Our Approach

What We Do

A proven, cost-effective approach to reducing crime and violence among the highest-risk young men in Liberia and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Target Group

Reaching the Highest-Risk Youth

Participants are identified through community referrals and risk surveys — focusing on the young men most likely to be involved in crime and violence.

The STYL Model

Theory of Change

If we recruit high-risk young men and provide group CBT, counseling, and cash transfers — youth will stop antisocial behavior, build sustainable livelihoods, and make communities safer.

Activities

Recruit and train STYL program facilitators

Conduct refresher training

Recruitment of high-risk youth into the program

Deliver STYL program (8-week Group CBT and 1:1 counseling, self-regulation, future planning, and prosocial skills)

Disburse cash grant to participants (Unconditional $300 cash grant)

Outputs

Participants attend the STYL program

Participants receive a cash grant

Early Outcomes

Participants take a future-looking action with cash: bank account opened, relocation from ghettoes, small businesses established, job found, and school enrollment

Participants learn key self-control and planning skills, and practice learned behaviors

Intermediate Outcomes

Participants adopt a more positive prosocial identity, improve self-esteem, mental health, and self-image

Participants become more forward-thinking and self-controlled

Participants have improved financial habits, e.g., saving

Final Outcomes

50% reduction in self-reported theft and drug dealing

Sustainable livelihoods

Improve well-being and increase happiness

Decrease the rates of crime, violence, and anti-social behavior

Positive social externalities

Largest benefits among the highest-risk participants

Increase community safety

Continuous monitoring, evaluation, and learning throughout all stages

Implementation

How We Deliver

Recruitment

We identify the community, accept referrals from community leaders, target outreach in high-risk neighborhoods, and assess risk through survey-based screening to identify the highest-risk youth for enrollment.

8-Week Group CBT and 1:1 Counseling

Structured group therapy covering self-regulation, future planning, decision-making, developing prosocial behavior, and improving self-esteem. One-on-one counseling addresses personal challenges and reinforces group learning. Offered 3 days a week, 3–4 hours a day. On alternate days, facilitators follow up with participants.

Unconditional Cash Transfer (UCT)

Unconditional $300 cash grant to empower youth with start-up support — earning legitimate incomes, starting a small business, finding a job, returning to school, relocating from ghettoes, and opening a bank account — reducing reliance on criminal or informal economies.

Social / Community Reintegration

Ongoing support for building a non-criminal identity and social connections, fostering acceptance and reconciliation, increasing self-confidence and self-worth, strengthening relationships and social support, improving emotional resilience and mental health, and increasing happiness and social cohesion.

Institutional Strengthening

Builds long-term system capacity by training youth-serving organizations in CBT-informed approaches, conducting policy workshops for stakeholders, disseminating policy briefs and implementation tools, and supporting scale-up planning with government and civil society partners through annual review workshops.

Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL)

The STYL model is grounded in a randomized controlled trial origin and maintains a strong MEL system that tracks program attendance, behavioral change indicators, recidivism and violence reduction, and employment and income outcomes.

Looking Ahead

Next Steps & Scale

Grow in Monrovia

Recruit additional high-risk youth every year and build capacity for sustainable yearly cohorts.

Government Partnerships

Explore partnerships with the Liberian Ministry of Youth and Sports and Ministry of Health.

Scale Across Africa

Expand to thousands of young men across Sub-Saharan Africa each year.

Rigorous Replication

Replicate the STYL model with local partners and continued evaluation.

Support What Works

Help us scale proven interventions to reach more high-risk youth across Africa.

Donate Now

STYL is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization (EIN 98-1884645). All donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.