OJJDP's State and Community Development Awards program was established to provide grants and cooperative agreements to organizations that OJJDP has selected for funds in prior years. This program has been authorized by an Act appropriating funds for the Department of Justice.
The National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention (Forum) was established by the White House in 2011 and is a network of cities united in their drive to prevent youth violence with federal agencies and private partners. The Forum has expanded to a total of 10 cities across the country implementing strategies and evidenced-based programs to reduce youth violence. The Departments of Justice, Education, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Labor as well as the Corporation for National and Community Service and the Office of National Drug Control Policy provide key supports to the Forum cities.
OJJDP provides funding to support the core activities in Forum cities linked to the approved comprehensive plans. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Education (ED), Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) has provided funding to the Forum cities to improve or expand the use of a "School-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports" (SWPBIS) framework.
The Detroit Youth Violence Prevention Initiative, established by the Office of Mayor Dave Bing, plans to build the program capacity and enhance the prevention, intervention, enforcement, and re-entry efforts through the proposed funding in support of the core functions of the DYVPI, to include staffing and evaluation services, and the expanded implementation of the Positive Behavioral and Intervention Supports framework.
The proposed project will support continued management and strategic growth of the initiative as guided by the steering committee and informed by community partners. Successful funding will ultimately strengthen the partnership between the DYVPI and Detroit Public Schools and foster increased collaboration to better serve youth and reduce violence in the targeted areas of Cody, Osborn, and Denby.
Detroit will address three goals:
1. To integrate PBIS and the Safety Station concept as an effective strategy to change the culture of violence in a school setting by establishing a Campus-wide Leadership Team committed to a data-driven strategy that embraces youth-led/adult supported approaches to prevention.
2. To focus on at-risk youth with chronic behaviors leading to suspension, expulsion, or youth violence by identifying youth most at-risk of suspension or expulsion and developing behavior plans and encouraging participation in small-group counseling in a restorative climate.
3. To expose students to youth and gang violence prevention strategies and leadership development, and encourage them to play an active role in violence prevention as ambassadors of safety by providing them 20 hours of gang and youth violence prevention training, in addition to leadership development activities that embrace civic engagement and community stewardship.
NCA/NCF
