The North Carolina Youth Violence Prevention Center
Celebrating 14 Years of Community Service
Our Mission Statement
The North Carolina Youth Violence Prevention Center (NC-YVPC) supports the needs of youth and families by providing a seamless continuum of services to prevent future violence, support victims, and promote resiliency in coping with life stressors.
NC-YVPC’s Vision Statement
NC-YVPC supports youth, families, and communities in creating a violence-free future!
Our History
In 2010, NC-YVPC was created with funding from the United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Paul Smokowski, Ph.D. founded the Center when he was a Professor at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill’s School of Social Work. We were the only CDC-funded Academic Center for Excellence in Youth Violence Prevention to focus on rural communities.
Along with providing evidence-based prevention and intervention programs to youth and families, the Center has established a reputation of being one of the few nonprofits within the area to be affiliated with nationally known academic research institutions such as the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of North Carolina-Pembroke, the University of Kansas, and Arizona State University. In 2019, Dr. Smokowski facilitated a collaboration with the Center and the School of Social Work at UNC-Chapel Hill to partner on a research study that specializes in substance use prevention among middle school youth in Robeson County.
The Center has been an affiliate of the National Partnership for Juvenile Services, the North Carolina Juvenile Services Association, the North Carolina Teen Court Association, the National Centers for Restorative Justice, and the Global Youth Justice Network, providing training and technical assistance to the organization’s members in order to assist in their overall cause.
Our Present
The Center reached a historical milestone in 2019 by receiving funding from The Simply East Fund, who awarded the Center a grant for general operating support. This was the first time a private foundation invested in our work. This launched us into development and fundraising from private foundations to complement our federal, state, and local grant projects.
Additionally, the Center received:
1) A grant from the NC Governor’s Crime Commission to implement the Juvenile Justice Reinvestment Initiative targeting the “Raise the Age” population;
2) Three continuation grants by the NC Department of Public Safety Office of Community Programs to support Teen Courts and Parenting Wisely;
3) A grant award from the United States Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance to reduce crime in selected “hot spots” utilizing community-based supports in Robeson County