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Complex societies require a general acceptance of social mores that allow the free flow of ideas, commerce and individual growth. We all want a society that allows us to thrive, yet can also lift us up when we stumble over the pitfalls presented by society's economic, social, political and moral challenges.
The members of the Violence Prevention Coalition believe that the growth of a healthy society can be enhanced by eliminating the detrimental effects of violence. While we believe it is best to stop violence before it occurs, we also recognize that violence must often be addressed when and where it happens, as well as in its aftermath.
It is our belief that the Public Health Model is best-suited to promoting this philosophy. The Public Health Model, when applied to violence prevention, will:
- Create safe, healthy communities that thoroughly understand and address the social, cultural, economic, behavioral and environmental factors hat allow violence to prosper; and
- Assure that policies and direct actions meant to prevent violence protects and promotes the health of the community, while also supporting the positive growth of the individuals with it.
The members of the Violence Prevention Coalition hold the following truths:
- Violence is a learned behavior for responding to life's challenges.
- If violence is learned, than alternatives to violence can also be learned.
- Violence prevention is built upon the creation and promotion of safe, healthy individuals, families and communities.
- Comprehensive community involvement-based upon the coordination and collaboration of all those institutions and individuals who make up the civic sphere-is critical to violence prevention. Public and private institutions, including the schools, business, Law Enforcement, spiritual centers, and families, must all be integrated into any violence prevention model.
- A primary reliance on social controls, including Law Enforcement, can lead to the degradation of our communities, and does not promote individual or family development.
It is also held that effective implementation of a Public Health Model requires:
- The involvement and active participation of all facets of society, our major institutions and governments at all levels, as well as individuals and families;
- A reliance on factual, verifiable and reliable data to describe and monitor the magnitude, scope, characteristics and consequences of violence at all the local, state and federal levels;
- Identification and mitigation of the many complex economic, social and political conditions that lead to or promote violent conflict;
- The design and implementation of policies and strategies to prevent violence, based on findings and conditions revealed by data and other valid knowledge;
- The use of proven methods to evaluate the results of policies and strategies, and a process to improve services based on these findings; and
- Dissemination of lessons learned, particularly promising evidenced-based practices, so that others may benefit from them once these practices are adapted to meet local needs.
While all of these tenets are evident in current public policy, their applications are typically piecemeal and in isolation. It is the goal of the Violence Prevention Coalition to create a collaborative network of concerned and engaged organizations and individuals to consolidate and promote these tenets toward public policy decisions as they impact violence prevention.
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