Somerville Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone speaks at the Metro Mayors Coalition’s “Shannon Grant Day on the Hill” at the Massachusetts State House on March 29 to advocate for funding of the Shannon Grant Community Safety Initiative, which helps fund the prevention of youth crime and gang violence in Greater Boston.
Somerville Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone is slated to meet Monday with the student planners of a youth anti-violence conference.
Students at the Center for Teen Empowerment who are planning the sixth annual Somerville Youth Peace Conference will present to Curtatone their anti-violence stage show, and other performances slated for the April 28 conference.
The conference “Media Meets My Reality,” is planned for Saturday, April 28 at Somerville High School, 81 Highland Ave., from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
More than 600 Somerville youth are expected to participate in the gathering, which will feature original theater, dance, poetry, speeches, and music.
Inspiration for the conference came from a similar gathering in Boston that since 1993 has brought the city’s teens together for a peaceful exchange of ideas.
The first conference produced a lasting truce in Boston between five rival gangs.
Tickets for the April 28 conference are $2 in advance, or $3 at the door.
For more information, check out the Teen Empowerment website.