Study on Youth Firearm Violence Prevention through The T.R.I.G.G.E.R Project Summer Employment Program in Washington D.C.

What this Trial Is About

This research aims to build evidence for a youth firearm violence prevention program in Washington D.C., a city facing disparities in youth firearm violence outcomes. It focuses on how participation in the summer youth employment program called The T.R.I.G.G.E.R Project, designed to address the root causes of gun violence, relates to youth behavioral outcomes such as pro-social involvement, aggression, and attitudes toward firearms. Participants will be involved in The T.R.I.G.G.E.R Project over several years, with waves of youth participating in summer youth employment programs from 2022 through 2025. The program includes components like summer employment, social and emotional learning, future orientation, adult and peer support, critical consciousness, and civic engagement, all aimed at addressing firearm violence causes. Youth participants will complete four surveys over one year to track changes in attitudes and behaviors a pre-test at the program start, then post-tests 2-4 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months after the program ends. Researchers will measure changes in civic efficacy, pro-social involvement, violence-related attitudes, aggressive behavior, firearm carriage frequency, firearm use, and firearm aggression throughout these time points.

Addressing Root Causes for Gun Violence Prevention (ARC-GVP)