Developing a center for Hispanic youth violence prevention

Youth violence is a serious public health problem, described by the Surgeon General's Report on Youth Violence (2001). Homicide is the second cause of death for the 15-24 age population in the USA and Puerto Rico; intentional injuries also result in significant morbidity. Youth are at greater risk of being victims than perpetrators of violence. African American and Hispanic youth are at particular risk. Effective, community-based initiatives to prevent youth violence are necessary to interrupt the cycle of violence. In 2000, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the Department of Health and Human Services awarded grants to establish ten Academic Centers of Excellence for Youth Violence Prevention. This article describes the development of the Center for Hispanic Youth Violence Prevention, of the FILIUS Institute of the University of Puerto Rico.

Competencias comunes para la prevención de violencia en jóvenes / Common competencies for the prevention of violence among young people

The high prevalence of violence in children and youth has been a great concern among diverse sectors of our society. Considered as a complex public health problem, the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of Atlanta, Georgia, has financed local and national projects geared to its prevention. This work describes the process in which the Developing Centers of Youth Violence Prevention from the University of Puerto Rico and the University of Southern California collaborated in the development of core competencies for health professionals in youth violence prevention. This two Developing Centers are projects funded by the CDC.