The Youth Intervention Network (YIN), a project of UrAtWork, Inc., is an award winning youth and gang violence prevention and intervention initiative recently recognized by Congressman George Miller and Senator Mark DeSaulnier. YIN is the recipient of the 2008 Contra Costa County Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Award, and was honored by the City of Antioch, California with a Proclamation on Tuesday, May 26, 2009. The Initiative is Co-Chaired by Antioch Police Chief, James Hyde and Iris Archuleta, J.D. Executive Director of UrAtWork, Inc.
Project Goals: The long-term goal of the Antioch Youth Intervention Network (YIN) is to reduce the number of incidents in which youth, ages 13 thru 18, commit or become victims of violent crime in Antioch and the East County
region. A significant portion of youth violence in the Antioch community and region is gang-related; thus a primary goal of YIN will be to reduce the number of gang involved youth as well as overall gang activity in Antioch through a coordinated and targeted prevention effort. Another major goal of the Youth Intervention Network is to strengthen highly effective, existing
youth and family services organizations and to employee long-time, highly effective youth violence prevention professionals who are displaced due to the economic crisis.
Project Strategy: During an extensive individual data analysis project aimed at identifying the key indicators associated with youth ages 13–18 who are most likely to commit or become victims of violence, the project analyzed individual data associated with 8,763 youth in the target age group from Antioch Unified School District (AUSD). This data set, which included information on socio-economic status, truancy, grades, test scores, and disciplinary actions, was used to identify critical indicators. This analysis identified truancy and student disengagement as 2 of the 5 key indicators associated with this risk. This project will therefore make a special effort to target young people who display these indicators and engage them and their families in a comprehensive set of wrap-around services, involving a host of stakeholders and community organizations including but not limited to Antioch Police Department, Antioch Unified School District, The Contra Costa County Domestic Violence Initiative, Sutter Delta Memorial Hospital, and a host of faith based organizations, individual volunteers, and CBOs focused on youth, mental health, gang, parenting, domestic violence, education, workforce preparation, and family services.
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