Valencia County 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.

The G.R.E.A.T. components to be implemented by the Valencia County Sheriff's Department include the Elementary School, Middle School, Families, and Summer Component. The Elementary component will be taught at five schools to approximately 832 students in the 4th, 5th, and 6th grades. The Middle School component will be taught to a total of 357 7th grade students at Los Lunas Middle School, 284 7th grade students at Manzano Vista Middle School, and 179 5th grade students at Daniel Fernandez Intermediate. All students participating in the G.R.E.A.T. program will be the highest risk students, as identified by school principals, assistance principals, counselors and teachers. The Summer component will be coordinated and implemented through Youth Development, Inc. (YDI) Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m.-3 p.m. for a one week training course. Each week will serve a maximum of 25 students with a total of 150 students served throughout the summer. G.R.E.A.T lessons will be provided by the three trained officers (conflict resolution, career exploration, self-image, etc) and taught in the morning sessions, while afternoons will be reserved for activities to be led by YDI. Activities may include guest speakers and field trips to such places as museums, zoos, activity parks, cultural events, and local businesses and colleges. The Families component will also be implemented in partnership with YDI. G.R.E.A.T. information letters and pamphlets will be mailed to families of children receiving the G.R.E.A.T. curriculum during the school year. Emphasis will be placed on reaching out to parents of the highest risk youth. It is estimated that there will be 3 sets of families doing the six-week course for elementary students and 2 sets of families for middle school students, with class size limited to 10 families for a total of 50 families served.

CA/NCF