G.R.E.A.T. for Marquette County-South and West End Communities

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 Marquette County Sheriff's Department plans to provide the G.R.E.A.T. middle school, elementary school, families, and summer components. The G.R.E.A.T. officer will teach the middle school curriculum to approximately 386 seventh and eighth grade students. The elementary school curriculum will be taught to approximately 393 students in the fourth and fifth grades. The families component will target families of high risk youth and participants will include families referred by the schools and volunteers. Five families training programs will be offered during the year and plans are to serve approximately 30 families. The summer component will target youth in the fourth through eighth grades and will be conducted in partnership with the Salvation Army's Project WEAVE program. The summer program will be offered five days per week and the G.R.E.A.T. officer will provide educational and recreational programming to approximately 1,200 youth. Pre/post-tests will be administered to participants in all components to measure outcomes.

CA/NCF