Help Increase the Peace Project (HIPP) is a youth leadership, nonviolence, social action, and anti-oppression training led by young people. In western Mass HIPP is a collaberation between American Friends Service Committee- Raul Matta has been doing hipp for 9 years and is now the youth fellow at AFSC, Youth Leadership in the Arts- an arts and activism group for youth of color and allies and Community Action YOuth Programs- which works primarily with low income youth and youth of color providing many different types of youth leadership and prevention programs. Help Increase the Peace project began in Syracuse New York in 1991 through the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), Youth employment Project. HIPP was modeled after the Alternatives to violence program for prison inmates. Since then HIPP has expanded throughout the country and is still growing. Western Massachusetts is the only place left that does HIPP in its original format which is having a basic training, an advanced, and a training of trainers. IT is youth led and for youth. Youth Trainers get paid for the trainings they lead and each training takes place on friday night, 6 hours saturday and 5 hours sunday. youth leaders also do mini hipps which are an hour and a half in schools. HIPP in an interactive and engaging program based on active learning. Through workshops and followup activities, participants are empowered to reduce youth violence by strengthening cross-racial and cross-cultural understandsing. participants are encouraged to analyze the impact of social injustice on their lives and the lives of others, to look at the ROOT causes of violence, and to become agents for positive personal and social change. HIPP is also fun because a lot of the activities promote team building and trust and sometimes you get to run around and have fun and be silly. These types of activities are mixed in with the serious ones so it is always mixed up and people don't get bored or frustrated.