Gang resistance education and training program for the City of Coolidge.

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 Coolidge Police Department will utilize its 2007 G.R.E.A.T. award funds to institute positive reinforcement and prevention of delinquency - this will be their challenge as they begin the implementation of the Elementary, Middle School, and Summer components of the Coolidge Police Department GREAT program. Coolidge Police, Coolidge Unified School District, and the Coolidge community members recognize that implementing the GREAT program would help significantly reduce school and neighborhood violence. The GREAT program would supplement programs currently in place such as the United States Health and Human Services program 'Stop Bullying Now', Coolidge Family Resource Center's 'Character Counts', Pinal County Health Department's 'Project Alert' (used primarily for drug and alcohol prevention), Arizona Department of Economic Security's 'Safe and Stable Families' (teaching families how to deal with high risk youth) and Coolidge Police Department's successful DARE program. Adding GREAT to this list of worthwhile programs would help to reach those youth who fall into high risk categories that other programs may not reach and address those risks at the elementary and middle school level.

CA/NCF