What We Do
Outreach Workers partner with Pittsburgh Police departments in each ZONE to identify threats, share relevant information, and prevent violent incidents from taking place at high schools throughout the City of Pittsburgh.
REACH works directly with Community Engagement Officers daily to provide in- and out-of-school support to high schools that have unfortunately been the sites of recent violence and threats of dangerous behavior.
Outreach Workers follow the guidance of the public health approach for violence intervention and prevention. This model relies on the research of Dr. Gary Slutkin, which identifies violence as an infectious disease being spread throughout communities. Each of the recommendations for treating and eliminating the disease of violence is embedded in Outreach Worker intervention and prevention strategies.
The public health approach to violence prevention recommends:
1
Interrupt the transmission of the disease
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Mediate known conflicts
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Remove potential targets
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Inform the County jail about potential threats
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Identify videos on social media that will increase the risk level in the community
2
Prevent the future spread of the disease
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Connect individuals with existing services in the community
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Treat individuals that have high exposure to the disease of violence
3
Change community norms
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Eliminate the silence that exists after a shooting takes place in the community
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Identify community norms that promote violence (i.e., returning citizens unemployed, kids not feeling safe in school)
4
Transform identities
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Help returning citizens transform their identities into contributing members of society
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Help people build a healthy presence when using social media