The City of Alexandria released a new report as part of its efforts to foster safe and resilient youth. The report came out of a June 2022 call from City Council following the stabbing death of an Alexandria City High School student. As part of the City's 2025 Children and Youth Community Plan, the Department of Community and Human Services, the Office of Race and Social Equity, and the City School Staff Group led seven focus groups in which they asked 125 youth about their knowledge of and involvement in youth programs, aspects of programs that make them feel safe or unsafe, and the best ways to support and engage with them and their peers. The report contains analysis and recommendations taken from these sessions.

Key recommendations for youth programs:

1. Be creative, flexible and inclusive to foster a sense of belonging.
2. Promote youth safety and resilience by establishing strong support systems at school and involving young people in the creation of solutions.
3. Use a variety of strategies and partnerships to creatively reach young people and ensure that they are aware of the available resources and programs.
4. Build effective youth-adult partnerships by providing adults with ongoing training and providing youth with opportunities to participate in collaborative decision-making with adults.
5. Critically listen and engage with their ideas when asking youth for input and feedback.

The Alexandria Youth Ambassador’s (AYA) is a year-round educational employment program for high school students residing in the City of Alexandria. The students will support community engagement efforts focused on: anti-violence, trauma healing, and social emotional learning.  AYA program’s first cohort of ten youth were hired in June 2023. Together, they will plan and implement a youth summit and use the information gathered there to advocate for their peers. The goal of the AYA team is to decrease violence and increase youth resilience in Alexandria. These youth leaders will use their lived experiences to impact change in their community.

• Youth Resources webpage- developed by the City to help ensure that children, youth, and their families are aware of available resources.
• Teen Text Line- teens can text TEEN, SEX, DRUGS, or GANGS to 571.640.2898 to get answers to questions on health, relationships, pregnancy, drugs, alcohol, violence, and gangs within 24 hours, Monday through Friday, from trained City staff.