A program developed last winter by the city of Albuquerque and West Mesa High School to address school-based violence is showing signs of success.
The school-based Violence Intervention Program, also known as VIP, was launched in October at West Mesa, which has seen its share of on-campus gun violence, including guns found on campus and a shooting at a park across the street last week involving two students. The program began with just four students seeking guidance. Now, there are 15 who show up to benefit from the resources that are available.
“We help them when they reach a fork in the road to where they could either go down a negative path or a positive path,” Michael Parra, the school-based VIP coordinator, told KOB. “We push them down that positive path, so they make smarter choices.”
The students come to the program with various life issues from trouble at home, to bullying, to feeling threatened.
“They’re young adults, they have young adult problems, and sometimes they just need to be heard, and that’s what we do,” Parra said. “The kids just are looking for structure, and we’re able to sit there and give it to them.”
Parra and other leaders of the program said their long-term goal is to expand into every Albuquerque Public Schools high school and even middle school. Helping students make smarter choices is the ultimate priority.
“All they (have to) do is turn on the TV, and they’re exposed to the violence on the streets right now,” Parra said. “But again, the program is all about choices. It’s not my job to do the work for them. It’s my job to give them the tools to get it done. So that’s what I do and thankfully everything has been moving in a positive path.”
The Violence Intervention Program received a $950,000 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to launch its pilot program at West Mesa.