Around the world, youth face violence daily: abuse at home or in school, peer pressure into acts of violence, neglect by parents, gangs, drugs, bad role models, killing, and terror. But Get the Point, a Swiss non-profit organization, is doing something about it.
Get the Point Initiative (GPI) works to reduce violence through youth leadership. They’re building a unique Internet community as well as an annual youth leadership forum beginning in mid-2008. Their global community launches in October 2007.
Get the Point brings together the Non-Violence Project International (NVP), the Raoul Wallenberg Academy for Young Leaders, and The Nobel Peace Laureates Foundation. NVP has already seen success in the UK, South Africa, Brazil, and in U.S. cities like New York and Miami. In 2001, President Bill Clinton presented NVP with the Presidential Daily Light Award for best community project in the U.S.
I spoke with Jan Hellman, the founder of the Non-Violence Project and one of the founders of Get the Point.
Q: What inspired you to found the Non-Violence project in 1994?
A: I was working with the artist who created the sculpture symbol [the now-famous knotted gun sculpture]. We were on the Berlin Wall the day it came down. The sculpture had a huge impact on people—and from there we decided to work with youth and created the Non-Violence Project … Four million kids have gone through our program—close to 1,000 kids a day in Miami [Florida] alone.
Q: How will Get the Point’s social networking community make real change? It’s one thing to have the dialog, but who takes the initiative to lead in the community?
A: Get the Point takes the responsibility to collect opinions. We work to deliver these opinions to the relevant decision makers. Youth develop questions and we give them (and adults) leadership skills …The yearly forum is an extremely important part of the concept.
Q: How do you envision inspiring youth to lead?
A: Through inspiration, motivation, words, and guidance. We think knowledge is the best weapon against violence. We want to increase kids’ competence in asking these questions.
