Goal 1

To involve youth, especially those who have experienced violence, in developing, implementing, and evaluating agency programs.

• Involve youth in developing curriculum and other program components.

• Involve youth in delivering program services.

• Involve youth in developing evaluation methods and measures.

Goal 2

To educate youth in peer and community leadership and violence prevention/intervention, particularly gun-related.

• Train youth to educate their peers and the general public about violence prevention, which includes reducing access to guns, improving school safety, and developing resources for youth.

• Facilitate youth in educating students to choose alternatives to violence, make positive choices, develop healthy lifestyles, and contribute to improving their community.

• Facilitate youth in providing education to the general public about strategies to prevent youth violence.

Goal 3

To increase the youth voice and influence in the public policy arena, by providing youth with opportunities to educate themselves and to inform decision makers, community leaders, their peers, and others about options to prevent youth violence, particularly gun related.

• Identify and work with key decision makers, leaders, and organizations involved in media, health, law, education, the corporate sector, electoral politics, neighborhood development, etc.

• Facilitate youth advocacy by teaching young people the skills needed to gather the information and to bring their voice to policy makers, agencies, organizations, and the general public.

• Facilitate youth advocacy by enabling young people to work with decision makers, agencies, organizations, and the general public to create policy on violence prevention.

• Train youth in the skills needed to positively alter the media's coverage of young people.

Goal 4

To gather, present, and distribute statistics and other relevant information which educate youth, decision-makers, public agencies, community based organizations, and the general public, about strategies for prevention.

• Identify and gather information which documents and explains violence and promotes strategies for prevention.

• Develop and distribute easily understandable materials to reach young people, the public, agencies, organizations, and decision-makers.

• Train young people in the skills needed to present and explain the statistics effectively.

• Develop and distribute materials that will enable other locales to replicate Youth ALIVE! programs.

Goal 5

To intervene in youth violence by working with young people who are "adjudicated" and/or in recovery from violent injuries.

• Engage youth, particularly those formerly involved in violence, to be a resource to reduce recidivism by young people in transition from the criminal justice system by helping them to choose alternatives to violence, to make positive choices, to develop healthy lifestyles, and to contribute to their community.

• Engage youth, particularly those formerly involved in violence, to support and provide resources to young people hospitalized because of a violent act, to not retaliate, to make positive choices, and to develop healthy lifestyles as they return to their communities.