New Bedford Police Department's 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 New Bedford Police Department will utilize their Fiscal Year 2007 G.R.E.A.T. funds to continue to implement the elementary school, middle school, family and summer components of the G.R.E.A.T. Program. The middle school component will be taught to the 6th graders in New Bedford's three middle schools and one alternate school with the highest risk youth being taught first. The elementary school component will be taught to the 5th graders throughout New Bedford's 23 elementary schools. The police department anticipates teaching 965 middle school students and 790 elementary school students as well as 240 youth in the summer component. They intend to teach the family component to 100 families during the school year.

CA/NCF