On July 19 Burlington City Hosted the Play Streets Initiative for Youth, one in a series of safe community efforts scheduled this summer.
Play Streets is an initiative organized through the Burlington County Partnership for Youth Success (BCPYS). BCPYS has grown out of the Burlington County Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Planning Board, facilitated by the Walter Rand Institute with support from the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office.
The goal is to help address juvenile delinquency by diverting students from entering the criminal justice system and helping those already in it. The partnership has over 50 groups from across the county and state, including local churches, social organizations, youth-based groups, municipal agencies and school districts. Juvenile arrests have declined by 36% in the target municipalities since the inception of the effort in 2015.
Play Streets aims to give youth an opportunity to participate in safe activities, to reclaim residential streets, to build community, and enhance relationships with law enforcement. Play Streets efforts build public safety, health, and community ties. WRI is proud to support such important efforts in Burlington and hopes to do so for years to come.