Communications Toolkit

Core Messages

For Youth and Families:

“This curriculum helps young people develop practical skills for handling stress, building healthy relationships, decision-making, and creating positive futures.”

For Community Partners:

“This curriculum is designed for community-based practitioners to build on their existing relationships with young people, focusing on developing skills that have been proven in other settings to lead to more prosocial behavior. No clinical degree is required for implementation. The curriculum is evidence-informed, but has not yet been tested on its own.”

For Funders and Policymakers:

“ECHO is a free, open-source curriculum that is evidence-informed and easily scalable. This curriculum is designed to develop practical skills around emotional regulation and decision-making that have been proven in other settings to decrease violence involvement, improve school participation, and alleviate mental health conditions. This curriculum is evidence-informed, but has not been tested on its own.”

Key Talking Points

• Free, open-source curriculum available to any organization or individual
• Co-designed by researchers at the University of Chicago Crime Lab and clinicians, outreach workers, and other youth development experts at community-based organizations in Chicago and Boston (Breakthrough Enlace, Chicago Cred, UCAN, Metropolitan Family Services, Youth Advocate Programs, Brightpoint, Institute for Nonviolence Chicago, Youth Guidance, Youth Peace Centers, Noble Schools, Roca)
• Helps young people build practical skills to better navigate their environments and make good choices
• Designed by practitioners from programs that use cognitive behavioral principles to affect change for young people”
• Flexible delivery models accommodate different organizational needs
• Trauma-informed approach recognizes youth experiences
• Evidence-informed curriculum with demonstrated effectiveness

Communications Resources

• Curriculum Background
• About page
• FAQ Document

Additional Messaging

“This curriculum is made possible through the partnership of the University of Chicago Crime Lab, Education Lab, and Chicago’s leading community-based organizations serving young people. It is provided free of charge as part of our commitment to scaling effective violence prevention interventions.”