Peace Over Violence to Receive $1 Million Grant As Part of Innovative National Initiative for Building Healthy Teen Relationships

Blue Shield of California Foundation makes grant as California partner of national Robert Wood Johnson Foundation initiative to prevent teen dating violence and abuse.

Los Angeles, CA, November 19, 2008 - Peace Over Violence announced today they are to receive a $1 million grant from Blue Shield of California Foundation (BSCF), as part of a national four-year initiative focused on preventing intimate partner violence, Start Strong: Building Healthy Teen Relationships. Peace Over Violence, formerly the Los Angeles Commission on Assaults Against Women (LACAAW), is a non-profit organization dedicated to building healthy relationships, families and communities free from sexual, domestic and interpersonal violence.  Their "Teens Over Violence" initiative was selected for this grant from among more than 500 applicants nationwide.  

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and its California partner Blue Shield of California Foundation (BSCF) are investing $18 million to prevent teen dating violence and abuse.  With 11 sites from around the country, the Start Strong: Building Healthy Teen Relationships (BHTR) initiative will enable communities to create and evaluate comprehensive models of prevention of this serious public health issue.  RWJF has selected the Family Violence Prevention Fund (FVPF), one of the nation's leading organizations working to prevent domestic and sexual violence, to serve as the national program office for BHTR. In partnership with RWJF, the Family Violence Prevention Fund helped to design the BHTR initiative and will direct its implementation.

RWJF will fund ten sites and as the California partner for BHTR, BSCF will fund one California site.  This philanthropic partnership leverages dollars in California, while combining the complementary expertise of both foundations to advance collective learning on how to prevent teen dating violence and abuse.  Working collaboratively with the 11 local sites, FVPF will create a learning community to prevent teen dating violence and sexual abuse, sharing its expertise in leading national initiatives and creating social change, as well as providing guidance and technical assistance to the sites.

"Engaging youth is a crucial element of our work to end domestic violence in California," said Crystal Hayling, BSCF's President and CEO. "We are honored to partner with RWJF on this initiative, and look forward to seeing the positive impact of Teens Over Violence on the Los Angeles community."

Peace Over Violence will collaborate with local partners including USC Institute for Multi-media Literacy, El Centro de Pueblo, and Los Angeles Unified School District on their "Teens Over Violence" initiative. The program will work in and around two middle schools and aims to impact 4,300 students, 90% of which are Latino, and 85% very low income and chronically exposed to violence.

Elements of the "Teens Over Violence" initiative include curricula and peer education to engage students in school settings, while addressing gender specific issues and a partnership with El Centro del Pueblo's Parent Center and Family Resource Center to involve teen influencers. Youth will participate in the development of the program through focus groups, planning sessions and retreats to design new approaches to problems they have identified. The direct involvement from older students from Miguel Contreras Learning Complex, most of who are engaged in the school's TDV programs, will help bring in role models, mentors, and siblings. The new media component implemented will reach teens that are not directly involved in this project, and will also bring in college and graduate students as role models, mentors and teachers. The media campaign will use internet forums, blogs and digital storytelling to reach the wider youth community.  

"Peace Over Violence is thrilled to have been selected among such a highly qualified applicant pool for this nationwide initiative," Patricia Giggans, Executive Director of Peace Over Violence said. "We have been involved in implementing innovative curricula on teen dating abuse in California for many years and now we have an opportunity, and the resources to expand our work in a community-wide program to achieve even greater results." 

Each of the 11 nationwide community partnerships will implement a community-wide prevention program targeting 6th to 8th grade youth designed to reduce relationship violence and promote positive relationship skills. These community-based initiatives will simultaneously engage parents, teachers, peers and older teens as well as integrate social marketing and communications strategies to reinforce attitudes that strengthen healthy relationships. The core of the effort is to inspire and empower teens to lead and sustain initiatives that reinforce the importance of building healthy teen relationships.

The program will be directed by the Family Violence Prevention Fund (FVPF) as the National Program Office (NPO), working closely with RWJF. The FVPF oversaw the entire application review process and will provide ongoing programmatic direction and technical assistance to all eleven program grantees. RTI International, an independent research group, will conduct a national evaluation of Building Healthy Teen Relationships that will run concurrently with the program. This national evaluation team will work closely with the FVPF, to identify best practices from each community partnership and evaluate program impact and effectiveness.  All BHTR sites, including Peace Over Violence will participate in this evaluation. 

"We are excited to be a part of this groundbreaking initiative that will impact thousands of young people across the country," said Esta Soler, President of the Family Violence Prevention Fund. "By focusing on comprehensive, community-wide prevention, we can ensure that healthy relationships are a strong and growing reality for every young person."

About Blue Shield of California Foundation

Blue Shield of California Foundation, one of the largest healthcare grant making organizations in California, has committed a total of over $22 million in the past six years to ending domestic violence in the state. For more information, please visit the Web site at www.blueshieldcafoundation.org. The Foundation was formed by Blue Shield of California, a not-for-profit corporation with more than 3.4 million members, 4700 employees and more than 20 offices throughout California. For more information about the company, please visit www.blueshieldca.com.

 About Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, we work with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change.  For more than 35 years we've brought experience, commitment and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those we serve. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, we expect to make a difference in your lifetime. For more information visit www.rwjf.org.

 About Peace Over Violence

 Formerly known as the Los Angeles Commission on Assaults Against Women, Peace Over Violence is a social service agency dedicated to building healthy relationships, families and communities free from sexual, domestic and interpersonal violence. For more information, visit www.peaceoverviolence.org.