Hundreds of teens were in downtown Denver on Friday to share ideas on how to stop gang violence in their schools and neighborhoods.

They gathered at a conference sponsored by Youth Crime Watch of America, which has 700 chapters around the country. Most of the groups sponsor school patrols and work to prevent fights and bullying.

Many of the teens have seen the effects of violence firsthand. Seven came from Rochester, N.Y., where there have been several gang-related shootings.

"Right now our youth homicide rate is the highest in New York state," said Keisha French of the Rochester Monroe County Youth Bureau. "It's very hard to deal with. Some of our kids did a poem as a tribute to their friends who were killed."

The Rochester group has more than 100 members and sponsors concerts and shows with a "stop the violence" theme.

Several forums were held Friday afternoon on topics ranging from hip hop music to self-defense. Many of the teens said they were disturbed by the messages in hip hop even though they listen to it.

"It's highly sexualized, there's 6-year-old girls getting the message, 'We'll value you based on your appearance,'" said Bridget Rogers of Madison, Wis."For that to be the message young women are being bombarded with is dangerous."

Youth Crime Watch was founded 20 years ago and has been credited with reducing crime and harassment in schools and low-income housing developments. Typically the groups sponsor patrols, set up systems for reporting crime and organize school bus safety projects.

One middle school student in Tampa, Fla., involved in the program is credited with discovering a fellow student's plan to build a bomb and kill dozens of students at school. Police found explosives in the 14-year-old boy's room.

The conference, which was held at the Adam's Mark hotel, was cosponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice and Denver's Safe City office.