One Second Collaborative

Addressing and Preventing Youth Gun Violence

United Way of Tarrant County, the Fort Worth Police Department, the City of Fort Worth, Tarrant County and countless community stakeholders have come together to address the escalating issue of youth gun violence impacting our community. We strive for a city and county focused on safety, wellness and resiliency.

The One Second Collaborative is an evidence-based approach to addressing youth violence through unification and coordination of numerous community-based organizations that deliver street outreach, education, counseling, life coaching and other supports to everyday challenges young people are experiencing.

GUN VIOLENCE BECAME THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATHS AMONG TEENS IN 2020, SURPASSING MOTOR VEHICLES*

*Center for Disease Control & Prevention, New England Journal of Medicine

FORMS OF MOBILIZED SUPPORT

Conducting an objective assessment of the nature and scope of the youth gang and violence problem in our communities in partnership with TCU and Rutgers, leading to identification of a priority community or communities and population(s)
Establishing a steering committee of diverse community members and its leaders (e.g., law enforcement, faith-based organizations, nonprofit programs, mental health entities, residents, civic officials) to identify key problems and set program goals
Mobilizing multidisciplinary intervention teams that are appropriately resourced to address the identified problems; must be place- and people-based strategies and may include activities focused on intervention, prevention, suppression, reentry and organizational capacity building
Using common data gathering and collection methodology to report progress and outcomes to constituents and the public
Routinely evaluating the effectiveness of the response to the very real gun violence/gang problem facing our communities, reassessing the problem and modifying approaches as needed

PROGRAM TIMELINE

12/2022

Organizational Structure

1/2023 – 4/2023

Program Team Staffing

4/2023

Steering Committee Meetings

Spring & Summer 2023

Organizational Support RFP Process

Summer 2023-
Winter 2024

Program Implementation

Annually

Program
Evaluation

ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Steering Committee Participation: To ensure this Collaborative is representative of the Tarrant County community, the actions of OSC shall be overseen by United Way of Tarrant County, in partnership with the other coalition members, alongside a community-based Steering Committee with a minimum of 12 and a maximum of 20 members.
Steering Committee Sub-Committees: Once the steering committee has convened and identified the programmatic direction of the collaborative, specific subcommittees (i.e., youth, faith community, civic engagement, substance abuse prevention), will be developed to connect the community to the work
Community Assessment Surveys: The community at large will be asked for their input and feedback on the collaborative’s programmatic work and trust-building within the community

Frequently Asked Questions

Watch this video for more information about the Collaborative’s project plan, timeline, organizational structure and other recent updates.

If you are interested in learning more, send a message to one.second@unitedwaytarrant.org

Hear from One Second Collaborative steering committee meeting member and program director for Communities in Schools, Kimeeka Holmes. She shares her perspective and the issue of teen violence and her hopes for what One Second Collaborative will accomplish.