Been There, Done That, and Now I’m Giving Back: Perspectives from Mentors and Administrators in Community Violence Intervention Programs

Black young people are at high risk for firearm homicide in the USA. A promising intervention for mitigating firearm-related injuries and deaths is mentoring provided by individuals with specific lived experiences with firearm violence and trauma (e.g., credible messengers, violence interrupters) in community violence intervention (CVI) programs. The purpose of this study was to identify the factors through which mentoring interventions in CVI programs could cultivate protective factors (e.g., social support) that prevent interpersonal firearm violence. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 mentors and program administrators in CVI programs in Washington State to examine their insights on the components of mentoring interventions that could work towards preventing firearm violence. A framework was developed through the use of a constructivist grounded theory methodology to capture the components within mentoring interventions in CVI programs aiming to prevent firearm violence among marginalized young people in communities disproportionately impacted by community firearm violence. Implications for both mentoring and CVI research are outlined in the manuscript.