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Gang & Community Violence Prevention, Intervention, and Suppression
Community violence encompasses various types of crimes, such as murder, gun violence, interpersonal, domestic, sexual violence, robbery, and aggravated or simple assault and battery. While all forms of violence in communities are concerning and require attention, We Are 1's strategy primarily addresses a subset of street-level violent crimes.
Street-level violent crimes refer to murders and aggravated assaults and batteries that frequently involve firearms and occur within communities, excluding domestic incidents. Exposure to such violence can be traumatic, leading to increased fear and distrust among community members and a sense of insecurity within communities. It can also result in short and long-term negative outcomes for individuals and communities.
To keep communities safe and healthy, We Are 1 employs prevention, intervention, and suppression tactics that strengthen, empower and engage communities. Our approaches aim to reduce factors contributing to at-risk and problematic behaviors while strengthening protective factors. Our intervention programs specifically target individuals already involved in at-risk behavior, such as active gang members.
Here is a brief outline of a few of our 10 point Violence Prevention, Intervention, and Suppression strategies.
Youth Development.
Through our Player 1 Academy, we focus on engaging young people to develop their emotional, physical, social, and intellectual selves. Our Player 1 Academy provides opportunities for youth to learn and practice conflict resolution and prosocial life skills.
Street Intervention / Interruption, Active Outreach, and Engagement.
Our gang suppression specialists target at-risk youth and engage them on their turf to provide crisis intervention and de-escalation of high-stress situations. Our strategy eliminates the threats or perceived threats that can increase the risk for violent occurrences.
Counseling and Therapy.
We provide developmentally appropriate therapeutic services offered by mental health professionals that incorporate cognitive-behavioral therapy and contingency management approaches.
Community Engagement.
Our Community Engagement system supports youth and their families in identifying and accessing resources. Our up close and personal community engagement approach actively engages youth and families (i.e., active outreach, in-home meetings with youth/families, community engagement) and is more effective at long-term community retention and developing trust, than more passive approaches.
