teenagers I met in one of the underground cafeterias in the Longworth Building on Capitol Hill.

Over mouthfuls of hamburgers, 18 year old Dan Crow from Lexington, Texas, 17 year old Casey Cunningham from Portland, Oregon, and 17 year old Emmanuel Dagher from Fishers, Indiana spoke with me about the causes and solutions to school violence. All three teens seemed to be in agreement with the belief that religion could play a major role in reversing school violence. "Our Constitution is based on the belief of God," Casey said. "That"s how we were established, and we have drifted very far from our roots as a country," he continued. Dan agreed, telling me that he came from a small town in central Texas where everyone got along really well. "Lack of discipline, and how you are raised by your parents makes a big difference, too," admitted Casey, who said his school had just invested in security cameras which are now placed all over the campus and parking areas. "This creates more awareness of who is going to be violent." Emmanuel said, "Last year, our school held a debate on whether or not the media is the cause of violence in the schools. We also talked about how parents are under a lot of stress. But I still think that they have to have the responsibility for their kids." All three teens who had become new friends as a result of the conference suggested that they were selected to attend because of their SAT scores. Casey summed up their mutually held point of view by stating, "We should somehow enforce morals and values. Then we wouldn"t need to think about concealed weapons to protect us."

Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (elected to Congress in 1990) told me that the "Voices Against Violence" conference was intended to inform congressional leaders about the causes of violence from teenagers" perspectives. Very active in her district of New Haven, Ms. DeLauro has been involved in reaching out to kids for a long time. She started an Anti-Crime Youth Council (ACYC) in 1993 to learn more about why teenagers have experiences with violence, and what can be done to prevent violence from occurring. Her program represents 27 high schools in New Haven and includes approximately 150 juniors and seniors who work together to identify causes, understand the effects, and try to discover the solutions to the problem of youth crime. To date, ACYC has dramatically reduced overall crime in new Haven. ACYC has launched programs to help prevent middle school kids from becoming truants, they have sponsored cable TV programs to educate people on violence, and have helped to create an incentive for kids to stay in school by raising money for college scholarships. Ms. DeLauro believes that the reasons behind teen violence are complex, "The media is awash with violence.