UMDNJ PARTICIPATES IN UN CONFERENCE ON VIOLENCE

Michael B. Greene, PhD, executive director of the Violence Institute of New Jersey at UMDNJ, was invited to the United Nations to participate in a panel discussion on adolescent violence. He was one of six panelists at the Third Annual Public Relations Forum, entitled ÐYouth and Violence: Addressing the Problem through Public Relations.S

In 1995, the UN"s General Assembly adopted the World Programme of Action for Youth to the Year 2000 and Beyond, to address the problems of adolescent violence worldwide. ÐThe question of how public relations can help reduce youth violence has generally been limited to chastising the entertainment industry and the media for glorifying violence,S said Greene.

He explained that public relations efforts need to avoid several common pitfalls: the Blame Game Ö blaming the problem on one individual, institution, group of people or thing; the Magic Bullet Game Ö there is one best and universal solution; and the Blank Slate or Tabula Rasa Game Ö we have nothing in place that we can build on. Greene recommends that public relations should be grounded in fundamental public health principles such as focusing on strengths rather than deficits, coupled with the need for local ownership of youth programs

The program was sponsored by the United Nations Department of Public Information, the International Public Relations Association, the Public Relations Society of America/International Section, and the United Nations Association of New York City.