Neighborhood Outreach Workers (N.O.W.)

The Western Justice Center was awarded,from July 2008- June 2009, a contract from the City of Pasadena to fully design, implement, administer and evaluate the N.O.W. program. Currently the program is run through the City of Pasadena.

The Neighborhood Outreach Workers (N.O.W.) Program began as a prevention model developed and implemented in the Pasadena area. It came about due to the increased number of violent episodes involving youth and gang-affiliated youth. These episodes prompted the local government and the community stakeholders to seek assistance in convening and establishing community dialogues to begin a process of seeking solutions to such violence. The Western Justice Center was selected as the lead agency in organizing community and local agencies to assit in the development of strategies toward the reduction of violence while providing an answer to the rising gang problems in the area. The N.O.W. Program was the collaborative result of government and community stakeholders meeting the challenge to look for avenues for prevention and intervention of gang related violent activities.