COMPASS
COMPASS Youth Collaborative interrupts violence in the City of Hartford by building transformative relationships with youth at the center of the violence. COMPASS Peacebuilders provide youth the tools to create sustained behavior change and transition successfully to adulthood.
Target Population
COMPASS Youth have learned to navigate obstacles many of us can only imagine. They have grit, and they are advancing despite their adversities.
COMPASS knows that change doesn’t happen in six weeks, or six months, the program is a four-year program, enrolling Hartford young people aged 16 to 20 (youth may stay in the program up to age 24), with one or more of the following risk factors:
- Youth at risk of not transitioning to adulthood successfully
- Youth exposed to violence, a victim or a driver of violence. (Victims of violence are 59% more likely to become drivers of violence).
- Juvenile justice involvement
- Gang association or affiliation
- Possession of a weapon
Long-term Outcomes
COMPASS young people will sustain these outcomes for at least 12 months after program completion:
- Reduction in violence
- Reduction in Justice System: No New Arrests
- Persists in post-secondary degree and/or certification program
- Persists in referral employment program
Program Summary
COMPASS Youth Collaborative focuses on connecting with Hartford's hardest-to-reach young people, providing comprehensive case management, including mental health support, life skills classes, and connections to education and employment. COMPASS takes youth from trauma, to trusting relationships to transformation through two key components, COMPASS Peacebuilders and their Hospital-Based Violence Intervention.
Peacebuilders
During times of peace, COMPASS Peacebuilders canvas the streets, connecting with young people and building trusting relationships. In times of crises, COMPASS works in the community to de-escalate the tension and build peace. COMPASS is the only community-based violence interruption program in Hartford.
Once youth built trust with their Peacebuilder, COMPASS’s Education Coordinator works with them to reconnect them to education, whether in traditional classrooms, earning their GED, obtaining licensures, or attending trade schools. They can also participate in COMPASS’s Training for Employment Program (TEP) that provides youth with the essential professional skills they need to succeed in employment. Youth in TEP work with Work Crew Supervisors and Job Specialists, taking classes in job readiness, resume building, and mock interviewing. COMPASS gives youth a safe place to fail, learn from their failure, and try again.
Using Cognitive Behavior Theory, our staff works with youth to help them understand the relationship between their feelings and actions. COMPASS's Clinical Social Workers and Peacebuilders provide life-saving skills, helping youth slow down, stop, and focus on what's in front of them in order to make better decisions.
Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Program
COMPASS Youth Collaborative partners with Hartford’s three area hospitals advocating for victims of community violence and their families with trauma-informed and culturally sensitive care.
- Intervention: COMPASS’s Crises Team engages patients at the bedside, in the emergency room, during the “Golden Hour”, the best time to improve lives and reduce retaliation and recidivism.
- Before Discharge: Before the victim is discharged, COMPASS visits the home to ensure it is safe and that healthy food is available. COMPASS coordinates transportation and provides clean (blood-stain-free) clothing for victims to wear home.
- Discharge Plan: COMPASS creates a safety plan to ensure youth are safe once they are home. Through COMPASS’s partnership with the UConn Department of Family Medicine, physicians make house calls and provide wound care to victims.
- Case Management: COMPASS provides case management for victims of community violence. When they are ready, they are enrolled in COMPASS's core programming.
Technical assistance through CTOP to develop data capacity has afforded COMPASS the opportunity to celebrate progress as an agency and provide resources that support our team’s efforts with youth.