The Violence Prevention Team is seeking a full-time intern to lead the development of a collective efficacy survey[1]and an implementation strategy for administering the survey in NOLA FOR LIFE focus neighborhoods.
NOLA FOR LIFE is Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s Comprehensive Murder Reduction Strategy, an aggressive response to a decade-long struggle with one of the highest homicide rates in the country. The plan aims to dramatically reduce murder among young African American males in the city, and while in its first two years there has been an emphasis on stopping the shootings, the strategy is preparing to move into its next phase, which emphasizes the need for prevention. NOLA FOR LIFE is an ambitious plan that provides a unique opportunity for cross-sector collaboration and a means for ensuring healthy futures for all New Orleanians.
The development of the NOLA FOR LIFE plan, staying true to the public health approach, was a collaborative effort which drew on the experience and knowledge of community advocates, service providers, national and local crime experts, law enforcement, and youth. It was realized early that there were a multitude of factors impelling interpersonal violence; and that given the condition of the struggling educational, economic, and social service systems, effective implementation of NOLA FOR LIFE would mean addressing risk factors at the individual, community, and systems levels. In response, NOLA FOR LIFE programs are infused with social, emotional, and behavioral competencies for participants, communities, and schools to successfully change social/cultural norms, improve cohesion and trust, and use alternatives to punitive and/or violent practices.
The impact of this cross-sector work on NOLA FOR LIFE’s initial mandate to reduce murder is apparent and promising. In the strategy’s first year (2012-2013), New Orleans saw citywide murders decrease by almost 20%, and in 2014 the number of murders (150) reached a historic 43-year low. But at 150 – the fewest murders in a year since 1971 – the murder rate is still 39.6 victims per 100,000 people, which is more than three times the national average of 11 victims per 100,000 victims for similar-sized cities.[2]
Project Overview:
Central to each NOLA FOR LIFE initiative is addressing the culture of violence in communities, which is more accurately addressed through evaluation of community social cohesion and collective efficacy.[3] Additionally, the Health Department and NOLA FOR LIFE have become increasingly interested in the intersection of various forms of violence (i.e. domestic violence, gang violence, child maltreatment, etc.) and the perceptions of various forms of violence in the focus community. In order to better evaluate the efficacy of current interventions as it pertains to influencing social cohesion and collective efficacy, the Health Department is interested in gathering primary data to establish a baseline for these metrics.
We are interested in a graduate level intern with the ability to perform the following:
Content Expertise:
- Literature review on social cohesion and collective efficacy
- Development of a culturally competent survey instrument
- Development of a detailed strategy for administering the survey in NOLA FOR LIFE focus communities
General Competencies:
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Excellent organizational skills
- Ability to work in a collaborative environment
- Ability to work independently / with minimal supervision
To apply: Send resume and cover letter to Erika Wright, eewright@nola.gov.
[1] Def. Collective Efficacy – social cohesion among neighbors combined with their willingness to intervene on behalf of the common good. See Robert J. Sampson et al., “Neighborhoods and Violent Crime: A Multilevel Study of Collective Efficacy,” Science 277, 918 (1997).
[2] Federal Bureau of Investigation, Uniform Crime Reports, Crime in the United States 2013, Table 16 – Rate: Number of Crimes per 100,000 Inhabitants, by Population Group, 2013, http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2013/crime-in-the-u.s.-2013/tables/table-16/table_16_rate_by_population_group_2013.xls.
[3] See Robert J. Sampson et al., “Neighborhoods and Violent Crime: A Multilevel Study of Collective Efficacy,” Science 277, 918 (1997).
