Youth Violence Prevention: Investing in Prevention A Smart Move for Funders
When making funding decisions, stakeholders ask: “What is the return on investment?” In the realm of youth violence prevention, the returns are both quantifiable and profound. Investing in youth violence prevention is not only morally compelling; it is fiscally and strategically wise for anyone interested in long-term community well-being.
Here is why funders from government agencies to private philanthropists should view youth violence prevention as a high-impact investment:
Cost Savings: Preventing youth violence saves enormous public costs down the line. Consider the expenses incurred by a single youth caught in the justice system, police time, court costs, detention, not to mention the cost of crimes to victims and communities. A Home Office analysis in England estimated that serious youth violence would cost society £10 billion over the next decade if current trends continue.
However, funding coordinated prevention efforts like Violence Reduction Units, outreach programs, etc., at a fraction of that cost could cut violence even slightly and save hundreds of millions of pounds. In one scenario, a 3% reduction in youth violence would make a £350 million prevention investment cost-effective, and greater reductions would yield net savings. Every youth violent incident averted, every stabbing prevented, or gang feud defused translates to money that can be reinvested in education, health, and economic development instead of prisons and emergency surgeries.
Social Return – Safer and Thriving Communities: Beyond monetary savings, the social return of youth violence prevention is immeasurable. Reducing youth violence means fewer lives lost and fewer lives ruined by trauma or incarceration. It means children can play outside without fear, and businesses can flourish in once high-crime areas.
The presence of violence is essentially a tax on all positive community activities; remove that “tax” and neighbourhoods regenerate. Funders who enable a drop in youth violence see ripple effects like improved school attendance as kids feel safer going to school, higher property values, and stronger local economies. These are long-term, sustainable benefits that far outlast the initial grant period.
Breaking Intergenerational Cycles: Investment in youth violence prevention has a multiplier effect across generations. When a young person is diverted away from violence and helped onto a constructive path through a job, education, or counselling, they are less likely to raise their own children in chaotic, violent environments.
Over time, this breaks the cycle of violence. For example, a youth spared from gang involvement today may become a mentor or community leader tomorrow, multiplying the impact. Conversely, failing to invest means today’s troubled youth can become tomorrow’s hardened offenders who then influence younger kids, a costly, vicious cycle. Funding youth violence prevention is thus a way to change the trajectory of not just one life but potentially an entire community’s future.
Proven Effectiveness: As outlined in earlier articles, we now have plenty of proof that youth violence prevention programs yield results. From mentoring reducing youth violence by ~20%, to sports and arts programs cutting crime and improving outcomes, to street outreach halving shootings in some areas, the evidence base gives funders confidence that their pounds will actually make a difference.
This is not speculative work. It is about scaling up interventions that have been tested and shown to work. Moreover, youth violence prevention programs can be monitored with clear metrics: reductions in incidents, improvements in participant behaviour, etc., allowing funders to track progress and adjust strategies as needed.
Funding youth violence prevention is a smart investment on multiple levels. It yields financial savings by averting costly outcomes, delivers invaluable social benefits by promoting safer and healthier communities, and leverages proven strategies to change lives for the better. For funders with an eye on legacy and impact, there are few areas of work where the payoff is as tangible and significant. Every success story of every young person who chooses education or employment over crime, stands as living proof of the value created. As such, those who invest in prevention are not just grant-makers. They are partners in building a more peaceful, prosperous future for us all.
