Reverend Linda Ivey, MSW, Germantown Faith Communities Against Gun Violence, gave an engaging report on the success and challenges of the initiative help curb violence through a summer STEM camp with a strong conflict resolution component at a resent Chestnut Hill Rotary breakfast program. Due to the success of the program, the University asked Reverend Ivey to contribute again next year.
In this video, Reverend Linda Ivey, M.S.W., Germantown Faith Communities Against Gun Violence, provides an important update at the Chestnut Hill Rotary's breakfast meeting on the success of a new program with LaSalle University.
As gun violence continues to plague Philadelphia, it is children who increasingly find themselves as the target. In the last year alone, 220 kids under the age of 18 have been shot in Philadelphia, which is a 10 percent uptick from the previous year. As of December 15, 2023, there have been 363 fatal and 1,256 non-fatal shootings in the city.
To help, Chestnut Hill Rotary provided funding for seven youths to attend the La Salle University’s Summer STEM Enrichment Camp with a strong conflict resolution component led by Reverend Linda, J. Ivey, MSW. The camp was comprised of 36 Black, Latino, Asian and White students from Philadelphia schools, grades 5 to 8.
“I want to say thank you to the Chestnut Hill Rotary Club for your donations to sponsor seven campers for the LaSalle STEM program and conflict resolution your generosity made a big difference and we couldn’t say enough about how your mission to continue to empower young people as well as adults! ”
The ”Winning at Conflict Resolution” component focused on equipping youth to find peaceful ways to deal with conflict by understanding triggers and memories, improving emotional intelligence, and connect with others through empathy. The program included a lot of ‘real-world’ role-playing to get students to think for themselves about the best options to take when confronted with an unsafe situation.
The three-week STEM Summer Enrichment Camp also provides engaging and integrated learning experiences in math, science, technology, media, foreign languages, engineering, language arts, and social studies.
Reverend Ivey is a member of the clergy currently serving at Ebenezer Baptist Church. She is also an author, teacher, preacher, college professor, and trained social worker. When not serving in ministry, she is an adjunct professor at Lincoln University, Harcum College, and Lancaster Bible College.
