Multiple federal agencies including the Departments of Education, Justice and Health and Human Services are convening to identify strategies to support anti-violence efforts.

The National League of Cities (NLC) will send six city leaders to assist federal government agencies with developing tactics for stopping youth and gang violence. Leaders include police chiefs, school superintendents and community organizations from Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Memphis, San Jose and Salinas.

Experts say that city leaders place top priority on the safety of children and youth. The meetings will introduce plans to enforce laws against violent criminal behavior in teens.

The forum looks for ways to streamline funding to cover comprehensive local violence prevention plans. The NLC said that, despite budget constraints, many cities are relying on a mix of federal, state, local and private funding to finance the new youth violence prevention plans. Teen boarding schools have been shown to help troubled youth who suffer the effects of a violent environment by giving them alternative ways of channeling their energy toward positive goals.

In a 2007 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 5,764 people in the U.S. between the ages of 10 and 24 were murdered as a result of youth violence.