When citizens feel secure and the rule of law is respected, communities are able to prosper. Individuals start businesses, plan for the future and create thriving families, institutions and states.
However, for communities threatened by epidemic levels of violence, extremism and transnational crime, instability hinders growth and development. From Central America to the Middle East and beyond, vulnerable youth growing up in these at-risk communities and volatile environments often encounter difficult choices—gangs or extremists groups may seem like viable alternatives to a life of voiceless alienation and social exclusion.
As leaders in the field of evidence-informed citizen security, Creative matches appropriate programs to the specific levels of risk faced by different youth populations.
The majority of youth living in marginalized communities will benefit from group activities such as outreach centers, after school programs and recreational initiatives. These primary prevention interventions have been the staple of Creative’s youth work globally for more than 20 years.
However, within the same marginalized communities there are youth at higher risk of joining groups with a propensity for violence. Creative has pioneered cutting edge strategies to reach those most at risk of joining these groups by providing individualized services, engaging families and deterring those youth from joining destructive groups. These secondary prevention programs have yielded measurable results in some of the most violent communities in Honduras.