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A Conference of the La Follette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

It takes more than a village to raise a child. Besides the municipality (village, town or city) and families, it takes a school district, a county, a police department, a juvenile justice system, churches, recreation programs, and businesses. Since 1996, the  Center for State, Local and Tribal Governance in the La Follette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has operated a program of education, research, and service to facilitate and enhance community action to stem gangs and youth violence. Joel Skornicka, a former mayor of Madison and assistant to UW chancellors, gave and solicited funds to launch this program.

We partner with leaders in communities in Wisconsin to provide them with information, to share ideas and experiences, and to design and implement plans. Each spring we invite leaders from specific communities to spend a weekend on campus for intensive education, discussion and planning.  Participating communities from spring 2001 were Sun Prairie, Sheboygan, La Crosse, and the Menominee Nation.  As part of our continued involvement with these communities and as a service to others concerned about gangs and youth violence, we offer this website as a resource for continued dialog and discussion.