Urban Prep Founder Testifies Before House Panel on the Role of Education, Community Support in Preventing Youth Violence

WASHINGTON, July 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Urban Prep Founder and CEO Tim King testified today before a House panel on the issue of gang related activity, pointing to the youth violence crisis in Chicago and the importance of investing in and educating youth in communities with high crime rates.

"To address this problem, we must offer hope to communities and people plagued by violence," King advised the House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security. "The only way we'll staunch the violence is to persuade those committing violent acts that they have something to lose...that there are paths to respect that don't go through fear."

King's testimony cited the growing youth violence crisis in Chicago. According to a recent story by CBS News, more Americans have been murdered in the streets of Chicago than in service in Afghanistan this year. The city has reported four times as many murders as New York City since January.

He stressed the need for action – including further support of schools like Urban Prep and others that are committed to educating cities' most vulnerable children, in addition to the importance of engaged community organizations, empathetic law enforcement, and government that invests heavily in the wellbeing of its citizenry.

King founded Urban Prep Academies, the country's first network of all-boys charter public high schools, largely in response to some of the factors that are currently playing out in the form of this summer's violence in Chicago.

King urged lawmakers to take action not only to stem the violence itself, but to change the systems that continue to produce that violence in order to "ensure that all children, all Americans, are safe."

The full written testimony is available at urbanprep.org/capitol-hill.

About Urban Prep
Urban Prep Academies was founded in 2002 by Tim King and a group of African-American education, business and civic leaders who wanted to improve the educational opportunities available to urban boys. In 2005, this nonprofit organization was approved to open Urban Prep Charter Academy for Young Men–Englewood Campus. Urban Prep is the country's first charter public high school for boys. Since accepting its first class in the fall of 2006, Urban Prep has been recognized internationally for its success in improving the academic, social and emotional development of urban young men. Urban Prep now operates three schools in Chicago. 100% of Urban Prep's graduates have been admitted to college. The Urban Prep Motto is We Believe.    

SOURCE Urban Prep