The Power of Peers: ABQ Program Tackles Youth Violence at Its Roots
By Kristin Satterlee
Reports of a New Mexico “spike in juvenile crime” are everywhere. Albuquerque District Attorney (and candidate for governor) Sam Bregman has cited a 57% increase in juvenile gun crimes from 2022 to 2023. Recent high-profile cases have involved kids as young as 7 and 11 years old.
So… who is doing something about it?
Youth Development, Inc (YDI) has a new initiative, Albuquerque Against Violence (AAV), that addresses the issue with a trauma-centered program that focuses on peer support.
A new approach
Nonprofit YDI has provided resources for children, youth, and their families for more than 50 years. Though the group has operated violence-intervention programming for four decades, the AAV program takes a more therapeutic approach.
A group of peer-support workers helps the program participants recognize their own trauma. Concha Cordova, YDI Vice-President of Education, Employment, and Training, explains, “We've noticed that there's a lot of past trauma contributing to their engagement in crime and violence. And it's never been addressed or even… recognized by them. So they're working through this [Seeking Safety] curriculum to understand what trauma is… and how they work through it.”
The importance of trust
Participants’ relationships with peer-support workers, who have their own backgrounds with violence, is crucial. Cordova says, “However they have recovered… they have more of an understanding with our clients about how tough that is. There's no judgment. It's… ‘I was there. But change is possible.’”
Developing that trust can take time. Though referrals come from Albuquerque Community Safety and the District Court as well as from family, YDI’s participants are not mandated to attend. And sometimes they don’t want to.
“They're like, ‘no, I'm good. I'm not that involved, or I haven't engaged that much, or I've been arrested, but I haven't been charged.’ And we don't pressure, we don't force them. But we… see a lot of them come back.” Cordova says. “It takes building that relationship with them and explaining how these services can help them. It's all up to those peers.”
Support for life
Another important aspect of AAV is preparing participants for employment and stable housing. YDI has received a federal grant that pays for work experiences. “So these clients are coming in for violence prevention through ABQ Against Violence, and then they're receiving paid work experience.”
Cordova told us, “We get a lot of comments from clients [saying], I didn't know you cared that much about what I do… we're focusing on all aspects of their lives. What does your living situation look like and what do we need to do to address that? You know, do you have food in the home?
“So it's addressing everything that they didn't have… support for before.”
What can I do?
If you have kids in your life, you can help them by being a safe and supportive presence. Just one caring adult in a kid’s life can reduce their risk of being either the perpetrator or the victim of violence. No kids in your life right now? Consider a mentoring program like Big Brothers Big Sisters or First Nations Community HealthSource.