Support Resources - Youth Justice Toolkit

Support Resources for Assessing the Community

Gather and assess information on the community and the issue(s) that the youth justice improvement initiative will be working to address. Information may include:
- - Existing data sources (e.g., community assessments). Pay attention to where there are marked differences in outcomes for specific groups (e.g., related to ethnicity, income, gender, where people live).
- Additional quantitative data (e.g., surveys, observation, small area analysis).
- Qualitative data (e.g., interviews, listening sessions, focus groups, community meeting feedback).
- Identify and assess community concerns, needs, and assets. Methods may include community mapping, surveys, focus groups, town hall meetings and so on.

Identify social determinants that produce marked differences in outcomes (inequities) for specific groups. This may include:
- Differential exposures and opportunities (e.g., to stress, support networks)
- Differential vulnerabilities and capabilities (e.g., education)
- Differential consequences (e.g., access to quality services, discrimination)

Establish a process to guide how decisions will be made (e.g. choosing a priority goal, deciding a shared vision and objectives). This may be through unanimous, consensus, majority rule, or executive decision-making.

Determine the priority goal of the initiative by analyzing and prioritizing the evidence gathered. This evidence may include:
- Community-level indicators showing the size or frequency of the issue
- Differences in outcomes related to ethnicity, income, gender, where people live, and so on
- Importance of the goal to the community
- Alignment of the goal with the purpose and resources for youth justice

Develop an inventory of the resources and assets available, and how the group can use them to address the priority goal (e.g., people, networks, organizations, skills, expertise, money, facilities).