Abstract:
This technical package represents a select group of strategies based on the best available evidence to help communities and states sharpen their focus on prevention activities with the greatest potential to prevent youth violence and its consequences. These strategies include promoting family environments that support healthy development; providing quality education early in life; strengthening youth’s skills; connecting youth to caring adults and activities; creating protective community environments; and intervening to lessen harms and prevent future risk [The chapter “Intervene to Lessen Harm and Prevent Future Risk” (p. 33-36) is of particular interest to victim response research]. The strategies represented in this package include those with a focus on preventing youth violence from happening in the first place as well as approaches to reduce the immediate and long-term harms of youth violence in order to prevent future violence. This technical package has three components. The first component is the strategy or the preventive direction or actions to achieve the goal of preventing youth violence. The second component is the approach. The approach includes the specific ways to advance the strategy. This can be accomplished through programs, policies, and practices. The evidence for each of the approaches in preventing youth violence or its associated risk factors is included as the third component. This package is intended as a resource to guide and inform prevention decision-making in communities and states. (Author Text)