Open, honest dialogue between youth and law enforcement officers is helping to create more trust and understanding between the two groups.

By Tom Bannister

Seven police officers met with thirteen young people last week at the Somerville Police Department, the purpose of which was to speak one-on-one together, break through stereotypes and find some common ground as fellow Somerville citizens.

Teen Empowerment Somerville Director Danny McLaughlin remarked on the event saying, “In light of recent strife between youth and police around the country, these dialogue sessions are particularly important. The sessions humanize both the youth and the officers and help them understand that their actions and attitudes toward one another can fundamentally change the nature of police-youth relationships in Somerville. While we’ve been working with the department for a long time, under the leadership of Chief Fallon we’re taking a giant leap with this project this year. We’ll be working together in an ongoing way, supporting each other’s efforts all year long.”

Two new members of the Police Department attended as a part of their first week of work.

Several interactive exercises were utilized by Teen Empowerment staff to help the participants open up to one another. As the process unfolded, those in attendance began to express themselves freely on such diverse topics as peer pressure, violence, and the way all sides view each other.

Interactive exercises putting police officers and young people together are valuable tools in the effort to ease tensions and create goodwill between the two groups.

Deputy Chief Stephen Carrabino said, “It was both enlightening and fun.”

“I thought it was great to have the youth sit down with the police and get to know them on a personal level,” said 17-year-old Teen Empowerment Youth Organizer Christina Harding.

Several efforts between Teen Empowerment and the police department are planned for the year ahead. Another meeting is scheduled for December 11 to plan a joint youth-police basketball tournament and a series of walking dialogues about public safety to be held this spring in conjunction with the Council on Aging and other neighborhood groups.

Founded in 1992, The Center for Teen Empowerment, Inc. empowers youth and adults as agents of positive individual, institutional, and social change. Each year, youth conduct over 150 initiatives involving some 6,000 people. The dialogue sessions are funded in part by the state’s Charles E. Shannon Public Safety Initiative grant.