About the National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center
- History of the NYVPRC
- Evolution of the NYVPRC
- New Mission and Objectives for the NYVPRC
- Transition Plans for the NYVPRC
History of the NYVPRC
The origin of the NYVPRC is woven into the federal response to the Columbine High School shootings in 1999. As the nation took a broad look at the issue of violence occurring in school settings, it became clear that violence among adolescents stretched far beyond the walls of educational institutions and presented a complex, threatening public health concern requiring a comprehensive response.
A major emphasis of the response then, and today, is on prevention. To that end, the White House established the Council on Youth Violence in October 1999 to coordinate the youth violence prevention efforts of all federal agencies. The Council, in collaboration with CDC and other federal agencies, directed the development of the NYVPRC to serve as a user-friendly, single point of access to potentially life-saving information about youth violence and prevention and intervention strategies for the general public. The resource center also was established to provide technical assistance to communities across the country on how to establish effective violence prevention programs.
Evolution of the NYVPRC
Since 1999, a substantial body of scientific evidence has evolved to support the belief that youth violence can be prevented through the comprehensive, systematic application of effective approaches. During this period, too, many federal and nonfederal organizations have evolved a better understanding of the threat posed by violence committed by and upon the nation's youth. A variety of program models have demonstrated efficacy in preventing violence. A better understanding of the key influencers on the prevention of youth violence has also emerged. Finally, approaches to website design and information retrieval through the Internet have evolved. For example, web tagging and searching technologies have greatly evolved, making it much easier for people to use search engines/services like Google, etc., to locate information on the web.
Armed with this greater understanding, the NYVPRC recently undertook an evaluation of its mission and resources. The purpose of this evaluation was to determine the ideal role for the NYVPRC in the youth violence prevention field and how to best position the resource center to respond to emerging needs. Three primary conclusions were drawn from this evaluation.
First, since its establishment, the NYVPRC has grown into a recognizable, clearinghouse-like resource with a constituent base of parents and other caregivers, teens, educators, community development professionals, law enforcement, the media, and many other categories of professionals working with youth in communities across the nation.
Second, one major finding derived from CDC’s investment in the development of the science of youth violence prevention, in addition to other research in this area, is the understanding that comprehensive, structured, community-wide strategies hold the greatest promise for preventing youth violence before it starts and for creating lasting environments for positive youth development.
Third, it is clear that the strong base of professionals who already recognize the NYVPRC as a valuable source for information positions it to play an even more robust role in the promotion of effective community-wide youth violence prevention efforts.
On the basis of these conclusions, in October 2007, a strategic change was made for the NYVPRC shifting from its original focus on serving the general public to serving key change agents within communities who are positioned to implement and sustain community-wide youth violence prevention strategies. Thus, the NYVPRC is evolving from a passive information portal to an active promoter of resources, training and technical assistance, and professional collaboration and networking focused on community-wide youth violence prevention strategies.
New Mission and Objectives for the NYVPRC
With this strategic shift in focus, effective October 2007, the mission of the NYVPRC is to provide dynamic resources that facilitate the comprehensive development of a community of practice for youth violence prevention. More specifically, the objectives of the NYVPRC are now to create an online forum to facilitate networking and collaboration among key changes agents in communities—local government leaders and community leaders—and to provide these key agents with resources and training and technical assistance to support their efforts to plan, implement, and evaluate effective youth violence prevention efforts in their communities.
Local Government Leaders refer to key decision- or policymakers within local government (parish, township, city, county, or other definition of local government) able to commit to implementation and sustainability of youth violence prevention activities. This typically includes elected officials, appointed agency heads, and their key staff.
Community Leaders refer to key change agents outside of the local government but within the local community (whether defined by the geographic boundary of a neighborhood, parish, township, city, or county or other definition of “community”) whose participation and influence can contribute positively to planning, implementing, and evaluating community-wide youth violence prevention efforts. This typically includes leaders from all sectors of the community as well as key community residents such as parents and youth.
Transition Plans for the NYVPRC
The transition of the NYVPRC to this new focus began in October 2007 and is ongoing. This strategic redirection of the NYVPRC will include a redesigned website and reengineering of its content and infrastructure for delivering resources, technical assistance, training, and approaches for engaging local government and community leaders in implementing community-wide youth violence prevention strategies. The redesigned website will be launched in 2009.
Audiences previously served by the NYVPRC will be directed to resources from other federal sources that provide information and support formerly provided by the NYVPRC. Stay tuned to this website for periodic updates about plans and progress for completing the transition.