Saint Paul Police Department G.R.E.A.T. program, 2007

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 City of Saint Paul Police Department, in conjunction with its community partners, will use this grant to expand the current G.R.E.A.T. program by adding the elementary school component, families program and the summer component to its existing middle school component. The police department anticipates it will teach the G.R.E.A.T. program to 226 fifth grade students, 615 seventh grade students, 10 families, and 250 fourth through eighth grade students during the summer component. The G.R.E.A.T. program will be implemented for seventh graders at three middle schools. This program will be taught in social studies as well as the ESL (English as a Second Language) classes. The elementary component will focus on fifth graders in two elementary schools. The families program will include ten families identified as high risk families by the G.R.E.A.T. officers. The summer program will have approximately 50 students participating per week over a five week program, for a total of 250 youth. The summer program will include G.R.E.A.T. lesson plans as well as activities for the youth.

CA/NCF