Volume 3 • Issue 2 • summer 2008G.r.e.A.T. News

Attn:Mailing information will be placed here. Check with your local printer/mail house to determine specific information.

No VioleNce is G.R.e.A.T.

© 2007 by the Institute for Intergovernmental Research® (IIR) on behalf of the Gang Resistance Education And Training (G.R.E.A.T.) Program. All rights reserved. For permission to make copies or otherwise use the content herein, contact IIR at (800) 726-7070.

G.r.e.A.T. NATIoNAl ProGrAm offIce

Post Office Box 12729Tallahassee, FL 32317-2729

Phone: (800) 726-7070Fax: (850) 386-5356

www.great-online.orgG.R.E.A.T. Western RegionPortland Police Bureau449 NE Emerson St.Portland Oregon 97211

2008 G.R.E.A.T. National Training Conference

Building Bridges to a G.R.E.A.T. Future

The Gang Resistance Education And Training (G.R.E.A.T.) Program invites you to attend the 2008 G.R.E.A.T. National Training Conference, an instructional event that will help you make an effective impact on the lives of others.A variety of workshops will be available to address the needs of G.R.E.A.T. officers, school and government personnel, and those interested in establishing a G.R.E.A.T. Program in their communities.

Date and Location

July 16–18, 2008 St. Louis, Missouri

Hyatt Regency St. Louis Riverfront (formerly Adam’s Mark St. Louis)

Conference Goals

The 2008 G.R.E.A.T. National TrainingConference will provide strategies for:• Preventing youth crime, violence, and

gang involvement in order to create safe communities.

• Developing positive relationships with youth, parents, school staff, community partners, and others.

• Improving the delivery of the middle school curriculum, elementary school curriculum, summer program, and G.R.E.A.T. Families program.

• Promoting widespread recognition and understanding of the G.R.E.A.T. Program to increase community involvement.

Additional Information atwww.great-online.org/conference2008/

Portland Police Bureau * 449 NE Emerson St. Portland, Oregon 97211 * 1-800-823-7188 * Fax (503) 823-4162REGIONAL ADMINISTRATOR: Sergeant Frank Gorgone

REGIONAL ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT: Narcisa Delgado-Grubb

Western Region

No VioleNce is G.R.e.A.T.

No VioleNce is G.R.e.A.T.Borrowing Best PracticesDON’T Try This at Home

On Saturday, September 29, 2007, a powerful new initiative was launched in Ohio at the Boys & Girls Club of Cleveland, Mount Pleasant facility.

Operation 2nd Chance is a pilot program based upon the idea of United States Marshal Peter J. Elliott. Marshal Elliott worked with a collaboration of community partners to identify youths in Cleveland’s Ward 4 who were having behavior problems that may have resulted from learning disorders. The program identified specific families in Ward 4 who had outstanding truancy and curfew warrants.

These families had their cases heard before Cleveland Municipal Judge Marilyn Cassidy, who set up her court within a Boys & Girls Club facility. Judge Cassidy dismissed the warrants and fines, and each child was then screened for referral of potential disabilities by representatives from the Learning Disabilities Association of Cuyahoga County (LDACC) and the Cleveland Municipal School District, who were present at the facility that day. LDACC also interviewed each parent/guardian to gather other pertinent information for follow-up.

In addition to ensuring that the needs of children with disabilities would be addressed, Judge Cassidy also ordered each family to participate in G.R.E.A.T. Families, a six-week program designed to promote healthy family development and foster positive family behaviors and functioning.

Cleveland City Councilman Zack Reed, who spearheaded this effort within his ward, stated, “We are trying to be proactive instead of reactive before it is too late . . . . I believe this program was very beneficial to my ward and will be very beneficial to the entire city and other cities.”

Collaborative partners included the United States Marshals Service, the Cleveland Police Department, Cleveland City Councilman Zack Reed, the Cleveland Municipal School System, Learning Disabilities Association of Cuyahoga County, Cleveland Municipal Judge Marilyn Cassidy, and the Boys & Girls Club of Cleveland, Ohio. Excerpts taken from the October 1, 2007, press release issued by the U.S. Marshals Service— Northern District of Ohio.

