Safe and Successful Youth Initiative

Youth violence in the United States is a contributing factor in firearms-related injuries becoming the number one cause of death among all children and adolescents in 2020. Gun violence costs this country billions of dollars annually and leads to a myriad of harmful individual, interpersonal, and community outcomes. 

Purpose

The Safe and Successful Youth Initiative (SSYI) started in 2011 as a multifaceted, community-based strategy that, in partnership with law enforcement, uses a public health approach to eliminate lethal and nonlethal violence among young people at the highest risk for violence.  

SSYI is operated within the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS), supporting 14 cities across the state and serving nearly 2,000 participants ages 17 to 24 annually. AIR and WestEd have served as the statewide evaluator for the initiative since SSYI’s inception, producing numerous products that demonstrate SSYI’s effectiveness as a statewide approach to violence prevention. 

Audiences Served

• State-Level Interest Holders: SSYI and its related evaluations provide a model for state-level policymakers and stakeholders committed to developing and assessing similar community violence strategies. 
• Community Violence Intervention (CVI) Researchers: Researchers focused on community violence intervention who are building the evidence base for CVI strategies 
• Funders: Organizations and individuals seeking evidence-based information to guide their funding strategies for community violence interventions 

Project Activities

WestEd and AIR have conducted several evaluation studies that demonstrate the following: 

1. Youth-level reductions in recidivism and violent crime 
2. City-level reductions in violent crime 
3. Meaningful changes in the lives of participants, decreasing their likelihood of future involvement with violence and improving their prospects for well-being  
4. Cost savings of $5.10 for every dollar invested in SSY

Project Director

Trevor Fronius

Trevor Fronius is the Director of Justice and Prevention. He is a criminologist with a focus and expertise in using research and evaluation methods to help local, state, and federal interest holders address issues related to school and community violence and safety.

Funder

The Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS)  

Project Duration

2012–Current