Credible Messengers in Action on the Street: The Skills and Strategies of Outreach Workers in High-Risk Engagement

• In Event: Pathways Out: Interventions, Supportive Relations, and Crime Desistance among Gang-Affiliated and At-Risk Young People

Abstract

This paper examines the specialized skills and relational strategies that credible messengers employ to recruit and engage high-risk young people in violence prevention efforts. Drawing on narrative interviews and focus groups with Cure Violence (CV) outreach workers, this study explores how outreach workers leverage their lived experiences, cultural alignment, and deep community ties to build trust and sustain participant engagement.
Key themes emerging from the data include the strategic use of empathy to establish trust, the importance of community as a foundation for transformation, and the concept of "making good" as a personal and collective process of change. By unpacking these social processes, this study provides insights into how credible messengers function as pivotal agents in community violence intervention and underscores the need for policies that support and enhance their effectiveness in violence prevention efforts.

Authors

• Caterina Roman, Temple University

• Peter Simonsson, Temple University, Lewis Katz School of Medicine

• Jesse Brey, Temple University, Department of Criminal Justice