New Orleans Youth Violence Prevention Team

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.

Truancy rates in New Orleans are considerably higher than elsewhere in Louisiana. As a risk factor for youth violence, truancy has been linked to youth risk behaviors that lead to youth violence and other adverse outcomes. Reducing truancy is a viable way to curb youth violence in New Orleans, which has historically struggled with a homicide rate that has been seven to eight times the national average for the past three decades. Furthermore, truancy has been identified by City and school district leadership and community partners as a priority for citywide youth violence prevention efforts.

This proposal aims to address youth violence by reducing truancy and increasing school attendance through the promotion of positive school climates, while building the core public health capacity of the New Orleans Health Department to prevent youth violence. The goals and objectives of this proposal are the following:
Goal 1: Promote positive school climates through the expansion of restorative justice practices.
Objective 1.1: Deliver a package of training and technical assistance in restorative justice to a selected partner school.
Objective 1.2: Engage youth as active participants in restorative approaches.
Goal 2: Promote positive school climates through enhanced implementation of positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS).
Objective 2.1: Conduct an assessment of the implementation of PBIS in five partner schools.
Objective 2.2: Enhance the implementation of PBIS in five selected partner schools.
Goal 3: Enhance local capacity to collect and analyze data related to youth violence prevention.
Objective 3.1: Increase school participation in the Caring Communities Youth Survey (CCYS).
Objective 3.2: Develop place-based composite indicators to track community safety.
Goal 4: Integrate systems- and policy-level reforms into local youth violence prevention efforts.
Objective 4.1: Address services integration and system reform in coordination with OJJDP and the Center for Juvenile Justice Reform (CJJR).

Funding from this proposal will support the ongoing efforts of the City of New Orleans to prevent youth violence, including NOLA FOR LIFE, Mayor Mitch Landrieus comprehensive murder reduction strategy, and the NOLA FOR LIFE PLAYbook: Promoting Life for All Youth, a strategic plan for preventing youth violence that was developed with the support of the National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention.

Proposed activities will implement several strategic priorities identified through the Forum planning process and monitor progress toward the PLAYbooks goal that 95% of youth will feel safe in their schools and neighborhoods by 2020.

CA/NCF

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.

Under the leadership of the New Orleans Health Department (NOHD), the City of New Orleans has mounted a considerable response to the pressing public health issue of youth violence. With the support of the National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention, in fall 2013 NOHD published the NOLA FOR LIFE PLAYbook: Promoting Life for All Youth, a strategic plan to prevent youth violence. The PLAYbook sets a goal that by 2020, 95% of youth will feel safe in their school and their neighborhood. With FY14 State and Community Development Invited award funds, the City of New Orleans will implement a series of strategies focused on school safety with the following goals: (1) promote positive school climates through enhanced implementation of positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS); (2) promote positive school climates through expanded use of restorative approaches in schools; and, (3) support the creation of trauma-informed procedures/protocols in the education system. By promoting safe, supportive, and productive learning environments, these strategies bolster protective factors against youth violence and respond to the priorities outlined in the PLAYbook and the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice Supportive School Discipline Initiative. This project will enhance and sustain NOHD's efforts to prevent youth violence as a part of NOLA FOR LIFE, Mayor Mitch Landrieu's comprehensive murder reduction strategy. NCA/NCF

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 15 cities that are implementing strategies and evidenced-based programs to reduce youth violence. The Departments of Justice, Education, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, and 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.

The response by the City of New Orleans response to youth violence is led by the New Orleans Health Department (NOHD). With the support of the Forum, NOHD published in fall 2013 the NOLA FOR LIFE PLAYbook: Promoting Life for All Youth, a strategic plan to prevent youth violence. The PLAYbook sets a goal that by 2020, 95% of youth will feel safe in their school and their neighborhood. This grant award will support implementation of a series of strategies focused on preventing youth violence and improving youth wellbeing, including: 1) Enhancing implementation of positive behavior interventions and supports in New Orleans public schools; 2) Supporting the use of trauma-informed approaches in New Orleans public schools; and 3) Engaging young people as partners in preventing youth violence. By promoting safe and healthy environments and encouraging youth engagement around the issue of violence, these strategies bolster protective factors against youth violence and respond to the priorities outlined in the PLAYbook.

CA/NCF