Online Program

287485
Implementation and innovation: Adapting cure violence, a community-based violence prevention model, to a school setting


Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Elise Wisnieski, MA, School of Public Health, Cure Violence, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
Joshua Brooks, School of Public Health, CeaseFire School Program, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
Marilyn Pitchford, MA, CeaseFire West, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
Gary Slutkin, MD, University of Illlinois at Chicago School of Public Health, Cure Violence, Chicago, IL
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.

Learning Areas:

Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Program planning
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Explain how the community-based Cure Violence (CV) model has been adapted to a school context Describe how the school-based CV program complements broader community-level efforts Discuss the significance and outcomes of the two program innovations: PhotoVoice and a classroom-based curriculum List key findings from each innovation Describe how innovations augment CV’s efforts within the school environment

Keyword(s): Youth Violence, School-Based Programs

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have worked as a Research Specialist at Cure Violence for three years. I helped implement the PhotoVoice methodology in the school setting, and I helped design the school-based curriculum. In addition, I have played an integral role in advancing the school-based program.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.