Stories

Boston's Approach to Funding Neighborhood Youth Violence Prevention Projects

As an outcome of the initial planning process, each Violence Intervention Program (VIP) neighborhood coalition in Boston submitted a proposal for youth violence prevention projects. A youth development strategy based on the best available evidence was selected and implemented in three VIP neighborhoods. It was designed to help youth gain new skills, hold jobs in local organizations, and develop leadership abilities. In addition to reducing shooting incidents and other forms of community violence, the goal of the strategy is to inspire feelings of opportunity in residents and particularly young people.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, https://vetoviolence.cdc.gov/apps/stryve/grantee-profiles#boston

Creating a Strategic Plan Minneapolis, MN

Tasked with creating a strategic plan to prevent violence, the Minneapolis Youth Violence Prevention Steering Committee began with a commitment to honor all viewpoints. Committee members agreed that partnerships and collaboration were vital to success, and that “a spirit of cooperation, trust and respect will drive our process.” In meetings co-chaired by the mayor, the Committee developed a shared vision by exchanging observations, stories, and expertise.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, https://www.cdc.gov/child-abuse-neglect/communication-resources/efc-building-community-commitment.pdf

Developing a Prevention Vision Statement in Otoe County, NE

To raise awareness about its child abuse prevention initiative, Otoe County in Nebraska developed a compelling vision statement. The partners wanted the vision statement to articulate their goal and be something everyone in the community could support – “Bright futures begin at birth! Every child will receive the nurturing care essential to become compassionate, contributing members of their communities.”

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, https://www.cdc.gov/child-abuse-neglect/communication-resources/efc-building-community-commitment.pdf

Houston's Approach to Collecting Community Data

In addition to using data from local schools and the police to guide its planning, the multi-sector coalition in Houston recognized it needed to hear from the community. Team members went door-to-door, providing residents with access to fresh food and basic health services. They also asked residents about the challenges facing their community—how violence affected them and what they thought could help make their neighborhoods safer and healthier. Youth played a significant role in conducting interviews and voicing solutions.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, https://vetoviolence.cdc.gov/apps/stryve/grantee-profiles

Houston's Approach to Selecting Evidence-Informed Strategies

Houston is the largest city in Texas and the fourth largest city in the United States. Of the nearly 2.2 million people who live in this sprawling metropolis, more than 25% are younger than age 18 - one of the largest youth populations in the country. Community leaders could easily be overwhelmed by the sheer scope of youth violence in their city. Instead, a coalition led by the local health department chose to start small and focus prevention efforts at the neighborhood level. While statistics on youth violence in Houston presented dire facts, the city did not need to start from scratch to find a solution. It just needed to migrate what others were already doing to a stronger model, and in a specific community. “We really were committed to identifying evidence-informed strategies that fit with the culture and the direction that our youth-serving agencies were going,” STRYVE Program Director Sheila Savannah said.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, https://vetoviolence.cdc.gov/apps/stryve/grantee-profiles#houston

Integrating Prevention Science and Community Insight in Portland, OR

The first task of the Portland STRYVE project was to create a forum where the science of prevention could be combined with community insight. “We wanted to create a space where everyone’s expertise was valued, whether that be professional, academic, lived experience, or otherwise,” STRYVE Coordinator Rebecca Stavenjord said. Two part-time community health workers were hired and trained to educate and promote individual and community needs, serve as a liaison between communities and the health care and social service systems, and help make health education and information more accessible to residents. Stavenjord said that community health workers have been crucial in Portland STRYVE’s ability to fully involve community members and under-represented groups in youth violence prevention efforts.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, https://vetoviolence.cdc.gov/apps/stryve/grantee-profiles#portland

Making the Case for Early Childhood Education in San Antonio, TX

Describing the problem and its solutions in creative, compelling ways can help educate different types of people in creating safe, stable and nurturing relationships and environments. When San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro launched the Brainpower Initiative, he described early education as critically important to the city’s quality of life and economic development. For San Antonio to be globally competitive in the 21st century, Mayor Castro argued, it needed to invest in pre-kindergarten, so that toddlers of today would grow up to be an educated, capable workforce. He made the case that the Brainpower Initiative would promote academic achievement and improve graduation rates, and he presented evidence that the city would gain $7 for every dollar invested in high-quality pre-kindergarten. With support from local business and education leaders and seven former mayors, San Antonio voters approved a funding measure to support full-day pre-K for 4,000 four-year-olds every year through 2020.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, https://www.cdc.gov/child-abuse-neglect/communication-resources/efc-building-community-commitment.pdf

Selecting Prevention Strategies in Los Angeles County

One of the goals of First 5 LA is to ensure that children are safe from abuse and neglect. When deciding on priority strategies to meet this goal for Los Angeles County, First 5 LA included feasibility and timeliness in its selection criteria. First 5 LA assessed each strategy’s potential benefit for children and families in general, but it also examined how the potential strategies would increase safety specifically, analyzed the likelihood for success, and considered current windows of opportunity for action.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, https://www.cdc.gov/child-abuse-neglect/communication-resources/efc-building-community-commitment.pdf

Strengthening the plan to prevent youth violence in Salinas, CA

The Community Alliance for Safety and Peace (CASP) is an existing coalition made up of more than 30 organizations dedicated to gang reduction in Salinas. Through CDC’s STRYVE, public health leaders were able to add their voice to the mix. “We had not really been at the table. …So we had to demonstrate that the public health department had a certain skill set that would be of value,” STRYVE Coordinator Linda McGlone said. Salinas STRYVE offered CASP resources and a step-by-step process to strengthen the coalition’s existing plan, and helped them choose a focus area and strategies based on the best available evidence. CASP now has a framework for planning, pilot testing, evaluating, and sustaining youth violence prevention efforts.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, https://vetoviolence.cdc.gov/apps/stryve/grantee-profiles#salinas