Preventing Youth Violence:
Communities Take Action
Community Readiness
Is your community ready for a youth violence prevention initiative? Think about how many people in your community are even aware that youth violence problems exist. Trying to impose a violence prevention program, no matter how effective, on a community that is not ready does not work.
STAGES OF COMMUNITY READINESS
A community readiness assessment model that uses formal interviews describes three stages that may precede communty readiness: no awareness, denial, and vague awareness.
No Awareness.
People who lead busy lives often know very little about what happens in the surrounding community. Even those who are very involved in one aspect of community life may be unaware of what is happening in other areas. It is not unusual for residents to have no awareness of a community problem.
A mental health director in Florida formed a coalition that included representatives of the juvenile court system. When she visited her colleagues at the courthouse, she discovered that many of the youth involved in the system were being raised by grandparents. She immediately saw how her agency could provide training and support to these grandparents, and the court welcomed her resources as part of the solution to the youth violence problem in the community. Before this director visited the court, she had no awareness of what was going on.
Denial. Some communities may deny that certain violent behavior is a problem. The behavior may be considered acceptable or just a fact of life. Bullying is often viewed this way, yet it has serious social consequences for victims and bullies alike. Some think bullying has been a factor in outbreaks of school shootings. Anti-bullying initiatives demonstrate what can be done for a community “in denial.”
Vague Awareness. People may have a vague awareness of violence that takes place in other neighborhoods, but because it doesn’t affect them, they don’t think about it. They may see gang graffiti in an underpass but never associate it with kids roaming their local streets. Community residents may not be ready to support a youth violence initiative, but one caring person can raise the community’s level of awareness.
ASSESSING COMMUNITY READINESS
Sometimes a community may be all too aware of certain problems. People may talk about how awful something is, but no one knows what to do about it. Conducting a community readiness assessment will help initiate community collaboration. It will identify local resources and groups that are ready to receive funds and carry out proposals. It can provide a guide for developing strategies appropriate to the culture(s) of the community.
Models are available to help assess a community's readiness for change. Communities That Care, a model developed at the University of Washington, includes a method of community readiness assessment. The Search Institute provides a model of internal and external developmental assets for children and youth that is helpful in determining community readiness. Another assessment model is based on interviews with six key residents from the community. For more information on these models, see the Resources section.
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