M-DCPS STUDENTS TO ATTEND 'SILENCE HURTS' YOUTH SUMMIT IN ORLANDO, OCT. 22-23 October 18, 2001 Over 100 Miami-Dade County Public Schools' students from 36 secondary schools will attend the "Silence Hurts" Florida Youth Summit on October 22-23 at the Hyatt Orlando Hotel in Kissimmee, FL. Hosted by Education Commissioner Charlie Crist, the summit marks the official launch of the statewide "Silence Hurts" campaign aimed at convincing students to break the "code of silence" when they witness or have prior knowledge of destructive acts. The summit will challenge teenagers to come up with solutions in their schools on how they can take control of their campuses and their lives by speaking up. The agenda includes youth and adult motivational speakers, teenage discussion groups, instructions and materials for implementing the campaign at school sites and an evening concert at Universal Studios featuring Gioia, the former lead singer with Exposé and Darion Wilde. According to FBI crime data, in 75 percent of school shootings nationwide someone was aware of the killer's plans. In 93 percent of the cases where a weapon was confiscated ahead of time, it was because a fellow student spoke up and told an adult. According to Crist, "Breaking the student code of silence is the critical first step in reducing violence." The "Silence Hurts" Florida Youth Summit is a joint venture of the Sunshine State School Public Relations Association, Youth Crime Watch of Florida, Miami-Dade County Public Schools, the Florida Department of Education, Youth Crime Watch of Miami-Dade, Miami-Dade Schools Police, and Miami-Dade County and City of Hialeah police departments. For more information, contact Carlos Fernandez, Miami-Dade Schools Police at 305-757-7708. ### 01-AMC069/JPS Back to Press Releases