I have been an insomniac for as long as I can remember. This means two things: 1. I don’t want to hear from my friends and family who complain about being tired even after getting 7 hours of sleep; 2. I get a lot of stuff done because I am awake when most everyone else is getting their beauty sleep :).

Along those lines, I wanted to announce the launch of the Chicago Taskforce on Violence against Girls and Young Women’s new website and online report. I am privileged to be the co-founder of the Taskforce with my good friend and colleague Melissa Spatz.

The Chicago Taskforce on Violence Against Girls & Young Women serves as a vehicle for addressing the following two questions: 1. How will we galvanize attention to the devastating violence plaguing the lives of girls and young women? 2. How will we marshal the public/political will to end the violence?

The Taskforce was established in order to bring groups from across Chicago together to learn from one another, share strategies and best practices, & develop new and comprehensive models of responding to violence against girls.

Of particular interest to readers of this blog will be the section that focuses on violence and the criminalization of girls and young women. Additionally, the site offers recommendations for the use of restorative justice as a way to address violence in the lives of young women. Finally, the best part of the site to my mind is the innovative organizations and models that are featured throughout.

Please help to spread the word about the availability of this new resource. Melissa and I worked very hard over the past few months to pull this together. We hope to use the site and the Taskforce to influence policy and systemic change to improve the lives of girls and young women in Chicago.