Bronx District Attorney's 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.

The Bronx District Attorney's Office G.R.E.A.T. program will be implemented through a collaborative partnership with the New York City Department of Education. The service area for the proposed program, which will include the middle school and summer components, is located in one of the poorest counties in the nation, with nearly one in four families in the area living below the poverty level, and an estimated 133,531 persons 16-years or older not in the labor force or unemployed. It is anticipated that approximately 1,740 students will receive the G.R.E.A.T. lesson plans during the award period. In order to maximize resources, project activities will be coordinated with area programs that include the Bronx YMCA, Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club, and Weed and Seed. Data to measure outcomes and outputs will be gathered, analyzed, and presented in the schools and community to demonstrate the effectiveness of the program, as well as its importance in improving students' attitudes, behaviors, skills, interest in school, grades, and attendance.

CA/NCF