CCA’s Youth Violence Prevention and Peer Leadership Program provides tools for middle and high school-aged students to become ambassadors of nonviolence.

Violence Prevention Workshops help young people build the skills necessary to prevent and deescalate violent situations and center safety. Youth interested in becoming Peer Leaders receive additional training focused on learning specific violence prevention techniques through team-building, role-playing and facilitating groups.

CCA Violence Prevention staff also facilitate ongoing Dialogue Circles—supportive safe spaces for youth to share, vent, and express themselves. These Dialogue Circles give CCA staff the opportunity to engage in serious conversations with young people about their mental health. Through these early prevention strategies, CCA staff support youth in creating safe spaces, focusing on healing and building collective well-being within New York communities.