SAFER Latinos: a community partnership to address contributing factors for Latino youth violence.
BACKGROUND
This paper describes a multilevel youth violence prevention effort called SAFER Latinos (Seguridad, Apoyo, Familia, Educacion, y Recursos), a collaboration between The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (GWU) and two key Latino community organizations.


OBJECTIVE
To implement and evaluate an intervention addressing factors within the social ecology of an immigrant Latino community.


METHODS
The intervention includes (1) Social promotores for family outreach and problem resolution; (2) Youth peer advocates at the high school level; (3) a drop-in center with support services for families and youth; and (4) community events, capacity building, and messages. Evaluation includes a baseline and follow-up surveys (N = 1,400) and focus groups.


CONCLUSIONS
(1) Community circumstances change, requiring regular program adaptation. (2) Community interventions with research face potential contradictions in purpose impacting management of the collaboration and model fidelity. (3) Etiological models tied to interventions may have to be revisited owing to changes in the character and dynamics of the immigrant community.
Edberg
Mark
M
George Washington University, School of Public Health and Health Services Department of Prevention and Community Health, USA.
Cleary
Sean D
SD
Andrade
Elizabeth
E
Leiva
Rodrigo
R
Bazurto
Martha
M
Rivera
Maria Ivonne
MI
Montero
Luisa
L
Calderon
Melba
M
D000293:Adolescent; D019058:Community Networks; D006293:Health Promotion; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D008396:Maryland; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D012307:Risk Factors; D012923:Social Class; D014754:Violence / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000517:prevention & control*