Athletes for Peace: Exploring the Role of Sports and Emotional Skills in Preventing Youth Violence in Brazil's Favelas

This pilot study aims to inform a full-scale evaluation of the Athletes for Peace program, a sports-based and social-emotional learning (SEL) intervention targeting youth violence and crime reduction in Maré, an area of Brazil marked by the presence of armed criminal groups. In partnership with Fight for Peace, the pilot will test school-based recruitment strategies and assess the feasibility of survey instruments and new data tools to measure outcomes such as emotional regulation, mental health, and peer dynamics in a challenging security context. Additionally, the study will evaluate the availability and quality of administrative records for tracking long-term impacts and develop a monitoring platform to collect data on costs and implementation fidelity. Insights from this pilot will shape the full randomized evaluation in 2027, providing critical evidence for NGOs and policymakers in Brazil on effective strategies to address youth violence and crime in the short and long-run.