Youth Violence and Urban Ecology

This editorial describes efforts to address rising youth violence in Boston. The editorial notes that perhaps the most powerful method for responding to youth violence is youth mentorship. There are a number of youth environmental crews across the city who are serving as mentors and examples for their younger peers, and who are creating changes in their neighborhoods such as new greenspaces that are themselves an antidote to violence. We need to think about how youth environmental crews in the urban setting are a critical component of the efforts to address youth violence.