New Classroom Materials for G.R.E.A.T. Officers

The G.R.E.A.T. Program is in the process of developing and piloting animated slideshows of the overhead transparencies that are used in the elementary and middle school classroom instruction. Due to changing technology in schools, the National Training Committee recently approved the development of these slideshows to provide G.R.E.A.T. officers with an alternative to using the traditional overhead projector. The slideshows can be shown using a laptop and LCD projector.

Once the slideshows are ready for distribution, the Officer Resources page on the G.R.E.A.T. Web site will be updated and the files will be available for download. Please ensure that your contact information is accurate in the officer database so you will receive notification of their availability.

Se entregaron certificados a todos los involucrados. Cada una de las familias recibieron un premio extra: una bolsa de nylon deportiva con dos pelotas de fútbol.Ocasió comentó que su involucramiento en el programa fue de forma natural. “Yo era el oficial en el área”, indicó y “y el único que hablaba español de forma fluida”.La gente ya iba al centro Ortiz, Ocasio insistió, así que ¿quién mejor para enseñar el programa que los oficiales que ya estaban ahí?Dijo que varios factores hacen a G.R.E.A.T. un programa exitoso.Enfatiza que la comunicación significa mucho más que hablar y escribir. Uno debe entender el lenguaje corporal y las señales que envía.La gente joven debe también entender el proceso de tomar decisiones. Para hacer sentido de los dilemas que enfrentan en la escuela, comentó, la gente joven debe medir los riegos y los beneficios de cada acción. Sólo con esta clase de análisis uno puede esperar hacer una mejor decisión.Ocasio enfatizó la importancia de buenos ejemplos. Imágenes positivas pueden no sólo venir de héroes del deporte, pero también de los padres y otros miembros de la familia.Habilidades para negarse pueden ser salva vidas cuando los amigos tratan de presionar a la gente joven para tomar drogas o unirse a pandillas. “Muchos niños no saben decir que no”, Ocasio señaló.Ocasio también subrayó el hecho del control del enojo. Perder el temperamento puede traer consecuencias serias.“Mucho de esto es fácil de enseñar porque lo hemos experimentado”, expuso.Además del tiempo de clase, Ocasio comentó “Lanzamos el proyecto de clase”. Que involucra tener a las familias en la comunidad para distribuir los folletos anti-pandillas y anti-drogas y para hablar a sus vecinos de esos problemas.Ocasio sugirió fuentes de otros problemas. Los mensajes recibidos de los programas de televisión o de los videos juegos pueden crear percepciones no realistas, Ocasió expresó. “Los niños ven películas que idealizan a gangsters”.Otros peligros, añadió, el Internet. Los programas pedófilos como Myspace. Los miembros de pandillas dejan sus mensajes ahí.“Es cómo se comunican los niños actualmente”, Ocasión afirmó. Aconsejó a los padres a trasladar la computadora familiar a un cuarto donde las actividades del internet de los niños puedan ser monitoreadas.Un padre involucrado nunca para. Ocasio, padre de tres, aceptó, “Hay cosas que puedo hacer mejor”.Gorgone indicó que compartiendo los alimentos ayudó a romper las barreras entre los oficiales y los civiles. “Lo que hace que este programa tan especial es que todos nos juntamos y comemos juntos”, Gorgone declaró.Gorgone dijo que la óptima clase sería involucrar a 10 familias. Debido a las limitaciones de espacio, el programa sólo acepta seis familias. Esas seis ya fueron escogidas para participar en la siguiente clase que inicia en dos semanas.Para mayor información en el programa G.R.E.A.T. contacta al Sgt. Frank Gorgone al 503-823-2111 o por email great@portlandpolice.org.

No VioleNce is G.R.e.A.T.

