ACE Youth Violence Prevention Network

As one of the core features of the ACE Program, all Centers will participate in the ACE Youth Violence Prevention Network. Through the ACE Youth Violence Prevention Network, the ACEs serve as local, regional, and national resources for developing and applying effective evidence-based prevention strategies in communities.

The ACE Network is a collaborative group with representation from all of the ACEs, including PIs, co-investigators, collaborators and CDC scientific collaborators. As part of the ACE Network a Steering Committee was formed and serves as the governing board for all collaborative activities. The goal of the steering committee is to ensure that collaborative activities are consistent with the goals and objectives of the ACE Program. The Steering Committee is comprised of one representative (the PI) from each of the ACEs and a representative from CDC.

The Steering Committee convened subcommittees or workgroups to carry out collaborative activities. Membership on these workgroups is comprised of members of the ACE Network. The workgroups are responsible for meeting deadlines and deliverables on the collaborative activities and reporting back to the Steering Committee regarding timelines and progress towards agreed upon activities. The workgroups are also venues to share information, resources, and expertise across the ACEs.

Four specific workgroups have been formed:

1. Evaluation and Indicators — This workgroup is focused on developing and finalizing evaluation plans; detailed design and methods; and data analysis plans (e.g., detailed power analyses). This group also focuses on obtaining clear information about primary outcomes for the evaluation; identifying key indicators that will be collected at each Center; and data source and other data issues.
2. Implementation and Fidelity — This workgroup is focused on developing detailed implementation timelines and plans for collecting implementation/fidelity data.
3. Policy — This workgroup is focused on the dissemination of research findings that may have some effect on policy and will combine activities around communication/dissemination and on community mobilization, coalition-building, and working with community partners.
4. Training — This workgroup is focused on discussing training activities and plans for junior investigators.