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