Youth action strategies in violence prevention

Purpose: To describe a school-based youth-driven violence prevention project. The objectives were to provide opportunities for students to plan health-related activities, develop their awareness of the importance of violence prevention, and identify ways to cope with and influence their environment with respect to this issue. Methods: This project was initiated in three Canadian high schools with noon-hour discussions and a television talk show as the selected activities. Three hundred forty-eight students' perceptions of violence and the effectiveness of the noon-hour discussions were evaluated by use of a questionnaire. Feedback on the talk show was obtained from viewers' calls. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Chi-square and Student's t-test were calculated to compare boys and girls on variables measuring their perception of violence, as well as to compare those who attended the noon-hour sessions and those who did not. Results: The majority of students (86.4%) believed that the noon-hour discussions increased their awareness of violence prevention and that the information provided was useful (83.6%). Nearly two-thirds (63.8%) of the students reported that attending the discussions changed their understanding of violence. The numerous calls received from viewers suggest that the talk show was effective in increasing public awareness. Conclusions: Youth-led health promotion activities provide excellent opportunities for youth to become involved and empowered. While adolescents need guidance to initiate activities, their creativity and energy must be acknowledged. The success of the noon-hour discussions and talk show demonstrates the importance of exploring and developing novel community participation strategies with youth. (C) Society for Adolescent Medicine, 1999.