Peer Talking to Peers about Preventing Violence

Since 1989, TEENS ON TARGET (TNT) has been offering young people who live in neighborhoods with the highest rates of violence positive alternatives, and training them to play leadership roles in violence prevention efforts. With gun homicides as a leading cause of death for children in California, we don't have a moment to waste.

TNT trains high school students and young adults – called Peer Educators – from neighborhoods with high levels of violence to present interactive violence prevention workshops to middle and high school students.  The Peer Educators also work with community leaders and policy makers to develop solutions to violence.

Some of the Peer Educators are in wheelchairs from being shot, and most have experienced or are at great risk for experiencing violence first hand.

They undergo an extensive twelve-week after-school training on how to educate their peers and speak about the impact of violence in their lives. Facilitated by staff, they continue to meet twice a week after school throughout the school year to support one another and continue their training.

They also receive a monthly stipend for their participation. For most, this is their first real job experience.

To date, over 800 young people have been trained to be Peer Educators. These young people have reached over 40,000 students in Oakland and Los Angeles with workshops that enable students to participate in making their lives, their neighborhoods and their communities more healthy and safe.

How TNT Works

In the workshops, Peer Educators discuss:

• What are the root causes of violence?
  
  
• How do we prevent gun violence, gang violence, and family and dating violence? How do these interrelate?
  
  
• What are the connections between alcohol, drugs and violence?
  
  

Results

• People always say that we need to make a change but they never say you have to work for it. It's time we work for it. -- Kathy, third-year TNT member, 11th grade

  Almost 100% of TNT Peer Educators graduate from high schools that have graduation rates of only 40%.
  
  
• Twice as many Peer Educators said they could talk a friend out of carrying a gun after participating in the program, compared to before.
  
  
• Twice as many TNT Peer Educators said they were "very likely to look for alternatives to violent situations" after participating in the program.
  
  
• 79% of TNT workshop audience members stated that they would not be safer if they joined a gang."
  
  
• 92% of middle school audience members thought that TNT members were positive role models (lack of positive peer role models is a risk factor for violence)
  
  

Create a Program in Your Area:

Learn how you can establish your own peer-based youth violence prevention program

Learn More:

Read more about TNT's advocacy work here.

View additional TNT resources and tools here.