Multidisciplinary and Whole-of-Society Prevention of Terrorism and Targeted Violence — A Massachusetts Area Prevention (MAP) Framework
In 2020, the TCRC launched a regional prevention initiative focused on reducing youth risk for targeted violence and terrorism. A two-year grant from the Department of Homeland Security supports the implementation of the MAP framework to reduce mental health problems and increase social belongingness among adolescents through a multi-pronged, evidence-informed, and community-based program. The MAP framework includes expanding a youth advisory board, implementing school-based belongingness programming, and establishing a multidisciplinary service coordination team to support the connection of at-risk youth to supportive community-based services.
The MAP Framework is comprised of two phases:
- The Interethnic Youth Advisory Board
- The I-YAB mission is to engage a diverse group of youth as integral partners in the Massachusetts Area Prevention framework (MAP), BCH-TCRC’s new multidisciplinary approach to violence prevention. We do this by engaging 12 diverse youth (ages 15 to 17 years) living in Massachusetts in a monthly youth advisory board focused on youth extremist and targeted violence prevention. We believe that youth resilience building is fundamental to violence prevention through increasing sense of belonging, enhancing inter-ethnic group understanding, developing leadership and advocacy skills, and promoting civic engagement. We are committed to giving youth the opportunity to develop knowledge and skills needed to become leaders in youth violence prevention and enhance resilience in their community.
- The Adolescent Services Coordination Team
- MAPP is a violence prevention program managed by a team of Boston Children’s Hospital providers for youth under 18 in New England at-risk for, or requiring rehabilitation for, targeted violence. The program consists of two phases. In the first phase, a MAPP team member will get to know the strengths, risks, and needs of the youth and family. The MAPP team will then provide a family consultation with specific recommendations for the types of services and support that could be most helpful for the youth and family. The MAPP team consists of a multidisciplinary group of providers from various backgrounds, including experts in culture, trauma, risk assessment, and radical ideologies. Any questions about MAPP, including referrals, can be directed to MAPP@childrens.harvard.edu.
In 2022, TCRC received additional funding from the Department of Homeland Security to partner with four school districts in the Greater Boston area to implement school-based prevention to build local capacity to prevent and respond to threats. In each of the four districts, the TCRC has helped to create and train the following:
- school-based threat assessment teams
- inter-ethnic youth advisory boards
- risk assessment study team
School districts can refer youth to the MAPP program through their Boston Children's liaison.
To learn more about multidisciplinary team approaches to addressing targeted violence and terrorism, see Ellis and colleagues (2020).