Prevenir: Development and Implementation of a Multi-Modal Youth Violence Prevention Program in Central America

Introduction: Youth violence is a complex, dynamic, and differentiated phenomenon in Central America with many pathways towards risk and protection. Formative research suggests the main correlates of violence in Central America include drug trafficking, the social exclusion of young men, and (3) high rates of domestic violence. Other correlates of youth violence include poverty, social and political exclusion, lack of social participation, and lack of “future” perspectives. Unfortunately, the scientific evidence is scant concerning the efficacy of prevention programs to address these issues in Central America, particularly those that culturally informed. Through an international collaboration that involves SICA (Central American Integration System), national ministries, GIZ, and funding from a variety of countries from around the world, and working with university-based prevention scientists, a multimodal prevention program called PREVENIR is being developed and implemented in Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, Nicaragua, and elsewhere in Central America.

Method: PREVENIR targets three different areas which map onto to key correlates of youth violence within the Ecological Model: (1) set up local multi-sector prevention councils and strengthen youth participation; (2) increase youth employability; and (3) introduce violence prevention measures in school and family contexts. By introducing evidence-based intervention practices at national and local governmental levels as part of national prevention programs, PREVENIR is intended to contribute to reducing youth violence in Central America. Over the past several years, culturally-appropriate, evidence-informed programs have been developed by across- and within-country curricula writing teams, and the components of PREVENIR have been piloted within selected municipalities within each country.

Results:  While there are multiple challenges that have had to be overcome, there are multiple strengths to build on within each municipality and country as well as in the region at large. Engagement of partners in the development work has been high, and successful pilots have been conducted of the various PREVENIR components. 

Conclusions: Moving evidence-based programs and principles that have been developed in high income level countries into lower- income countries is more complicated than simply translating programs into the local language and training interventionists. Multiple systems, and the various leaders at the top and bottom of those systems, need to be engaged and included for successful program development.