Understanding Violence

As part of a community mental health outreach program, Understanding Violence was introduced into a Boston-area elementary school where students had been exposed to high rates of violence in their community. This violence-prevention program draws on students' educational and personal skills to practice positive alternatives to violence.

In their assessment of the program, Caroline Watts and colleagues surveyed 123 participating fifth-graders and found high levels of satisfaction with and learning from the program. In particular, the students responded positively to the program's use of diverse components and community engagement.

"Understanding Violence: A School Initiative for Violence Prevention," by Christina E. Nikitopoulos, Jessica S. Waters, Erin Collins, and Caroline L. Watts, appears in Journal of Prevention & Intervention in the Community, 37(4).