October 4, 2017 – USAID Brown Bag at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington D.C.
As part of the USAID InnovATE project, Drs. Rebecca Williams (University of Florida) and Paige Castellanos (The Pennsylvania State University) will discuss results of research on youth and gender-based violence in the Feed the Future Zone of Influence in western Honduras. The presentation, “Youth and Gender-Based Violence in the Municipality of Santa Rosa de Copán: Research Study and Convocation,” highlights key findings from a 2017 mixed-methods study that focuses on a multi-sector approach to understanding influences and impacts of youth participation in violence. This work is unique in its geographic focus, moving away from the typical urban areas of Tegucigalpa or San Pedro Sula and highlighting the prevalence of violence in other parts of the country. It also includes direct input from young people who are both experiencing and participating in violence in their homes and in their communities. Finally, they will share an applied and sustainable approach to presenting research results to stakeholders in order to facilitate community dialogue and use research to drive youth violence interventions and associated indicators.
September 6-7, 2017 – Convocation for Collaboration on Youth and Gender-Based Violence Interventions
The results of the research conducted in the summer set the stage for a 2-day stakeholder convening. The convening took place in Santa Rosa de Copán with invitees from across Honduras. Attendees to this event included representatives from agriculture, youth development, and education organizations including from non-governmental, governmental, and private organizations. There were several objectives for this convening:
- Disseminate the results of the Component 1 study to interested organizations working in agriculture, youth development, education, and other fields who are (or will) address youth violence in their programming.
- Provide a multi-sectoral platform for the discussion of youth violence interventions in Honduras, including discussion of cross-sectoral interventions.
- Provide a platform to share, discuss, and critique current youth violence interventions in Honduras.
- Collaborate to identify potential youth violence interventions based on the experiences of the workshop participants and the results of the youth violence study.
June 26 – July 17, 2017 – Investigating the connection between decreasing agricultural productivity and youth violence in Honduras Drs. Rebecca Williams (University of Florida) and Paige Castellanos (The Pennsylvania State University) Elizabeth Poulsen, Contracts & Grants Manager, University of Florida Liz Mercedes Ramos, In-Country Support Consultant, USAID, Santa Rosa de Copán, Honduras
The purpose of this research study was to follow up on white papers and online workshops conducted by InnovATE to investigate gaps in the understanding of how citizen security and food security are interrelated, particularly in regards to the youth bulge and the growing phenomenon of youth violence. This trip allowed for quantitative and qualitative data collection to provide a greater understanding of the pathway from rural livelihoods to violent activity, and the benefits (perceived and actual) of this activity.
Presentations:
Convocation for Collaboration on Youth and Gender-Based Violence Interventions Agenda
Call for Collaboration in Violence Interventions in Youth and Gender (Spanish) Dr. Rebecca J. Williams, University of Florida; Dr. Paige Castellanos, The Pennsylvania State University
Violence in Young People in Santa Rosa de Copán, Honduras; Key Findings From The InnovATE Quantitative Survey (Spanish) Dr. Paige Castellanos, The Pennsylvania State University
Results: Interviews, Focus Groups, and Interviews Among Young People (Spanish) Dr. Rebecca J. Williams, University of Florida