our mission
The Joseph Adetula Foundation is dedicated to stopping the violence
that is killing and -imprisoning our young people. But it truly does
take a village.
Our foundation wants to turn young people into the positive
leaders of their communities. We want to show them how much they
matter.
Our mission is to show our youth the positive futures they
could have if they avoid all the negative things around them, and
then help them seize those futures.
We also want to help the victims and families heal from tragic
losses like that of Joseph Adetula. Losing a child is terrible;
losing him in such a senseless way is the worst thing imaginable.
But you can heal, and you can have a tomorrow again. The Joseph
Adetula Foundation will help.
Here's the reality.
In 2002, more than 877,700 young
people ages 10 to 24 were injured through violent acts, and one in
every thirteen was hospitalized. Not taken to the doctor,
hospitalized, as an inpatient.
In 2001, 5,486 young people ages 10 to 24 were murdered -- an
average of 15 each day. That's fifteen young men and women every day
who could have made a difference, who were instead senselessly
snuffed out.
Homicide is the second leading cause of death among young
people ages 10 to 24 overall.
Leading cause of death for African-Americans
Second leading cause of death for Hispanics
Third leading cause of death for American Indians, Alaskan
Natives, and Asian Pacific Islanders
In 2001, 79% of homicide victims ages 10 to 24 were killed
with firearms
In a nationwide survey, 17% of students reported carrying a
weapon – a real one, not a butter knife or a plastic squirt gun --
on one or more days in the 30 days preceding the survey. That's one
in every six students in school. That means on any given day, there
are enough weapons in a school to mount a rebellion.
33% of students reported being in a physical fight one or more times
in the 12 months preceding the survey. There is no information on
how many of them used one of those weapons.
And then there's substance abuse, which
contributes significantly toward violent behavior:
65% of the youth who drink alcohol say they get it from family and
friends.
By the 8th grade, 52% of adolescents have drunk alcohol, 41% have
smoked cigarettes, and 20% have used marijuana
In 2000, more than 60% of teens reported drugs were used, kept, or
sold at their school.
50% of high school seniors admit drinking alcohol in the past 30
days with 32% report being drunk at least once in the same period.
That's a third of our kids getting drunk! How are we missing this?
This is not a problem. This is an epidemic. We must stop it. We must
keep our children from dying, from being injured, and from going to
jail for committing senseless acts of violence.
Through education, expanded horizons, and self-esteem, we can
release our young men from the real prisons: those of bad attitude
and hopelessness.
According to the CDC, these are the risk factors for teen violence, the kind that killed Joseph Adetula:
For the youth himself or herself:
-
Attention deficits/hyperactivity
- Antisocial beliefs and attitudes
In the youth's family:
-
Authoritarian childrearing attitudes
- Exposure to violence and family conflict
- Harsh, lax, or inconsistent disciplinary practices
- Lack of involvement in the child's life
- Low emotional attachment to parents or caregivers
- Low parental education and income
- Parental substance abuse and criminality
- Poor family functioning
- Poor monitoring and supervision of children
We can't fix
all those problems. But we can fix a significant portion of
them, with your help. We can provide a place for kids to go
after school, with the guidance of an adult. We can show them
the alternatives to substance abuse. By talking to them, we can
help identify problems they're having that are keeping them from
doing well in school. And we can give them something else to
care about.
Now below are factors identified by the CDC as things children
may have that will help inoculate them against violent
behaviors. How many do you think a caring organization like the
Joseph Adetula Foundation can provide?
-
Intolerant attitude toward "bad" behavior
High IQ
- Positive social orientation
- Peer/School Protective Factors:
- Commitment to school
- Involvement in social activities
Help support
the Joseph Adetula Foundation. We can turn our kids around.
