; Whereas the Youngstown Sojourn to the Past students successfully petitioned the Youngstown School Board, the Youngstown City Council, and the Youngstown State University trustees to declare the first week in October each year to be Nonviolence Week; Whereas the Sojourn to the Past program has afforded participating students with a life-changing experience by allowing them to visit the American South and serves as a catalyst for them to become activists and apply nonviolence principles throughout their lives and professions; Whereas youth violence is becoming increasingly common in American society, the practice of nonviolence may serve as a tool to dismantle egregious acts such as school shootings and other forms of mass shootings, bullying, and the continued violence plaguing American communities; Whereas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (in this resolution referred to as the CDC ), youth violence is common, and nearly one in five high school students reported being bullied on school property in the last year; Whereas, according to the CDC, youth violence results in considerable physical, emotional, and economic consequences; Whereas, according to the CDC’s nationwide Youth Risk Behavior Survey, about 6 percent of students had been threatened or injured with a weapon on school property one or more times during the 12 months before the survey; Whereas youth violence can significantly inhibit a child’s access to education and their ability to feel safe, secure, and confident in an academic environment; Whereas sexual violence on college campuses is a pervasive issue plaguing the American education system and impacts both men and women; Whereas hostility toward homosexuality and gender nonconformity continues to plague gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender youth and adults in the United States; Whereas gun violence is an issue that continues to impact all Americans, with one-third of gun deaths being homicides and hundreds of mass shootings occurring annually