San Juan Bautista Peace Zone

The mission of Peace Zone is to decrease the violence in the community by working with youth to alert them of the issues in the community and teaching youth how to resolve conflict without resorting to violence. Begun in 2005, Peace Zone provides outreach and violent prevention services to neighborhood youth ages thirteen to seventeen. The philosophy of conflict negotiation is integrated into all of their program activities, including sports teams and discussions on field trips. The youth participate in sports, chess, homework assistance, field trips and camping trips. In 2008 the program served 35 youth, including taking 13 boys to Vermont for a special summer camping trip.