Arts Based Anti-Violence Program

An Arts-Based Initiative for the Prevention of Violence Against Women and Girls

Project Funded by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 10/00 – 9/05(US4/CCU319009-01)

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Abstract

Project Overview (PowerPoint)

This demonstration project further develops and evaluates an existing Historic East Baltimore (HEBCAC) anti-violence Summer Theatre Project involving students from five middle schools in Baltimore in a year round after-school mentoring and arts based anti-violence program. This initiative includes 4 major components: 

1. A variety of arts based student activities related to violence prevention (the summer and after school theatre projects, during and/or after school visual arts project, and the web page design project. (All students will either directly participate in these activities or at least see them). 
2. Curricular components for all 7^th graders 
3. Violence prevention and early intervention student support groups, and 
4. Teacher and staff training on the subject. High school students who are part of the summer theatre performance will be mentors in the after school middle school theatre project.

The development and implementation process is a continuance of an already established collaborative process between an urban development organization (HEBCAC), a School of Nursing (JHU SON), a School of Public Health (GWU), a shelter for battered women (House of Ruth), and the individual middle school staff, parents, and youth. In addition, there will be a collaboration with a university urban health initiative, an RWJ funded initiative increasing capacity in Baltimore after-school programs (Safe and Sound), and the Baltimore City Schools and School Nursing.

The evaluation will be based on a change theory approach with baseline, intermediate, and long-term outcomes (quantitative and qualitative data) contrasting three intervention schools with two comparison schools. The comparison schools will begin development and implementation of the intervention during the third and fourth years of the project with evaluation of their progress as well as analysis of differences with the index schools at year three. In addition, the youth who participate directly with the theatre project will be compared with comparable youth who do not participate on attitudes and experiences with violence.