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 Greenville North Carolina Police Department will be working with the Pitt County Sheriff's Department to use the Fiscal Year 2007 G.R.E.A.T funds to implement the middle school and the summer components. There are a total of 1,257 sixth graders enrolled at the six schools. Experienced School Resource Officers will work with the students. Each officer/deputy will teach G.R.E.A.T. for 45 minutes to one hour per day. All 6th grade students will be given a survey to assess their knowledge of, opinions, and any affiliations with gangs; the percentage of 6th graders who graduate from the G.R.E.A.T. program will be collected; activities in the schools, including an increase or decrease in gang-related material, clothing or conflicts will be evaluated; teacher interviews will be conducted at end of the 13 weeks to determine if a change in the students' attitudes and behavior have occurred; each student who graduates from G.R.E.A.T. will be recorded in a database in the officers' laptop computers to be used to determine whether the children succumbed to gang activity after the G.R.E.A.T. training.

CA/NCF