United Way’s Summer Youth Violence Prevention Project isn’t just another program with the goal of reducing violence.

The project places a strong emphasis on the actual results its project produces in the community. After the completion of their program on July 30, United Way began an evaluation of the project in order to quantify these results.

PROUD PARTICIPANTS—These young men, along with Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato, United Way of Allegheny County President Bob Nelkin and Youth Places Associate Director Reggie Smith stand proud of their accomplishments over the summer at a press conference at the close of the program in the Hill District.

“We’re actually doing an evaluation of the program to do an independent look at whether this program works, what works and what can be done to improve it,” United Way President Robert Nelkin said.

“We’re having the evaluator survey the youth, and adult leaders in the community. We’re also looking at the data as far as rivalry-related violence before, during and after the program.”

The project served youths ages 15-22 by providing them with paid jobs five days a week. While four days of the week were spent on community clean-up jobs such as removing graffiti and improving playgrounds and basketball courts, the fifth day of the week was reserved for life training.

This life training included a roundtable discussion with children and young adults. Participants discussed ways of reducing violence in their communities as well as how to overcome many of the other struggles participants have to deal with in their daily lives.

“I think it’s a critical program. It’s critically needed,” Nelkin said. “We have a lot of people who are being harmed through all the violence in the community and the community should feel some urgency to reduce youth violence.”

While this year’s results are still uncertain, data from last year’s surveys showed the project has had a positive impact on participants. Ninety-nine percent of the participants said they enjoyed their jobs and 88 percent noted a shift in their attitude toward neighborhood rivalries.

Further results are evident with some participants re-enrolling in school and other joining job-training programs after completion of this program.

“It’s up to us, the adults in the community to create opportunities for our young people so they can do constructive things and not destructive things,” Nelkin said.

Many other community groups have been involved with the program including Youth Places, Voices Against Violence and Homewood-Brushton YMCA.

Richard Carrington, the executive director for Voices Against Violence, created the project five years ago. Its original purpose was to relieve tensions between the two rival neighborhoods of Beltzhoover and St. Clair Village.

Today, the program has served youths in  Addison Terrace, Bedford Dwellings, California-Kirkbride, Central North Side, East Hills, Garfield, Hazelwood, Homewood, Larimer, Lincoln, Manchester, Northview Heights, Oak Hill, and Perry South.