Sumter County 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 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.

Sumter County will use the FY 2008 G.R.E.A.T. award to implement the core middle school and summer components, targeting at-risk seventh graders in Sumter County School District Two. The G.R.E.A.T. officers will teach the curriculum to 689 youth at Furman, Ebenezer, Hillcrest, and Maywood Middle Schools in support of the school district's strategy of increasing academic achievement and school safety by improving the school climate. Those students who graduate from the core curriculum program will be invited to participate in the summer program, which shall enhance the teamwork, conflict resolution, goal setting, and communication skills learned throughout the school year.

The overall goals are to prevent youth crime, violence, and gang involvement among the target seventh graders, develop positive relations between students and law enforcement officials, and create safer schools and communities. Grant funds will be used for personnel costs, travel expenses for officers to travel to the G.R.E.A.T. conference and training, supplies, summer camp field trips, and other costs necessary for the implementation of the program.

CA/NCF