DPC successfully applied in Antioch

Youth violence, low test scores and grades, truancy, gang affiliation and disconnection from family and school are words with a meaning in many cities and places throughout the world. In Antioch, CA, police chief Jim Hyde and Iris Archuleta, Co-founder of Emerald Consulting decided not to just complain about the problem.  Instead, they started the Youth Intervention Network. With the help of many professionals and - more important - volunteers, they utilized  Emerald Consulting’s High Performing Community (HPC)- model as a positive response to the developments in their city. Through the application of DPC they were able to generate enthusiasm for a hands-on approach of the challenges.

DPC was used in at least four ways. First it appeared a very useful tool for the improvement of the cooperation between the many agencies at play. Second it is the basic approach for all volunteers in their contacts with the children as well as with their parents. Volunteers meet with parents and youth who have agreed to cooperate with the process of using mediation as a substitute for more traditional assessment tools. Volunteers get a very intense support and training before they are allowed to engage youth and families, and they continue to receive support. Third DPC created a common language and approach for many people in schools, in police-service, in social work, and in policy-making bodies. Fourth - not amazing for many who already followed a DPC-training - it had an impact on the facilitators in their personal lives. The feed back after the trainings and also after many meetings where DPC was applied, is still: ”It is life changing.“

In Antioch it also appears to be life-saving. Quite some other places want to learn from the experiences, knowing that it can't be a quick solution for an already long lasting problem. However, HPC combined with DPC appears to be a hopeful sign for a systemic change, not just regarding youth and youth violence. That would be too easy and tends to makes youth a convenient scapegoat. This approach changes the whole community and makes life better for all its stakeholders.

For more information please contact
Iris Archuleta, JD
Co-Founder, Emerald Consulting
Co-Chair, The Youth Intervention Network
iris@emeraldconsulting.com
+ 1 925-755-9291
www.emeraldconsulting.com