High Point Community Against Violence (HPCAV) completed the first phase of its new violence reduction project, More Work, Less Violence, in September, 2019.  Phase One lasted six weeks, with participants meeting five days each week.  Five of the initial seven participants completed this first phase.  Four of those five are now employed, one of the goals of the project.

More Work, Less Violence is the creation of Jim Summey, HPCAV’s executive director, and is funded by the High Point Community Foundation.  The purpose of the project is to work with some of our focused deterrence violent crime offenders who are hard-to-place, difficult to manage and slow to adjust, helping them develop skills and support that will move them into gaining legitimate employment that can help sustain them and their families.  Most of these individuals are in relationships and have children.  Most have difficulties securing work and keeping it.  They struggle with punctuality, communication, following instructions, and being prepared from day to day, all of which negatively impact and limit their employability. 

More Work, Less Violence, Phase One began with a Life Assessment for each individual, separating the facts of their lives from the fiction that had been created.  Discussions and assignment topics included:  communication (listening and speaking; what is real dialogue); emotions (using truth, not emotions as a basis for reactions, recognizing emotional triggers, responsibility for responses); writing as a way of organizing thoughts, separating facts from fiction, working through emotions; getting prepared for the next day; making action plans; putting plans into action.  Work projects (taking instructions and functioning as a team to accomplish a common goal) were also a part of Phase One.

Phase Two, which begins in October, 2019, will work with these individuals and the significant others in their lives (girlfriends, children).  The goal of Phase Two is to help the individuals improve their key relationships, reduce family dysfunction, and ultimately reduce or stop the generational cycle of violence.

The last component of the More Work, Less Violence project will be evaluation and follow-up.