Adolescent High School Collaborative

Academic Co-Lead: Elizabeth Miller, MD, PhD, FSAHM, Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Community Co-Lead: Felicia Savage Friedman, M.ED, E-RYT 500, Founder & CEO, YogaRoots On Location, LLC

Community Co-Lead: Reverend Paul Abernathy, MPIA, MDiv, Chief Executive Office, Neighborhood Resilience Project

The High School Adolescent Collaborative focuses on the continued development and implementation of research and programs for youth leadership, health, advocacy and community justice for adolescents ages 13-19. This work takes place through two primary channels, the recently launched Youth Leadership Series and Creating Peace which delivers an intersectional and strengths-based approach to address the impact of negative cultural stereotypes on young people. Through these programs, youth engage with and explore material around spheres of identity and use arts-based strategies to explore injustice.

Violent acts and relationship abuse may be preventable through meaningful increases in positive bystander behaviors and opportunities for youth leadership.

Creating Peace is an NIH-funded cluster-randomized controlled trial in which students bring their visions to life by developing a community-based project that reflects the future they wish to see. This project is led by young people who are supported by adult allies and neighborhood partnerships with churches, libraries, youth serving agencies, and schools in 24 disadvantaged neighborhoods across the region. Creating Peace is the first-ever adaptation of an international intervention to address violence and oppression in a U.S. setting.

Another unique aspect of Creating Peace is that it’s not delivered in schools. We engage with youth in their local community settings with churches, libraries, and youth-serving agencies, partnering with the county’s trauma response team to recruit youth exposed to community violence. Our program facilitators have direct investment and long-standing relationships with the youth in their communities and undergo extensive training for their roles.

As an evolution of this work, we’re also seeking opportunities for more positive engagement between youth and law enforcement officers. By strengthening youth-adult connections with youth-led restorative practices, there’s potential to reduce violence and help mitigate negative youth experiences among law enforcement officers.