Y.E.S
For Peaceful Leadership
Project Statement: The Village Life Project will implement an evidence-informed Youth Empowerment Solutions (Y.E.S.) for Peaceful Leadership program. The program is to be rooted in a comprehensive understanding of the unique needs of communities impacted by firearm violence and the systemic inequities stemming from the war on drugs.
Project Goal(s) and Actions:
Reduce firearm violence for up to 80 youth and young adults in targeted communities by empowering them to lead and participate in community change efforts.
Facilitate eight conflict resolution workshops implemented in the YES curriculum across four high risk areas in King County.
Conduct 34 workshops over 12 weeks, focusing on nonviolence, leadership, critical thinking, empowerment, collaboration, and service for up to 80 high school participants and 120 Middle School aged students (11-13yrs old) in the Y.E.S. for Peaceful Leadership program in the 2024-2025 school year.
Outcomes:
Enhanced Community Safety Teams: Increase the presence and effectiveness of culturally relevant community safety teams, aiming to establish or strengthen at least four community safety teams across our targeted neighborhoods.
Decrease in Gun and Gang Violence: Measurable reduction in incidents of gun and gang violence amongst youth and young adults in our target communities, tracking a decrease in reported incidents by 20% over the course of the program.
Reduction in Law Enforcement intervention by providing alternatives to violence and engaging youth in positive community change, we expect to see a 15% decrease in referrals and calls to law enforcement related to youth violence.
Promotion of Peace and Community Ownership: Foster a sense of peace and community ownership, with an anticipated increase in community cohesion and safety perception by 30%, as surveyed by program participants and community members.
Increase peer-to-peer nonviolent behaviors and education shared between Y.E.S. for Peaceful Leadership participants, friends, associates, classmates, and siblings. Provide community members, parents, and caregivers with conflict resolution training and intervention techniques