Creating Peace: community-based youth violence prevention to address racism and discrimination

针对RFA-MD-18 - 005，"包含种族主义和歧视的青年暴力预防干预措施"， 预防，"这项拟议的研究将通过一项随机分组对照试验， 一个以创伤为重点的，性别变革的青年暴力预防计划，整合种族主义和歧视， 预防犯罪。在美国，种族/少数民族青年不成比例地受到暴力的影响， 与非西班牙裔白人相比，杀人、人身攻击和学校斗殴的发生率更高， 只有在集中的社会和经济劣势和高水平的枪支暴力的社区， lence。虽然越来越多的青少年暴力预防方案正在纳入结构性干预措施， 为了解决边缘化社区青年受教育和就业机会有限的问题， 直接将性别和种族不公正作为预防青年暴力的一个可变因素。的 一项拟议的社区合作研究将检查预防青少年暴力计划的有效性 《创造和平》（Creating Peace）在6至12周内以小组形式进行12次会议（每次会议3小时）， 探索种族，性别，性身份和社会阶层的活动，该计划将支持参与者 通过恢复社会联系，挑战助长暴力的性别规范， lence犯罪，并练习积极的旁观者干预技能，以安全地干预同龄人的不满， 有害的行为。青年领导技能是培养在该计划的后半部分，其中 青年将在社会恢复过程中为执法人员提供指导。该研究将在 宾夕法尼亚州匹兹堡（PA）24个低资源社区，随机接受CP （n = 12）或对照干预（n = 12）（工作技能发展）。来自匹兹堡社区的伙伴关系 包括黑人教堂、青年服务机构、执法机构、少年司法机构、儿童保护机构 学校、卫生部门、公共服务部门以及政策制定者。在程序后3个月（时间2）， 与对照社区的青年（14 - 18岁）相比，CP社区的青年预计将表现出： 最近暴力犯罪减少（主要结果）;过去携带武器的次数减少 30天（继发性）;积极旁观者行为增加（继发性）;偏倚经验减少- 基于歧视（探索性）（目标1）。项目结束后9个月的调查将评估CP是否 与对照组（Aim）相比， 2）。我们将探讨基线风险和保护因素（例如，凶杀幸存者、社会支助） 可以与干预相互作用以预测感兴趣的结果的变化（即，干预结果如何 可能因组而异）（目标3）。最后，我们将探讨基于偏见的歧视预防的影响 关于参加青年恢复性做法课程的执法人员的组成部分（目标4）。

In response to RFA-MD-18-005, “Youth Violence Prevention Interventions that Incorporate Racism Discrimina- tion Prevention,” this proposed study will examine, via a cluster-randomized controlled trial, the effectiveness of a trauma-focused, gender-transformative youth violence prevention program that integrates racism and dis- crimination prevention. In the United States, racial/ethnic minority youth are disproportionately impacted by vio- lence, with higher rates of homicide, physical assaults, and school fights than non-Hispanic Whites, most com- monly within neighborhoods with concentrated social and economic disadvantage and high levels of gun vio- lence. While a growing number of youth violence prevention programs are incorporating structural interventions to address the limited educational and employment opportunities for youth in marginalized neighborhoods, few have directly addressed gender and racial injustice as a modifiable factor in youth violence prevention. The proposed community partnered study will examine the effectiveness of a program for youth violence prevention titled “Creating Peace” (CP). Through 12 sessions (3 hours/session) over 6 to 12 weeks in a group format with activities that explore race, gender, sexual identity, and social class, the program will support participants in healing from experiences of trauma by restoring social connections, challenging gender norms that foster vio- lence perpetration, and practicing positive bystander intervention skills to intervene safely with peers' disre- spectful and harmful behaviors. Youth leadership skills are nurtured in the latter part of the program, where youth will offer guidance to law enforcement officers in a process of social restoration. The study will be in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (PA) across 24 lower-resource neighborhoods, randomized to receive either CP (n=12) or the control intervention (n=12) (job skills development). Partnerships from the Pittsburgh community include Black churches, youth-serving agencies, law enforcement, juvenile justice, child protective services, schools, health department, human services as well as policy makers. At 3 months after the program (Time 2), compared to youth (ages 14-18) in control neighborhoods, youth in CP are expected to demonstrate: greater reduction in recent violence perpetration (primary outcome); fewer number of times carrying a weapon in past 30 days (secondary); increased positive bystander behaviors (secondary); decreased experiences of bias- based discrimination (exploratory) (Aim 1). Surveys at 9 months after end of program will assess whether CP results in sustained improvements in these same outcomes (Time 3; final n = 1440), compared to controls (Aim 2). We will explore whether baseline risk and protective factors (e.g., homicide survivorship, social supports) may interact with the intervention to predict changes in outcomes of interest (i.e., how intervention outcomes may differ across groups) (Aim 3). Finally, we will explore impact of the bias-based discrimination prevention component on law enforcement officers who participate in the restorative practice sessions with youth (Aim 4).