Port St. Lucie G.R.E.A.T. Schools and Families 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 curricula help students develop values and practice behaviors that will help them avoid destructive activities. G.R.E.A.T. program staff coordinate project activities with federal, regional, state, and local agencies, as well as individuals from community and civic groups. The goal of the program is to train criminal justice professionals to deliver a school-based curriculum that teaches life-skills competencies, gang awareness, and violence-avoidance techniques.

The Port St. Lucie Police Department will use its fiscal year 2008 G.R.E.A.T. award to continue implementation of the G.R.E.A.T. middle school and families components with the goal of educating students about the roles they play in society and its affect on their future. In recent years, the county has experienced a growth in the number of reported gangs and gang-related activity, with approximately 54 known gangs in the area. Through the grant, an estimated 2,300 sixth grade students in all middle schools in the city will receive the G.R.E.A.T. curricula. In addition, two families components will be offered twice per year. A collaboration with the Juvenile Restoration Justice (JRJ) program has been developed in order to provide JRJ program members and their families the option of participating in the families component as a sanction. The goal is to serve 10-15 families with approximately 50 participants who will continue to work with JRJ. Six school resource officers will also be certified as G.R.E.A.T. instructors during the grant period.

CA/NCF