The G.R.E.A.T. 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 Temple Police Department (TPD) will use grant funding to sustain its current G.R.E.A.T. Program and expand it to include 6th grade students of a new middle school campus. The G.R.E.A.T. core curriculum will continue to be taught to all 6th grade students in the Temple Independent School District, but will also include the 6th grade students of a new middle school that is within Temple's limits. This campus will have approximately 250-300 6th grade students. The curriculum will be taught by school resource officers that are assigned to those campuses. This is part of their regular duty on that campus. This not only delivers the curriculum to those students, but also helps to establish a rapport between the School Resource Officer and the students. The TPD believes that the G.R.E.A.T. Program should be taught to all students, not just those that are at risk.

CA/NCF