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Dr. Pedro Noguera is a professor of education at the University of California, Berkeley. He is also past president of the Berkeley School Board. His in depth analysis of the causes of and assessment of succesful programs for reducing and preventing youth violence is published here by In Motion magazine as a series of hyper-linked articles which can be downloaded in segments. All sections can be reached from the intro page, or readers can follow from one section to another. The portrait of Dr. Noguera is by freelance photographer Kathy Sloane (kataphoto@aol.com).
Finding ways to challenge the cultural norms that support violent behavior must become the central issue of violence-prevention initiatives. The cultural forces that legitimatize and condone violent behavior must be challenged in context, and we must find ways to replace those norms with others that affirm respect for life and nonviolence. This might include an approach taken to counter the violent images promoted through some rap music by supporting those rap artists who produce music with nonviolent messages rather than attacking the artists, the recording companies, or the young people who listen to gangsta rap. If we want to see fewer juvenile delinquents graduate to more serious forms of crime we must invest more resources into re-entry programs that facilitate the transition from prison to the streets, so that young people seeking to avoid peer groups and neighborhood influences that reinforce violent behavior can do so with support.
Finally, if we acknowledge that youth violence is really a symptom of a larger societal preoccupation with violence, then we must stop allowing kids, particularly minority youth, to be scapegoated for this problem. Young people living in our nation's ghettos have no control over the availability of guns or the flow of drugs into their communities. They cannot influence filmmakers and producers who exploit our national obsession with violence through their movies and television programs.
And young people certainly have no control over the availability of jobs and educational opportunities or the continued deterioration of urban areas. We must hold young people responsible for their actions and apply clear consequences for misdeeds and violent behavior, but we must also recognize that these youth did not create the conditions in which violence flourishes. We can do a much better job of preventing youth violence, but to do so we must begin by acknowledging our collective responsibility for challenging the cultural influences and social and economic conditions that foster and promote it.
Given the failure of current policies aimed at reducing and preventing youth violence, policymakers must encourage and support local governments and schools in devising alternative strategies that address the cultural conditions which normalize violent behavior. While there may be no blueprint or singular approach that can be adopted or applied uniformly, community-based initiatives should consider the following points when developing a new program.
Community Involvement
Whenever possible, involve community residents, especially young people, in the development and implementation of an intervention program. Solicit their input and provide them the resources needed to participate fully. Use the planning process to learn more about how community residents and young people perceive the problem and its causes.
Creativity
Use the planning process for open discussion and brainstorming of solutions. Though all ideas must ultimately be judged on the basis of their feasibility, avoid premature closure of debate or dismissal of ideas because they seem unconventional. Due to its complex nature, effective strategies for countering youth violence will undoubtedly require a considerable amount of time to materialize, and a willingness to experiment with novel approaches.
Collaboration
Avoid turf battles and the politicization of the program by including relevant agencies and organizations on an oversight committee that remains intact after the intervention program has been implemented. Keep youth and community residents involved, but also include representatives from local businesses, law enforcement and the courts, local churches, community groups and non-profit service agencies. Develop shared ownership and responsibility for the success of the intervention.
Evaluation
Document the impact of the intervention through the collection of data related to manifestations of the problem. This may include crime reports and school disciplinary records, but can also survey data on perceptions of the problem. Use the oversight committee as a source of continuous information to identify problems that may develop and to monitor how the program is working.
