intervention

04 Aug intervention

The Title of our project:

· The members of our group:

· The population on which we focused: African American Youths

· The setting in which our intervention will take place: Inner City Schools

· The health problem on which we focused: Violence

· The health behaviors that our intervention will address:

2. Introduction to the health problem:

Based on the literature from various peer-reviewed Journals and Articles, Youth Violence exists within African American Inner City Schools due to:

· African American youth living in urban, low-income communities have been shown to be more at risk for being exposed to community violence than any other population in the United States. (Aisenberg & Herrenkohl, 2008; Garbarino, Hammond, Mercy & Yung, 2004; Stein et al., 2003).

· Exposure to violence was the strongest predictor of violent behavior for African American youth from 11 to 19 years old living in a community with high levels of violent crime. (DuRant et al., 1994).

· Youths’ exposure to school violence occurs disproportionately in public schools located in urban disadvantaged settings, where neighborhood and community violence is also disproportionately high. (Gottfredson, 2001; Hellman & Beaton, 1986; Snyder & Sickmund, 1999).

3. Brief description of the three theories we have chosen to apply in our invention:

· Individual-level: Theory of Planned Behavior

· Construct: Perceived Behavioral Control

· Rational: This construct is relevant to our project because “Schools in disadvantaged urban communities—which have fewer resources, difficulties in staff recruitment and retention, and limited community support—(are less likely to include a system of shared values, a clear mission, high expectations, meaningful social interactions, collegial relations among adults, and extended teacher roles), and are also more likely to be inconsistent in enforcing rules and communicating expectations for student behavior.” (Gottfredson et al., 2005). Given under those circumstances, it makes easy and gives more power to Youths in Inner City Schools to engage in violent behaviors.

· Interpersonal-level: Social Cognitive Theory

· Construct: Vicarious (observational) Learning

· Rational: This construct is useful in our project because of the social and physical environment within Inner City Schools, in which it provides a model for Youth violent behaviors. According to a study of African American Youth and Exposure to Community Violence, “Exposure to community violence is strongly associated with problem behaviors such as delinquency, perpetrating aggression, and violence.” (Foweler et al., 2009).

· Community-level: Community Organization/Community Building Model

· Construct: Empowerment

· Rational: This construct is appropriate for our project because our intervention will give the Youthsconfidence and skills to create positive changes. University of Chicago conducted a formative research with African American adolescents in a high risk urban community, so that a curriculum could be revised and implemented for use in reducing negative effects from exposure to violence. The research found that “including African American youth in efforts to create change can promote a sense of empowerment, which in turn bolsters their confidence and their critical consciousness.” (Thomas et al., 2012). Therefore, by including the youths in efforts to reduce violence within their schools can give them a sense of empowerment and gain mastery over their own lives and community.

· Construct: Community Capacity

· Rational: This construct is applicable to our project because our intervention will enable the youthsto participate actively in community life, gaining leadership skills, social networks, and access to power. In the same formative research conducted by University of Chicago, they used a Civic Engagement Curriculum for the youths, in which it was develop to “enhance capacity to work with others, resolve conflicts more effectively, develop initiatives, and engage in constructive community change.” (Thomas et al., 2012). And after they completed the curriculum, they concluded that “participants were very interested and excited about engaging with school administrators, civic, and community leaders to create systemic changes within the schools and communities.” (Thomas et al., 2012).

4. Description of the Intervention:

· Overall goals:

· Set-up & Management:

· Specific Activities:

5- Closing Discussion: