Forging Hopeful Futures: A Racial and Gender-Justice Program to Reduce Youth Violence

作为对RFA-CE-22-005的回应，本提案涉及目标一：有效性研究，以评价 减少社区暴力和种族/族裔不平等的创新办法 暴力种族和民族多样化的青年和居住在集中的社区的青年 弱势群体不成比例地承受着暴力的负担。凭借强大的学术机构， 通过制定方案（特别是在国际环境中），并采用交叉透镜，青年暴力可以被 在性别不平等的背景下理解（例如，严格的男性规范）、经济不平等 (e.g.,失业）和种族不平等（例如，种族主义和歧视）。长期反复暴露于 早期创伤和逆境（包括暴力），基于偏见的歧视的持续经历， 经济机会的减少会阻碍儿童的健康发展， 暴力受害和犯罪。然而，在美国，很少有社区驱动的暴力方法寻求 同时干预性别社会化和不平等的权力动态。明确地编程 考虑到这些交叉点，支持来自不同背景的青年解决基于性别的问题， 结构性不平等在理论和经验上都是新颖的。青年赋权干预措施将 经过完善和评估的《锻造有希望的未来》将把联合收割机的经济公正内容与就业准备相结合 培训，种族和性别公正的内容，从性别变革的方案，和领导能力建设， 一种新型的多层次暴力预防干预。临近节目结束，青年将与 就业机会，并鼓励继续参与社会变革努力， 通过社区组织和每个社区的导师提供。我们会组织一个社区- 在16个受结构性不平等和高水平失业影响的社区进行的合作集群随机试验 在匹兹堡，宾夕法尼亚州和城市华盛顿特区和马里兰州都会区的社区暴力。目标1将 评估锻造希望未来（干预）与健康检查（对照）的有效性 在14至19岁的青年中，减少自我报告的使用身体的战斗和威胁/伤害， 武器（主要结果）和多种相关形式的暴力（即，生理性和情感 关系虐待、性暴力、欺凌）。目标2将审查干预措施的机制， 干预前的风险和保护因素如何缓和干预对多个 暴力的形式。在RE-AIM框架的指导下，目标3将审查实施过程， 促进干预的可接受性、覆盖范围、整合、忠诚度和参与度以及与 在邻里之间实施干预。结果预计将出现从这个严格的 有效性和执行情况评价将扩大我们有效干预措施的范围， 种族、性别和经济不平等，并减少青年暴力。

In response to RFA-CE-22-005, this proposal addresses Objective One: Effectiveness research to evaluate innovative approaches to reducing community violence and racial/ethnic inequities in risk for community violence. Racially and ethnically diverse youth and youth residing in neighborhoods with concentrated disadvantage disproportionately bear the burden of violence. Drawing upon a robust body of scholarship and programming (especially in international settings), and applying an intersectional lens, youth violence can be understood in the context of gender inequities (e.g., adherence to rigid masculinity norms), economic inequities (e.g., unemployment), and race inequities (e.g., racism and discrimination). Chronic, repeated exposure to early trauma and adversity (including violence), persistent experiences of bias-based discrimination, and lack of economic opportunities can impede children’s healthy development and increase the likelihood of both violence victimization and perpetration. Yet few community-driven approaches to violence in the US seek to simultaneously intervene on gender socialization and unequal power dynamics. Programming that explicitly takes into account these intersections and supports youth from diverse backgrounds to address gender-based and structural inequities is both theoretically and empirically novel. The youth empowerment intervention to be refined and evaluated, Forging Hopeful Futures, will combine economic justice content from job readiness training, racial and gender justice content from gender-transformative programming, and leadership building as a novel multi-level violence prevention intervention. Near program conclusion, youth will be connected with employment opportunities and encouraged to continue participation in social change efforts, with scaffolding offered through community organizations and mentors in each neighborhood. We will conduct a community- partnered cluster randomized trial in 16 neighborhoods impacted by structural inequities and high levels of community violence in Pittsburgh, PA and urban Washington D.C. and Maryland metro areas. Aim 1 will evaluate effectiveness of Forging Hopeful Futures (intervention) compared to wellness check-ins (control) among 14- to 19-year-old youth to decrease self-reported use of physical fighting and threat/injury with a weapon (primary outcome) and multiple related forms of violence (i.e., physical, sexual, and emotional relationship abuse, sexual violence, bullying). Aim 2 will examine mechanisms through which the intervention creates impact and how pre-intervention risk and protective factors moderate intervention effects on multiple forms of violence. Guided by the RE-AIM framework, Aim 3 will examine implementation processes that facilitate intervention acceptability, reach, integration, fidelity, and engagement as well as costs associated with intervention implementation across neighborhoods. Results expected to emerge from this rigorous effectiveness and implementation evaluation will expand our repertoire of effective interventions to address racial, and gender, and economic inequities and reduce youth violence.