For Immediate Release

British Cabinet Officials Visit Greater Littleton Youth Initiative

Two high-ranking officials of the British Government visited members of the Greater Littleton Youth Initiative (GLYI) last week to learn more about the organization’s innovative and award-winning approach for helping children from birth through their teen years.

The Right Honorable Hilary Armstrong, Member of Parliament, is the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Social Exclusion and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. The Cabinet Office is the head office of government and functions to support the prime minister and cabinet and strengthen the government’s objectives. She was accompanied by Parliamentary Secretary Pat McFadden, Member of Parliament; and Her Majesty’s Consulate Mark Stevens.

The visitors met with Mayor Jim Taylor and Council Members Rebecca Kast, Pat Cronenberger and Amy Conklin as well as Littleton Public Schools Board of Education President Diana Holland. During the three-hour meeting, representatives of the Nurse-Family Partnership, LifeSkills Training (LST), and Functional Family Therapy (FFT) shared information and described their programs. They talked with a family who improved their relationships through participating in FFT and a student who shared how LST taught him valuable drug and alcohol resistance skills.

Armstrong said while British and American societies are different, the challenges are the same. “We spend a great deal of money working on the problems young people face today. We want to make sure it is well spent. We heard from the people at the University of Colorado at Boulder and they told us Littleton is a place where real decisions are being made that affect all of the critical phases of young people’s lives.”

The GLYI was recognized with an Outstanding Achievement Award in the 2005 City Livability Awards Program by the United States Conference of Mayors. According to the judges, “The GLYI, created in response to the tragedy at Columbine High School, brings the city, public schools, parks and recreation, chamber of commerce, judicial officials, and a range of agencies and organizations together to create a strategic approach to enhance the development of young people and try to prevent youth violence,” noted the judges. “Littleton is the only community in the nation to have implemented so many scientifically documented programs in their search for proven effective solutions to the problems of young people.”

The GLYI worked extensively with Dr. Del Elliott, director of the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence at the University of Colorado. Elliott received a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) grant to study about 600 youth violence-prevention programs throughout the United States. Only 11 of the programs were identified as Blueprint Programs; they have been scientifically evaluated, have proved to reduce youth violence and can be duplicated in other communities. Littleton is the only community in the country to use six of the Blueprint Programs. In addition, a pilot project at Heritage High School is utilizing the Yellow Ribbon and ASIST Suicide Prevention programs.

Also in 2005, the GLYI earned a first place award from the Denver Regional Council of Governments in the Innovation Awards competition category of Cooperative Service Delivery.