The Department holds the following core principles as the basic tenets for preventing youth violence, as outlined by the National Campaign Against Youth Violence.
- Violence is a complex social problem.
Many factors contribute to the problem. These range from individual behavior to institutional and systemic problems. Effective prevention and intervention must take into account factors which influence violent behavior.
- Young people are not naturally violent.
Critical factors within the child’s family, social environment, and community at large are known to increase the likelihood that a young person will engage in violence.
- Violence is a learned behavior and can be unlearned.
Young people learn how to respond to conflict with violence from their family members, in school, from peers, and from the media.
- Violence prevention strategies must be focused and comprehensive with a target audience clearly identified.
No single solution works for every case. Violence prevention must occur within the context of individual lives. Strategies for prevention should address each level of influence, to include individuals, families, schools, communities, and the media. Blanket information campaigns are not as effective as identifying and tailoring a strategy for a specific sub-group of the community. A strategy must meet the "cultural needs" of the young people it seeks to serve or it is doomed to failure.
- Violence prevention requires broad-based participation.
Individuals, businesses, organizations, and communities must all become involved for a large-scale impact. Involvement of young people themselves is an essential aspect of prevention activities.
- Young people must be taught the meaning of individual responsibility. Parents must understand that they are ultimately responsible for what their children become.
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