Using prevention principles to develop comprehensive services, effective schools promote "outside" opportunities and alternatives as well as in-school strategies. A journalism program in cities throughout the country proves the point. Consider the contents of VOX: The Voice of Our Generation, Atlanta's only citywide newspaper written by and about teenagers. Like its sister Youth Communication newspapers in New York, Chicago, Boston, Oakland, and other cities, VOX exemplifies many of the prevention principles that make sense for schools, too. But in some ways, VOX succeeds because it is not part of school.
A typical edition of VOX is produced by teens from urban and suburban schools, with writers and stories that clearly cover the cultural variations that typify its readers. Participation and involvement are the key. Instead of the standard array of student council and sports stories, VOX covers community service, mediation, and alternatives to violence. Opinion columns and photos document how young people can play a role in school board and city council decisions. Feature stories inform readers about services relating to drug abuse, child abuse, and homelessness; they also offer stories of teens who "made it" despite the odds, and practical tips on topics ranging from self-defense to how to apply for college.
The expectation communicated in VOX is that teenagers have power in their school and community, that they can make a difference to other people as well as themselves. Writers, photographers, and artists have mentors in Atlanta's commercial media. Students come from public, private, and parochial schools. The paper is distributed through scores of schools and community centers across the county.