OUT OF HARM'S WAY (OHW) is an initiative that addresses violence and its root causes at the middle school level in Boston. Supported by an anonymous donor, the DELTAS office has partnered with the United Way of Massachusetts Bay to operate this program at several middle schools. View a listing of the Triumph Collaborative sites.


Out of Harm's Way seeks to prevent violence by strengthening school climate and culture as well as expanding the services and care offered to students. To accomplish these goals, each school receives a full-time OHW manager, technical assistance in expanding and integrating OST services, and comprehensive training for teachers and OST staff. This training focuses on helping youth develop resiliency and working with students who have experienced trauma. Provided by national experts in these fields, the training is designed to develop the capacity of both in-school and out-of-school staff to create a supportive environment in which potentially violent students can become successful.

The OHW manager not only provides direct service to students at each site, but also builds the infrastructure necessary to provide those students most in need with comprehensive services and care. This includes assessing student need and increasing participation in afterschool programs, expanding services and care offered at the school, and coordinating these services so that they have the most benefit for students.

A key component of this initiative is evaluation, to determine what strategies are most effective, and to assist in replicating these strategies at new sites. Independent evaluation findings show that OHW — now in its second year of implementation — is making a positive impact on how each site is able to serve children, and is making important strides in the crucial task of reducing school violence.