Our mission is to contain and prevent the cycle of violence of violence, by building concentric cycles of care, support, and intervention.

ACM uses the Core Values of Love, Faith, Peace and Service. These form the principles that guide al of our work and intervention. These values hold the whole together, they give inspiration and purpose to our members and the communities involved.

We then implement a Partnership with the Community. Which depends on collaboration with the police, various city agencies, community leaders, as well as the parents and neighbors of the youth involved. Together we seek to share information and monitor the situation so that the situation  don’t spiral out of control and the youth-at-risk can benefit from our programs. Balance must be struck between cooperation and collaboration with law enforcement and youths so as to counter the perceptions that our outreach workers are “snitches.” Conversely, outreach workers can mistakenly be viewed by law enforcement as being in collusion with criminal elements.

The next stage of our intervention is the implementation of our BVIF program. This is powerful intervention that is designed to cause or persuade individuals to seek improvement in character and conduct. The goal is to instill or deepen in the participants more powerful consideration of others, either as a result of newly acquired or inherent thoughtfulliness. The ultimate goal is for participants to give up misconduct and behave better towards others. Oftentimes, prevention efforts are not enough; violence erupts and an immediate Crisis Intervention is required, with the support and collaboration of our different partners. An intervention may take several days, weeks or months. The events unfold each time in different way, but there is a general process and specific steps that are part of every intervention.

Once the Truce is has been negotiated, the parties involved in the crisis can be integrated into our BVIF program. Beyond the services we directly provide, we also act as mentors and advocates for the youth as they deal with challenges such as drug and alcoholic addiction, domestic violence, probation violation, child support violation, homelessness and joblessness. Outreach activities such as recreational and cultural enrichment activities serve to strengthen relationships, develop trust, and facilitate the provision of other essential services.

Other support services include the following:
• HIV/AIDS and STD Awareness
• Going Legal Peer Tutoring and Counseling
• Conflict Resolution
• Self Esteem Development
• Anger Management
• Character Development
• Counseling by Walking
• Vocational Training

Together the above “wrap around” services provide a rich resource to the affected communities, thereby resulting in a significant reduction in youth violence.

For further information on this program, please contact Mr. Arthur Rush, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (202) 986-6200