Ever since the recent spike in gang violence began to draw significant attention from the media and local government, we’ve been told that the city needs to duplicate the so-called “Boston miracle” of the 1990s, an anti-crime movement that garnered praise nationwide.

The miracle was the product of collaboration between law enforcement and local groups — such as the church-based TenPoint Coalition — as they strove to alleviate the stresses on Boston’s hardest-hit neighborhoods. But in recent years, it’s become clear that, as they descend deeper and deeper into the cycle of gang violence, these neighborhoods are becoming alienated from local government and community groups. This deteriorating relationship was most clear during the recent T-shirt controversy, when gang members began showing up at court wearing “Stop Snitching” shirts in an effort to intimidate witnesses. The shirts were subsequently banned from Boston courthouses.

But with yesterday’s announcement by the TenPoint Coalition of a new initiative to send 1,000 volunteers to the city’s most troubled neighborhoods, we have the opportunity to deal a serious blow to gang violence at its roots. It is a welcome and refreshing change of course from all the talk of adding more police officers and other reactionary solutions to the problem of youth violence.

Of course, police are a necessary part of any plan to make the city streets safer. It is the most effective short-term solution, and one that the city needs to find the money to fund. But long-term answers require going beyond traditional ways of looking at crime.

By going door-to-door in troubled neighborhoods, community groups will be able to effect change on a personal level, reaching people who would be otherwise unresponsive to law enforcement. Moreover, the faith-based organizations that are an integral part of this effort have a valuable message to offer the city’s youth — a message of nonviolence and love for one’s neighbor.

But as earnest and effective as the city’s ministerial community may be, the ministers can’t do it alone. Further collaboration between government and community groups is necessary to truly cut down on youth violence, and the mayor should be looking at more ways to expand this relationship. As usual, funding is a problem for the city, but considering that the TenPoint initiative is largely a volunteer effort, it seems the city has a willing supply of people looking to help.

Violence in the city reached a 10-year high in 2005, and it hasn’t shown signs of letting up in the first two months of 2006. But if City Hall and the ministerial community can establish a significant partnership as they have done in the past, we may see a more peaceful Boston by year’s end.