PROJECT OVERVIEW

For the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), DSG manages the Faith- and Community-Based Youth Violence Prevention Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) cooperative agreement to broker, coordinate, and provide relevant TTA to OJJDP’s Safe and Thriving Communities (STC) grantee sites to support implementation of their gang- and gun violence–prevention and community violence–reduction efforts.

OJJDP’s Safe and Thriving Communities initiative calls on its sites to collaboratively plan, align, and execute community-driven approaches to youth violence prevention, intervention, and community development. The initiative builds on and connects the work of OJJDP’s National Forum, Community-Based Violence Prevention, and Defending Childhood initiatives. The long-term goals are to 1) promote healing, 2) increase the safety, well-being, and healthy development of children, youth, and families, and 3) prevent, reduce, and sustain reductions in youth violence, including gun and gang violence and victimization.

DSG supports STC project implementation through activities such as

• Sustainability resources
• Strategic planning best practices
• Recommendations on evidence-based programs and practices
• Providing resources and fostering peer discussion and networking on the highest-priority topics in youth violence prevention and intervention on a recurring monthly call
• Leading all logistical and content planning for the FY17 STC track at the “OJJDP Grantee Meeting: Comprehensive Approaches to Gang Violence Prevention and Suppression,” held Oct. 22–24, 2019, including workshop presentations on addressing gang activity, community policing, reducing recidivism, and restorative justice practices

Beyond this, the project aims to increase the capacities of small faith- and community-based organizations to effectively address and prevent youth violence within a larger collaborative framework, and increase the number of organizations joining these efforts.

The effort concentrates on 45 communities that have been part of OJJDP’s Youth Violence Prevention Initiatives. The U.S. Department of Justice’s Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships is also a partner in the initiative.

The work assists local entities in identifying their needs and resources and in building and sustaining their capacities to engage in social and criminal justice–related issues, partnerships, and program development.

DSG distills the learning from this initiative to disseminate best practices among national faith and secular organizations.

CONTACT US ABOUT THIS PROJECT

For more information about the Youth Violence Prevention Project, contact DSG Project Manager Scottie Whiteley at 301.951.0056 or swhiteley@dsgonline.com