Representatives from a number of Bronx-based anti-violence groups gathered on Nov. 4 to discuss strategies to reduce youth violence. The meeting occurred after a few recent violent incidents in the Williamsbridge Oval Park, including a couple of large fights among students of a nearby school.

But in the audience assembled in the Oval Recreation Center, there was a central demographic missing: young people.

“The people who need to hear it are not here,” said Abdul “Sleep” Johnson, founder and CEO of the Community Board Athletic Leadership League, noting that all the interested people in the room could not effect change without input from youth.

Heavily utilized during warmer months, the Williamsbridge Oval Park has long been a staple in Norwood. While many family-friendly events use Oval Park as their venue, it’s also a setting for fistfights among high school students. Recently, pictures taken by Aldo Perez, a neighborhood activist, captured a brawl among students by the track and field. In April 2013, a video of two teenage girls fighting at the Oval was uploaded to YouTube.

Crystal Reveron, community affairs officer for the 52nd Precinct, told the audience that the uptick in violence in the Oval is part of a general trend of increased use of the park. “Kids are attracted to parks,” she said. Reveron said the Police Department has made 13 arrests in the park so far this year, mostly for robbery crimes. Patrols can be seen daily by officers, who share duties with park enforcement patrol officers who are seldom seen.

Doug Condit, one of a handful of community members in attendance, emphasized the need to include youth in the conversation on how best to work with them. “If you’re not into the athletic opportunities we provide, what do you want to do?” asked Condit.

The other organizations that presented, including Bronx Rise Against Violence (BRAG) and Peace December do not currently operate in Norwood, but offered their work as examples of successful youth outreach and peace building. Peace December operates a space where all kinds of groups get together and find common ground on contentious issues.

Emilio Rodriguez from BRAG spoke about the group’s programs in the 46th Precinct to reach youth in gangs. He said they work with gang leaders to try and encourage the youth to get involved in other activities besides gangs. His organization is set to open a new $80,000 music studio where they teach how to make and record rap music. While they do not work in the 52nd Precinct directly, he noted the interconnectedness of the neighborhoods. “What happens in the 5-2 goes into the 4-6,” he said.