Violence prevention requires a comprehensive approach that addresses the underlying causes, such as, poverty, lack of parental supervision, eroding public education systems, and community disintegration. The curriculum was developed to begin a dialogue around these larger arenas with urban youth who often are not reached by traditional approaches.

Given the complexity of violence, there is no one solution to do it all. However, implementing the curriculum can help youth develop skills to recognize that there are realistic alternatives to violence.

The curriculum is based on social learning and attributional theories. The social learning theory states that social behavior is learned by observing other people’s actions and the consequences of those actions. Youth are likely to model the behavior that receives the outcomes they desire. Attitudes, behavior, and environment can impact and be impacted by each other. The attributional theory suggests that individuals try to understand what happens to them and others by identifying or assigning causes to events. It emphasizes coaching and reinforcing pro-social behaviors. The curriculum integrates these theories with proven practices for improving the likelihood that youth will make sound decisions when confronted with potentially violent situations.

The nature of adolescent violence in urban America is complex. The curriculum uses several strategies to address many of the risk factors for adolescent violence. This comprehensive life skills system will provide youth with the emotional literacy and resolution skills to cope with community disputes that lead to everyday violence.