STRYVE 

ABOUT

 

Striving to Reduce Youth Violence Everywhere (STRYVE) is a program administered by the Multnomah County Health Department's Community Capacitation Center and prioritizes prevention as an approach to reducing violence affecting youth.



The Multnomah County Health Department's Community Capacitation Center is one of four national demonstration sites funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to bring a public health lens to the primary prevention of youth violence.

 

The STRYVE project area is focused in communities across Multnomah County to engage youth and create community change. This is a space to explore STRYVE and learn more about our program's activities with the youth involved, and the greater community, as well as find out how you can be involved in preventing violence affecting youth.

 

Our Work

 

A multi-sector community coalition has led us in the planning to select geographic areas of focus and two best practice strategies that are nationally recognized to reduce youth violence.  Their work is the foundation of our efforts to address exposure to violence, engage youth in social change, and utilize place-based prevention to change the physical environment in which youth live.  

 

Our team includes Community Health Workers who have a direct connection with the communities served and often shared, life experiences with the youth we engage.  These staff co-facilitate Youth Empowerment Solutions (YES) groups in each of our four focus communities.  They are trained in Popular Education, a highly effective strategy for sharing information, building skills and developing leadership. In a health promotion context, popular education helps people analyze the root causes of ill health and create healthier and more just communities.

 

Our second strategy, Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), is implemented in partnership with several agencies who are also prioritizing a community level approach to changing the physical environment in which we live.  As we have determined place-based prevention projects, we work with CPTED partners to concentrate and coordinate efforts in the same place.

 

 

 

This year, STRYVE reached out to four communities in Multnomah County: Albina, Cully, Rockwood/Rosewood, and New Columbia. Each of these four sites began meeting weekly in January and is currently involved with their own community-based projects, intended to bring the community together and inspire an end to violence.

 

 

 

Get Involved

 

 

Community change starts in the community. Find out how to volunteer and get involved by calling us at 503-927-1823 or email us at stryvepdx@multco.us, and start raising awareness about violence and prevention in your local community today.