New App Helps Denver Youth Help Struggling Peers—Without Involving Law Enforcement | CU Boulder Today

IMAGE CAPTION: Game Changers Bryson Lee, Nece Lawson, Jenelle Nangah, Janaya Frilot, Eli’ana Grimes and Dahni Austin embrace at the Empower Youth conference in April 2024. The youth worked with the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence (CSPV) at the University of Colorado at Boulder to develop the Power of One app, which launched in July. Source: Miss Money Shot Media.

Denver youth concerned about the well-being of their peers (or themselves) have a new tool they can use to get help.

Inspired by the 20-year-old Safe2Tell program that allowed young people to anonymously report safety concerns to law enforcement, the new Power of One mobile app aims to address a broader range of issues, including housing and food insecurity, while appealing to youth who were reluctant to adopt the previous version.

“We wanted to create something that was more community-oriented, with less law enforcement involvement unless absolutely necessary,” said David Bechhoefer, project director at the Youth Violence Prevention Center of Denver (YVPC-Denver) at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

YVPC-Denver is an extension of the University of Colorado Boulder’s Center for Violence Prevention and Research. It was founded 13 years ago to address what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, YVPC’s principal funder, calls a “serious public health problem”: youth violence in America.

Since then, CU Boulder researchers and community organizations in northeast Denver have collaborated to develop creative solutions and serve as a national model for violence prevention.

The new app, whose slogan is “made by us, for us,” was largely conceived by young people from Denver themselves, as part of the project’s Youth Advisory Board.

Bechhoefer emphasized that the pilot project aimed at youth in northeast Denver is not intended to replace the Safe2Tell initiative, which allows residents across Colorado to share tips about safety issues, such as school shooting threats and suicide risk, 24/7 via phone calls, text messages, an app or a website.

The program, which now receives about 28,000 tips a year, has proven to be a key tool in the fight against youth violence, said Beverly Kingston, director of the CSPV.

But more tools are needed, she added.

Safe2Tell Limitations

“Some historically marginalized communities have been reluctant to use Safe2Tell because of strong codes of silence, stigma around snitching, fears of retaliation and cynicism toward police,” Kingston said. “We also need ways to reach them.”

Power of One, launched in July, uses the same technology platform and works similarly to Safe2Tell. Instead of sending reports directly to local law enforcement and school officials, it routes them to a paid staff of “peer navigators,” which includes student social workers and specially trained community members in their 20s.

They review submissions, which may include video, audio and screenshots of social media posts, and then route them to local social media services.

If the call is deemed to be an imminent threat of violence, it will be immediately forwarded to 911.

Some cases of potential future violence, such as those preparing to fight, may be referred to a team of “violence interrupters” from the Denver-based nonprofit Struggle of Love Foundation.

In other cases, a teenager may simply find the resources he or she needs.

For example, if someone notifies them that a student’s family has been evicted or a young person is struggling with grades after the loss of a loved one, a peer navigator can connect the student with housing assistance, a food bank, a counselor, a tutor or a mentor.

“Having utilities cut off or not having food at home can also ultimately lead to violence,” Bechhoefer said, adding that addressing such a crisis early can change the course of a young person’s life.

Peer navigators will also keep a close eye on social media, where disputes often escalate into real-life violence, for signs that someone needs help.

While the app is designed exclusively for youth in the northeast Denver area, its creators hope it becomes a national model.

Imagine Smith, a 22-year-old peer navigator, Denver, born and raised in Denver, said he wishes a program like this had existed when he was a teenager.

“I was angry, furious and devastated” after losing five people to violence in one year, he said. “I was hanging out with the wrong crowd and I didn’t think about what it would do to my future.”

After several run-ins with the law, Smith turned to the Struggle of Love Foundation, which provides food, counseling, after-school programs and other programs to needy youth and families.

He now has his own record label and, through his partnership with Power of One, refers struggling youth to the same organization that helped him.

“I think it’s a great idea,” Smith said. “If they’re afraid to come out and tell a teacher or a parent what’s going on, they can use that, and we can connect them with the help they need.”