The first step in the Safety 7 project was identifying and engaging key partners who could support and guide the work. The team prioritized partners with a deep connection to the communities most impacted by community violence, especially in Wards 7 and 8 of Washington, DC. The partnership approach emphasized long-standing relationships, alignment with community priorities, and shared leadership throughout the process.
Collaborating with Sasha Bruce Youthwork
Child Trends and Sasha Bruce Youthwork (SBY) have partnered for many years on a range of projects to support youth and community safety in Washington, D.C. As one of the leading organizations in the D.C. region focused on youth homelessness, violence prevention, and youth leadership, SBY brought valuable experience and trusted relationships to the project.
The idea for the Safety 7 project grew out of multiple conversations between SBY and Child Trends, particularly in response to the growing impact of gun violence on youth in Wards 7 and 8. At the time, SBY had an active Youth Advisory Board engaged in leadership and advocacy activities. The Safety 7 project emerged as a natural step to deepen youth leadership by engaging youth in a formal research process to better understand and address community violence.
Child Trends identified the National Institute of Justice as a potential funder and proposed submitting a joint application with SBY under the Research and Evaluation on Violent Crime and Firearm Violence in the Community portfolio. Together, the organizations collaborated on the proposal. The project was funded on the first submission, which allowed the team to begin implementation without delay.
After receiving the award, Child Trends and SBY established a strong foundation for collaboration. They co-developed group norms, created a detailed scope of work, and completed a Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed (RACI) chart to clarify roles and responsibilities in the scope of work. This structure helped ensure that both organizations worked as equal partners and provided clear guidance for project coordination.
Example resources developed to support ollaboration
- Norms for Collaboration Example – This example shows how two partner organizations, Child Trends and Sasha Bruce Youthwork, outlined shared expectations for working together on a youth-led research project. It includes sample norms around communication, shared leadership, and accountability. This example can be used as a reference for other projects to develop their own collaboration norms between partners.
- RACI Template – This template supports teams in clarifying roles and responsibilities across all parts of the project. Using the RACI structure, it helps ensure clear communication and coordination between youth researchers, staff, and partners. The template shows an example of how a task was shared between Child Trends and Sasha Bruce Youthwork and can be adapted for use in future projects.
Recruiting youth researchers
Recruiting youth researchers was a central component of the Safety 7 project. Youth from D.C., particularly those living in Wards 7 and 8, were invited to apply for paid research positions. To support outreach and recruitment, the team created several materials including a job description, informational flyers, and a one-pager that described the project goals and the role of youth researchers. These materials were shared with community partners and distributed through local networks to reach a broad group of potential applicants.
Youth who expressed interest in the position completed a formal interview process. The interviews focused on understanding applicants' interest in the topic, their ability to work in teams, and their readiness to take on a leadership role in the research. Interviewers used a consistent set of questions to ensure a fair and transparent selection process. These questions included:
- Tell me about yourself and why you are interested in this position.
- Describe a time you experienced conflict at a previous job or working in a group. What was the conflict and how did you resolve the conflict?
- Tell me about a time you demonstrated leadership skills.
- Do you prefer working independently or on a team?
- What are your greatest strengths?
- What are your areas of growth?
- How do you best receive feedback?
- If your personality came with a warning label, what would it be?
Once youth researchers were selected, Child Trends and SBY facilitated an onboarding process. During onboarding, youth reviewed their contracts, discussed meeting schedules, and participated in team-building activities to get to know each other. This process helped establish shared expectations and created a foundation for collaborative research.
Example resources used to recruit youth researchers
- Study Overview Example – This sheet summarizes the YPAR project goals, the role of youth researchers, and how community partners can support youth-led research on community violence in D.C.
- Job Description for Youth Researchers Example – This document provides detailed information about the youth researcher position, including responsibilities, eligibility, training, and compensation.
- Youth Research Position Flyer Example – A visual flyer that highlights the youth researcher role, qualifications, pay, and how to apply.
The Safety 7 includes seven youth researchers (Zionnah Garnett, Elijah Jones, London Mclean, Jermese Perkins, Ife Tobechi, Ike Tobechi, and Meagan Tutt) who make all key research decisions in partnership with staff from Child Trends and Sasha Bruce Youthwork. The Safety 7 is supported by Quiana Lewis Wallace and Deja Logan from Child Trends, Courtney Gibbs, and Bianca Faccio from Sasha Bruce Youthwork. Principal investigators for the study are Samantha Holquist and Quiana Lewis Wallace (Child Trends) with support from Kelly Murphy. Jennifer Widstrand (Child Trends) served as the Project Director. Additional contributions came from Ja’Chelle Ball, Kenya Downing, Jessica Conway, Olivia Reyes, and Alyssa Scott (Child Trends), and Deborah Shore, Donnell Potts, Ivana Gutierrez, and Jane McGhee (Sasha Bruce Youthwork).
If you have questions about the Centering Youth Experiences to Address Community Violence project, please contact Principal Investigator Quiana Lewis Wallace at qlewiswallace@childtrends.org.
This project was supported by Award No. 15PNIJ-22-GG-01420-RESS, awarded by the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of Justice.