Drs. Mary Ohmer and Leah Jacobs are at the forefront of a groundbreaking initiative to combat youth and community violence and strengthen neighborhoods through the Resiliency in Communities After Stress and Trauma (ReCAST) study. This research project aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a collective efficacy intervention in 10 Pittsburgh neighborhoods over a five-year period, with a focus on empowering communities to address systemic challenges. The study is a cluster randomized control trial to test the effectiveness of the collective efficacy intervention. Five communities are participating in the collective efficacy intervention and 5 control communities are receiving health information sessions. In addition, Ohmer and Jacobs are studying implementation across neighborhoods to assess process and fidelity outcomes. A key aspect of the ReCAST study is that it is not only evaluating an intervention but employing a gold standard method for establishing a causal relationship between collective efficacy and violence, a randomized controlled trial. For decades, this relationship has not been tested experimentally, leaving researchers unable to confidently state that collective efficacy decreases violence—only that collective efficacy is associated with decreased violence. The study aims to rigorously address this important question.
With over 30 years of experience in community organizing, Ohmer has long recognized the potential of collective efficacy strategies to reduce crime, violence, Dr. Mary Ohmer 13 and juvenile delinquency. As co-principal investigator with the ReCAST study, she explains, “collective efficacy sounds wonky, but it is a social process that happens when neighbors trust one another, share norms and values, and are willing to intervene to address community problems.” The need for such interventions is critical. Violence in our communities leads to premature death, child maltreatment and neglect, and intergenerational poverty. A strong relationship exists between neighborhood disadvantage and youth violence. Community and youth violence are on the rise in marginalized communities around the Pittsburgh area, and have had devastating health, economic and social consequences. In Pittsburgh, the homicide rate among young Black men is 36 times higher than the national average. Collective efficacy is important because research shows collective efficacy is associated with lower levels of neighborhood level violence and juvenile delinquency, and increased health and wellbeing, including health and mental health.
ReCAST co-investigator Jacobs underscores the importance of moving away from punitive responses to systemic issues, pointing to the broader social and historical context. “In 2020, the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis sparked a national awakening to the reality of punitive law enforcement responses to what are historically based social problems of poverty, unemployment and lack of investment in communities and people,” Jacobs explains. She emphasizes that punitive interventions are not investments in communities but instead are additional sources of stress and trauma.
The ReCAST study is guided by a set of core values that include safety, collaboration, equity, mutuality, trustworthiness, transparency, social justice, strength-based capacity-building, and healingcentered engagement aimed at bringing hope to communities. These values are centric in Ohmer and Jacobs’ approach, which leverages partnerships with community-based organizations (CBOs) and community residents to foster youth leadership, intergenerational collaboration, and collective problem-solving.
The ReCAST project builds in phases, starting with capacity building, planning, and training, and advancing to action-oriented solutions through community projects. The initiative also emphasizes active community involvement at every stage, with stipends provided to CBOs and community facilitators, including facilitating the collective efficacy training sessions. These training sessions bring together teens, adults, and elders from each neighborhood to build trust, share perspectives, and develop strategies to address local challenges. Participants establish ground rules for collaboration, overcome initial distrust, and work together to design and implement solutions. They also learn and practice relationship building strategies, active listening, restorative and non-violence strategies for intervening to prevent violence and organizing and advocacy skills to advocate for systemic changes and community resources needed to prevent violence and create safe spaces for youth.
As part of The Pittsburgh Study, the project benefits from a wide range of local and federal partners, including Allegheny County Human Services, the CDC, SAMHSA, and the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Adolescent Medicine and School of Social Work. This study is also part of The Pittsburgh Study’s Policy and Place Committee, for which Ohmer is the Academic Co-Lead.
An April 2023 PublicSource article highlighted the collective efficacy workshops in Braddock and the West Side city neighborhoods where residents noted a growing sense of unity and optimism. A community partner commented that the work is about “Bringing back the togetherness of the neighborhood. We can be a flourishing community again.”