BOSTON, March 24, 2015—Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley today presented a group of Dorchester eight graders with certificates honoring their graduation from a program aimed to help them stay away from drugs, crime, and violence.

As National Youth Violence Prevention Week got under way, Conley visited the Martin Luther King Jr. K-8 School, where members of the eighth grade have spent the last six weeks taking part in a newly-revised program designed to help Boston middle school students make smart choices and avoid youth violence. 

Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley (front row, center) joined eight grade students at the Martin Luther King School in Dorchester who completed the Overcoming Violence curriculum created by Conley’s office, Suffolk County Sheriff Steve Tompkins, UMass Boston, and the City of Boston. With Conley in front row are Boston Police Commissioner William Evans, MLK School Principal Khita Pottinger, US Attorney Carmen Ortiz, Sheriff Tompkins, guest speaker Greg Walton, and Assistant US Attorney Peter Levitt.

The reality-based curriculum was first launched by Conley’s office a decade ago as Understanding Violence and was retooled earlier this year in partnership with UMass Boston, the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department, and the City of Boston with a new name and a new focus – Overcoming Violence.

Each student who completed the six-week curriculum received a certificate and congratulations from Conley, Boston Police Commissioner William Evans, and Sheriff Steven Tompkins during a half-day event held at the school in recognition of National Youth Violence Prevention Week that also included a keynote address by U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz.

“Over the past six weeks, today’s graduates heard from those whose lives have been impacted by violence – from a mother who lost her son, to an offender facing the consequences of violent acts, to p

rofessionals who have dedicated their lives to reducing violence in Boston’s neighborhoods.  Overcoming Violence won’t eliminate the negative influences in these kids’ lives, but it will empower them to reject violence and instead choose leadership and self-respect,” Conley said.

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