Lisa Thurau is the Executive Director of Strategies for Youth. Lisa founded the nonprofit in 2009 aimed at improving police-youth interactions and reducing the disproportionate impact on minority youth. The organization provides its training, outreach programs, and policy reviews in 25 states, guiding law enforcement in their interactions with youth. Lisa joins Host Anthony Shop to discuss how to adapt core messages to resonate with many different audiences, how to make training effective, and how to influence hard-to-reach groups.

Takeaways:

• Before affecting real change, it is crucial to identify and address information gaps. For example, Lisa understood that law enforcement officers and the youth they interact with had critical gaps in their understanding of each other. She created training to bridge these gaps, significantly improving interactions and reducing unnecessary conflicts. 
• Rather than settling for conventional methods of training or teaching, keep the information practical, relevant and easily digestible for its target audience.
• Consider taking on a “mutual learning” approach. Lisa's organization trained both law enforcement officers and youth, giving each the knowledge of the challenges, rights, and responsibilities of the other. This mutual learning approach fostered empathy, improved interaction quality, and reduced conflicts.
• Emphasizing equality in training is imperative. Providing training for both police and youth legitimizes both points of view while encouraging understanding. 
• Engage younger members of the community by incorporating gamification. For example, Strategies for Youth has the 'Juvenile Justice Jeopardy' game, a novel approach to connect with young people. The game educates youth about their legal rights and responsibilities through an engaging format.
• Use research and real-world data to drive decisions and share your message with others. Lisa's initiatives were always backed by extensive research. She also used surveys to understand public perceptions and effectively align their initiatives.

Quote of the Show:

• “We have to educate the kids and we have to educate law enforcement. And you gain legitimacy with both groups if you tell one you're training the other.” - Lisa Thurau

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-thurau-a537572/ 
• Twitter: https://strategiesforyouth.org/