City of Passaic 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 City of Passaic's Police Department, in partnership with the Passaic Public Schools, will implement the middle school component at the Lincoln Middle School (LMS) and in ten 6th grade classes that feed into LMS, along with an elementary school component at the City's lowest income and highest risk elementary schools. The program will serve more than 1,682 at-risk elementary and middle school children.

To meet the local and national goals for the G.R.E.A.T. program, a police officer with teaching experience will be introduced into the schools to deliver this research based curriculum into classrooms and to interact in a positive relationship with middle school students in order to prevent youth crime, violence, and gang involvement.

CA/NCF