Northeast Ohio Level IV GREAT Project

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.

This FY 2007 G.R.E.A.T. grant will support all four G.R.E.A.T. components: Elementary, Middle School, Summer and Family. The project's primary partners (i.e. the implementing law enforcement and local education agencies) are the police departments and school districts of three northeast Ohio cities: Warrensville Heights, Parma and Chagrin Falls, and the East Cleveland Division of Police P.A.L.

Families Component: Families Component implementation will occur in houses of worship. The city of Parma will be the focus of the implementation and co-facilitator trainings will occur at Mount Sinai Baptist Church in Cleveland. Church members will be trained to serve as G.R.E.A.T. co-facilitators and empowered to select the families who participate. Ten families have been identified to participate.

Summer Component: Students from all East Cleveland, Parma and Warrensville Heights will participate together in a wide range of activities as part of the Summer Component. Many of these activities will be coordinated by the nonprofit Institute for Creative Leadership (ICL) who will provide a unique 10-week summer activities program. G.R.E.A.T. officers from all of the partnering law enforcement agencies will contribute to the program and serve as active participants, reinforcing the G.R.E.A.T. lessons, and at least one G.R.E.A.T. officer will be present during all activities. A total of 500 students from East Cleveland, Parma and Warrensville Heights will participate in the Summer Component.

Elementary and Middle School Components: The cities of Parma and Warrensville Heights will participate in the Elementary School Component, and Parma, Warrensville Heights and Chagrin Falls will participate in the Middle School Component. Parma will serve 722 students (357 6th graders and 365 8th graders). The Parma City School District will employ a trained G.R.E.A.T. officer to service Shiloh Middle School and the five elementary feeder schools in that cluster. Chagrin Falls will utilize G.R.E.A.T. officers to teach the Middle School Component to 117 6th graders. In Warrensville Heights, 783 students will be taught from both components (181 4th graders, 195 5th graders, 207 6th graders and 200 7th graders).

CA/NCF