A primary prevention strategy, it works with youth aged 13-18 from targeted neighborhoods identified by the school district as at highest risk for being a victim or perpetrator of violence and provides them with a blend of intensive mentoring along with a group cognitive behavioral intervention to address trauma in Chicago. A randomized control study by the University of Chicago Crime Lab found that participants had 48 percent fewer violent-crime arrests than their control peers and that these positive impacts persist up to at least one and a half years after the program ended.

A secondary prevention strategy, it employs a “Cure Violence” public health approach and focuses on changing social norms and interrupting violence through street outreach and specific work with individuals aged 14-25 identified as most at risk of violence in the North Penn community of Baltimore City through funding from the Mayor’s Office.

A tertiary prevention strategy, it provides justice-involved men aged 20-35 most at risk of participating in or becoming victims of violence with intensive wraparound services, workforce development programming and six months of supported work in Washington, DC. Funded by the Office of Neighborhood and Safety Engagement, outcomes demonstrate that over 90% of program participants have successfully completed the Credible Messenger and subsidized employment programs.