Celebrating National Safe Place Week
CELEBRATING NATIONAL SAFE PLACE WEEK -- (Senate - March 14, 2005)
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Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I also rise today to recognize National Safe Place Week, which begins on March 13, 2005.
I am proud to join Senator CRAIG as an original cosponsor of S. Res. 71, which designates the week of March 13-19, 2005 as National Safe Place Week. This resolution recognizes the participating businesses, community organizations, youth service agencies and volunteers that are part of the YMCA National Safe Place program and work for the safety and well-being of at-risk youth.
Youth today face an ever-growing amount of pressure in their daily lives at school, at home, and in the community. For some youth, problems include abuse or neglect at home, drug or alcohol addictions of family members and friends, trouble at school or dangerous situations on a date. Young people who face these situations should not feel left alone, but should have a place in their community to which to turn.
Over the past 22 years, the National Safe Place program has connected over 79,000 youth in crisis to immediate help at Safe Place locations and has provided over 78,000 youth with counseling by phone. Present in 41 States and serving 714 communities, the National Safe Place program brings together the private and public sector to reach out and help at-risk youth who are lost, scared, threatened or in unsafe situations. In my home State of California, there are nine designated Safe Place programs with over 1,667 Safe Place sites located in 65 communities.
National Safe Place sites include fast food restaurants, convenience stores, fire stations, libraries and other public buildings and are marked by large, yellow Safe Place signs displayed prominently in front windows. Any youth can walk into a Safe Place site and receive immediate help from a trained volunteer, and further help from a Safe Place staff person who can provide counseling, residential assistance or professional referrals, as needed.
The National Safe Place Week recognizes the time, resources and energy of thousands of businesses, community organizations and volunteers who make this effective, growing network of support for youth possible. In addition, it seeks to increase awareness of the crises that youth face today.
I am encouraged by the National Safe Place Program's positive impact on communities throughout the Nation, and I hope that more communities will choose to participate in this innovative program. I believe that the National Safe Place program brings us closer to making our country safe for youth, and for that I offer my full support.
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