Changing Lives: The Right Program Makes A Difference

Foreword

It’s been said that the real power of knowledge is unlocked only when it is used to achieve the common good. For a number of years, social science researchers have been designing and testing programs to prevent violent behavior among American youth. Much of this new knowledge has been evaluated and found to be effective. This is good news for families looking for answers in the shadow of increasing concern for the safety of their children. It is the opportunity to unlock that power for the common good.

At the direction of Congress, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Center for Mental Health Services launched the School Violence Prevention Initiative to support a range of youth violence programs, such as School and Community Action Grants and Coalitions for Youth Violence Prevention, as well as the Safe Schools/Healthy Students Program, a landmark Federal collaboration among the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, Education, and Justice. Many evidence-based programs were instituted under the Initiative. These activities were less about identifying what treatments work best and more about getting established evidence-based practices to communities, to services providers, to consumers, and to their families.

Evidence-based programs in youth violence prevention are being adapted and implemented locally based on their “fit” with the community. Programs are being adapted to local needs in order to obtain the best outcomes. It is the community itself that is in the best position to make this determination. ACTION Pamphlet 3, Changing Lives: The Right Program Makes a Difference, is intended to help communities and school districts select programs that can reduce or eliminate school violence.

Charles G. Curie, M.A.,
A.C.S.W.
Administrator
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Gail Hutchings, M.P.A.
Acting Director
Center for Mental Health Services
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

TOC | Next

Back to Community Action Pamphlet Menu