Prevention in Action
About National Centers for Excellence in Youth Violence Prevention
CDC’s National Centers of Excellence in Youth Violence Prevention (known as YVPCs or Youth Violence Prevention Centers) are academic-community collaborations that advance the science and practice of youth violence prevention. Through local partnerships, YVPCs develop, implement, and rigorously evaluate innovative strategies to prevent violence. These partnerships and research help create safer, healthier families and communities for youth to live, learn, work, worship, and play. YVPCs were funded and launched by CDC in 2000. The mission of the YVPCs is to research and prevent youth violence by identifying and testing innovative violence prevention approaches and strengthen the use of effective prevention strategies in communities.
Current YVPC Activities Include
Engaging youth through youth-led organizations and leadership development training
Establishing and evaluating hospital-based partnerships and programs to reduce gun violence among youth and young adults
Partnering with youth and local organizations to shift social norms that contribute to violence through street outreach, social media, and bystander reporting
Implementing parenting skills and family relationship programs
Creating and supporting mentoring, after-school, and universal school-based programs
Youth Leaders in Prevention Tell Their Story
The University of Louisville Youth Violence Prevention Research Center (YVPRC) focused on changing social norms about youth violence in West Louisville, KY. The YVPRC’s approach to engage youth as subject experts in their own community can serve as a model for other communities working to reduce violence.
Curious about other youth violence prevention strategies like the University of Louisville’s? Visit CDC’s Youth Violence Prevention Centers webpage to learn more.
Youth Violence Prevention Centers