Empowering youth to create change: A community-level violence prevention curriculum

We describe the development, implementation and assessment of a curriculum designed to prepare adolescents to prevent violence through community change. This curriculum is part of the Youth Empowerment Solutions for Peaceful Communities (YES) program, and is guided by empowerment, positive youth development, and ecological theories. The goal of YES is to change the social and physical environment to prevent youth violence. The project works to enhance the capacity of adolescents and adults to plan and implement positive community improvements. The youth curriculum includes 28 sessions organized around five themed units (Youth as Leaders, Community and Culture, Change, Preparation, Action and Reflection). The structure of the units is based on program theories and goals, staff experience, and youth input. Each session is designed to be easy-to-use, containing detailed instructions for implementation. Sessions engage youth in learning activities that provide them with the necessary scaffolding to work successfully with adults to plan, initiate, and assess progress in implementing community change projects. The curriculum was developed through an iterative process. Initially, program staff documented their activities with youth. These outlines were formalized as curriculum sessions. Each session was reviewed by the program and research staff and revised based on underlying theory and practical application. The curriculum process evaluation includes: 1) observational data; 2) staff feedback; and 3) youth ratings. We will discuss lessons learned from the evaluation and describe modifications made based on the data. This theoretically-based, field-tested curriculum is designed to be easily adapted and implemented in a diverse range of communities.