Implementation and innovation: Adapting cure violence, a community-based violence prevention model, to a school setting

Operating in Chicago's most violent communities, Cure Violence (CV), formerly Chicago CeaseFire, aims to interrupt the transmission of norms and behaviors endorsing violence, provide peaceful alternatives, and ultimately reduce shootings and homicides across target neighborhoods. Traditionally, CV staff have reached the highest-risk youth (meaning those most likely to engage in violence) via neighborhood connections and canvassing. More recently, recognizing the potential for an intersection between school and neighborhood efforts, CV piloted its first school-based site. Since 2009, the school has proved a unique setting for addressing CV's goals. This poster describes the implementation and adaptation of the CV model to a high school environment. Specifically, we will explain how the school represents not only an opportunity to engage high-risk youth in a new way, but also an opportunity to forge a bridge between school and community. In addition, we will discuss two specific innovations to augment CV's efforts, engage students, and reach a broader school-age population. The first innovation, PhotoVoice, is a grass-roots research tool that was used to give students an opportunity to document and reflect on their community via photography and dialogue. The second innovation, a classroom-based curriculum, targeted changing attitudes, norms, and actual behavior when it comes to violence. We will then identify the main findings, including participation and outcomes, from each innovation, as well as key takeaways from adapting a community-based model to a school context. This poster has implications for educators, practitioners, and researchers interested in the linkages between community- and school-based violence prevention models.