Examining Conflict Mediation to Prevent Violence Through Multisector Partnerships

摘要

Interpersonal conflict requires interventions that reach community members across settings to develop peaceful conflict resolution skills. This article presents a case study from Aim4Peace, a multicomponent violence prevention initiative to prevent community gun violence based on the Cure Violence (formerly Ceasefire Chicago) model. The article presents types of violence and a framework for understanding contributing factors, followed by approaches to understanding and strategies for constructing peace. The Aim4Peace program is described, including a community-academic partnership with behavioral-community psychologists, through which collaborative action and evaluation occur with trusted partners across community sectors to provide nonviolent alternatives across socioecological levels. Next, we describe participatory evaluation methods for examining the underlying processes that support Aim4-Peace's efforts to build a culture of peace through conflict mediation and resolution strategies. Descriptive data are presented for how Aim4Peace implemented peace education processes through multisector partnerships. The article discusses process and proxy outcomes of the program and concludes with comments on multidisciplinary action and research for addressing large-scale problems such as violence.