Hollywood GREAT Program

The Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) program is a life-skills competency program designed to provide students with the skills they need to avoid gang pressure and youth violence. G.R.E.A.T.'s violence prevention curriculum helps students develop values and practice behaviors that will assist them to avoid destructive activities. The G.R.E.A.T. program coordinates with federal, regional, state and local agencies, as well as individuals from community and civic groups. The goal of the G.R.E.A.T. program is to train law enforcement officers in a school-based curriculum in which the officers provide instruction to school-aged children in life skill competencies, gang awareness, and anti-violence techniques. Training in the core G.R.E.A.T. program is provided to officers from any state or local law enforcement agency.

The Hollywood Police Department (HPD) plans to continue steadily increasing its participation in the G.R.E.A.T program. HPD's strategies include:

- Teaching the G.R.E.A.T curriculum to all seventh grade students in their four public middle schools.

-Implementing a family component that targets at-risk families (usually single parent homes) and focuses on parenting skills.

- Providing after school mentoring and monitoring of the at risk families to ensure the G.R.E.A.T philosophies are working.

- Creating a Juvenile Diversion Unit in which G.R.E.A.T officers would target and track students with high absentee rates, dropouts and other at risk youth.

CA/NCF