“Adapting the Safe Communities Safe Schools Program in violence-prone urban areas in Indonesia” is a 6-year research and implementation collaboration between Danish Institute against Torture (DIGNITY), Center for Study and Prevention of Violence (CSPV) at University of Colorado Boulder, University of Copenhagen (UCPH), Universitas Indonesia (UI), and Universitas Syiah Kuala (USK), to promote pro-social inclusion and wellbeing of marginalized children and adolescents.

The objective of the collaboration is to develop a contextually relevant adaptation of the Safe Communities Safe Schools (SCSS) Model, originally designed and implemented in the USA, and implement the adapted model in two secondary urban areas in Indonesia, namely Depok City and Banda Aceh. The aim is to enhance the wellbeing of children and their families and improve community safety and cohesion through interventions at local schools.

The project addresses two questions:

1. How to break cycles of violence and reduce, inhibit, or remove their detrimental effects on individuals, families, and communities in the digital age; and
2. How to promote health, prosocial behavior, inclusion, and community cohesion.

The ultimate aim is to prevent recruitment of children and adolescents into violent organizations such as organized crime, and/or mobilization for political and/or religious radicalization and extremism, and to help them see new possibilities for the future, including leveraging the benefits of digital media.

It is the first time that the SCSS program will be adapted for use in a new and different cultural setting outside of the USA. The project therefore includes substantial “translational research and implementation science” elements to support the processes of adaptation, implementation, and evaluation.

The knowledge gained from developing, implementing, and evaluating the translocation and translation of a contextually appropriate model will support future projects in adapting interventions across different contexts. It also helps anticipate challenges, limitations, and changes during implementation, providing valuable lessons to improve practices.

Safe Communities Safe Schools (SCSS) is an adaptive model for school safety, meaning it can be applied in different schools around the world. The SCSS Model was originally developed by the Center for Study and Prevention of Violence (CSPV) at the University of Colorado Boulder in 1999, following the Columbine High School Massacre.

The model focuses on community engagement, capacity building, and data-driven decision-making. It can be adapted to different contexts because it is designed to build on each school’s specific resources to promote social, emotional, and physical safety.