe City strategy, which combines prevention, community partnership, and expanded opportunity for young people as part of Atlanta’s long-term approach to reducing violence.
As summer approaches, city leaders say continuing to center youth voices — while expanding access to programs already operating across Atlanta’s neighborhoods — remains an important part of building safer communities citywide.
