February 10
North Shore Community College (NSCC) recently received $33,756 from the state of Massachusetts as part of the Shannon Community Safety Initiative (CSI). The CSI is a collaboration among community organizations, schools, and police departments, addressing gang and youth violence through social intervention, suppression, opportunity provision, organizational change, and community mobilization.
"The Shannon Grant and NSCC’s involvement has been, and continues to be, impactful for our community. It’s a wonderful partnership that highlights the community aspect of a community college," said Ann Koshivas, chair of the NSCC criminal justice program and co-manager of the partnership.
NSCC is a longstanding local action research partner (LARP) for the program’s Lynn site. LARPs provide strategic, analytic, technical, and research support, including research on local crime trends and crime data analysis for Lynn youth between the ages of 14 and 24. NSCC develops risk assessment tools, and every four to five years, the College creates a comprehensive community gang assessment report.
In addition to helping youth in Lynn, this partnership provides opportunities for NSCC students.
“Students in the NSCC Criminal Justice program are placed as paid interns with our Lynn partner agencies, providing our students with valuable training, mentorship and experience working alongside professionals dedicated to violence reduction efforts," said Rachel Roesler, LARP co-chair and professor of criminal justice. “The College is proud to continue its work with the CSI, supporting its community partners’ efforts to tackle youth and gang violence.”