Why Prevention?

We believe that Fairbanks is a community made up of good people. Yet, we know that too many of our neighbors, sisters, brothers, and friends are impacted by violence.  We strive to empower and mobilize this community of good people to create a safer Fairbanks. 

To accomplish this goal, our Prevention Alliance uses primary prevention to create a community that addresses violence before it ever happens; we know we can't do that alone. We strive to engage new, diverse, and unexpected allies in the work of ending violence, and we organize our vibrant community of existing allies in Fairbanks. 

Primary prevention is designed to prevent first time perpetration or victimization of violence. We focus on strengths in our community. We know that as Fairbanksans we take care of each other. We will check on each other on the side of the road, we will support our neighbors after a fire, and we rally when our community experiences a tragedy.  A recent survey showed that most Fairbanksans want to help reduce the rates of violence, but don't know how. We aim to offer the community meaningful tools and opportunities to engage in the important work of creating a safer Fairbanks.  Our efforts are centered on creating a safer Fairbanks by increasing community involvement, promoting protective factors by engaging and empowering youth, by providing early intervention, and by promoting healthy, safe relationships.

Prevention strategies may include:

• Working with children, their parents or caregivers to set expectations for healthy communication.
• Working with schools, workplaces, and other community settings (faith-based organizations, neighborhoods, athletic associations, etc.) to change social norms. 
• Increasing protective factors and reducing risk factors
• Flooding the community with healthy relationships messaging and promoting responsible bystander behaviors. 
• Encouraging policies and leaders that set an expectation for healthy relationships and communities.  

For more information about prevention efforts please visit our Girls On The Run, Green Dot, and Prevention Alliance pages.