How and Where Communities Can Begin to Address Youth Violence: A Resource Manual

"How and Where Communities Can Begin to Address Youth Violence: A Resource Manual" is designed for the broad range of agencies and organizations interested in preventing and intervening in youth violence. From Extension professionals and community agency officials to college teachers of applied youth development, this new resource manual will be useful as action strategies are designed to address one of our most critical social issues.

This new manual, compiled by Laurel Dean, 4-H Youth Development Specialist, and Judy Wallace, Research Associate, Department of Applied Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, is the "Guide to Guides." It provides a map to help find your way through the maze of violence prevention/intervention resources that have developed so rapidly within the past decade. The manual, designed with the intended user in mind, helps you figure out what resources exist, in what forms (publications, directories/databases, organizations, technical assistance, etc.), and how to find them. Cross referencing as well as phone numbers for ordering materials are provided.

The manual's organization makes it especially useful to the public official, the parent, the school teacher and school administrator, the police and probation officer, the youth program worker, the counselor, the social worker, and the concerned citizen. Each of the seven chapters provides the reader with guidance in searching for the assistance that will be most useful in their particular setting. Beginning with Chapter I, the reader is introduced to the framework for building the manual and guidance regarding its use. Purposes of the remaining chapters are as follows:

CHAPTER 2: "Resources for Organizing Community Collaborations" is the place to start as cooperation by numerous community organizations is required if programs are to be effective.

CHAPTER 3: "Learning from Existing Programs: Directories and Databases" introduces readers to a number of directories and databases that are available in both printed and electronically accessible forms.

CHAPTER 4: "Sampling of Resources Available for Community Agents" presents practical tools: curricula, program models, handbooks, guidebooks, etc. For each resource, a family, school, or community audience is identified, a brief description is provided, and source is listed. In the final section of this chapter, a summary is provided so the youth and community-based programs worker, for example, can identify the resources that are most appropriately used in that setting.

CHAPTER 5: "Organizations and Vendors with Multiple Resources and Services" helps the reader access sources. Again in the final section of this chapter, a summary is provided so the youth and community-based programs worker, for example, can identify the sources of resources that are most appropriately used in that setting.

CHAPTER 6: "Beyond Guidebooks and Curricula: Sources of Technical Assistance" provides a list of technical support resources in the youth violence area. As the authors indicate, this list is a starting point and does not claim to be exhaustive or necessarily indicate that the sources are of superior value over sources not included.

CHAPTER 7: "Master Directory of Organizations" provides complete addresses, phone numbers, and persons to contact (when available) for all organizations and individuals referenced in the manual.

The manual is designed to help the reader access information and information sources. One of the key strengths of the manual is its organization. The reader is provided a framework and guide for searching the literature. The literature may be found in hard copy or in electronic databases. The Master Directory in Chapter 7 is especially useful in being able to access specific information sources.

The manual does not solve the problem of locating specific resources by topic. If looking for information about "youth gangs," for example, one could turn to the database lists in Chapter 3 to identify searches that might be productive. A second approach would be to visually review items listed in Chapters 4 and 5. In this case, it would be helpful to have the manual published electronically so a keywork search could be completed of information contained within the manual.

A number of prevention principles were used to select items for the directory so that resources supporting the basic components of positive youth development programs are included as well as those that focus specifically on prevention of violence among youth. For example, one of the guiding principles was to select resources that reduce and eliminate violence among youth through increasing protective factors that have been proven to foster resiliency. These protective factors are developed and sustained through the primary contexts in which youth are nurtured, i.e., family, school, and community. Therefore, the manual includes resources that target programs for these primary contexts as well as youth themselves.

For information about ordering "How and Where Communities Can Begin to Address Youth Violence: A Resource Manual," 4-H-SPO1, contact: Publications, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California, 6701 San Pablo Avenue, Oakland, CA 94608-1239. Phone: 510-642-2431 (within California 800-994-8849, fax 510-643-5470, Internet: anrpubs@ucdavis.edu. Cost of the publication is $5.00 (including shipping and handling) make checks payable to UC Regents.