No VioleNce is G.R.e.A.T.EL PROGRAMA SE PROPONE MANTENER A LA JUVENTUD HISPANA FUERA DE LAS PANDILLAS

Richard JonesReportero de El Hispanic News

Portland, OR — En la celebración de las Familias de G.R.E.A.T. el sábado por la tarde un observador casual quizá habría asumido que la media docena de familias latinas han sido mejores amigos por años con los cuatro policías de Portland presentes.Esa conjetura habría sido muy lejos de los hechos.“En el primer día ellos fueron desconfiados con la policía”, el Oficial Angel Ocasio comentó. “Ellos sentían que no podían hablar debido a su estatus migratorio”.“El primer día” fue hace menos de seis semanas. El programa de Educación y Entrenamiento de Resistencia a Pandillas (G.R.E.A.T.) empezó a reunirse un sábado por semana en el Centro Comunitario Baltazar Ortiz en el conjunto habitacional Clara Vista en N.E. Killingsworth St. “Les dije que nuestra misión como policías de Portland no es imponer las leyes de inmigración federal”, Ocasio comentó. “Es imponer una colonia donde se pueda vivir. Les dije que cuando vean que se cometen crímenes, que no teman llamar a la policía”.Con ese entendimiento el programa establecido de seis semanas G.R.E.A.T. en el centro Ortiz estaba listo para comenzar.Originalmente lanzado en 1991 y revisado varias veces desde entonces, el programa fue destinado para fomentar mejores relaciones entre los estudiantes y la policía, más conocimiento de las consecuencias al involucrarse en pandillas y reducir los miembros de las pandillas y el comportamiento delincuente. El reporte del Instituto de Justicia Nacional expuso que el programa ha mostrado éxito logrando sus primeras dos metas, pero no la tercera. La última iteración del programa incorporó una nueva característica: fue realizado totalmente en español. Ocasio, quien creció hablando español en Puerto Rico, se convirtió en la parte primordial que mantenía junto al programa en el centro Ortiz.La otra fortaleza vino del Sargento de Policía de Portland, Frank Gorgone. Gorgone, el administrador del programa regional del oeste, enseña a los miembros de su equipo como hacer que el programa funcione.Gorgone, quien ha estado involucrado con el programa desde sus inicios, apuntó que sus primeros intentos tuvieron índices muy bajos de éxito. “Observamos a los que si trabajaron”, Gorgone recordó, “y tomamos las mejores prácticas”.Además de los oficiales de policía, los empleados del Condado Multnomah Daniel García, Odelia García, Fernando Sanjines y Virginia Salinas ayudaron a coordinar el programa, asegurándose que todos los esfuerzos fueran hacia la misma dirección.“Empezamos éste hace seis semanas y no sabíamos cómo iba a resultar”, Daniel García indicó. “Nos hemos dado cuenta que este ha sido uno muy exitoso programa”.Otros que recibieron el reconocimiento por sus contribuciones fueron los defensores públicos de la Ciudad de Portland, Jeremy van Keuren, Stephanie Adams y Baltazar “Buzz” Ortíz. Ortiz, un contratista destacado e innovador de edificios de bajo costo y altas fortalezas, fue decisivo en el desarrollo del centro comunitario que lleva su nombre. Cuatro héroes que no se vieron fueron las niñeras voluntarias. Sus servicios permitieron a los padres a atender las sesiones de G.R.E.A.T.

Un plan para ganar

Una de las características del programa es que involucra a todas las familias, desde los padres hasta los recién nacidos. En el sexto sábado, las seis familias fueron a las ceremonias.

G.R.E.A.T. Families HandoutsNow Available in Spanish

Recently there has been an increase in the number of G.R.E.A.T. officers looking for Spanish resources for families in their communities. To help fulfill this demand, the G.R.E.A.T. Families handouts have been translated into Spanish. The Spanish and English handouts are now available on CD for certified G.R.E.A.T. Families facilitators.

Certified G.R.E.A.T. Families facilitators can go to the G.R.E.A.T. News Web site, www.great-online.org/News/, to download a fillable PDF. The form can either be e-mailed to Fran Gingell at fgingell@iir.com or faxed to (850) 386-5356. After verification that the requestor is certified in G.R.E.A.T. Families, a CD will be mailed to the address provided on the form.

Celebrate a Safe Community This October

Organize safety-focused events during the month of October and your G.R.E.A.T. efforts will not only help your community but will also be eligible for recognition and awards by Celebrate Safe Communities (CSC).

The month of October, Crime Prevention Month, has become the official time for recognizing and

celebrating the practice of crime prevention,while promoting awareness of important issues such as victimization; volunteerism; and creating safer, more caring communities. The efforts throughout the month will generate enthusiasm for prevention awareness in order for it to grow stronger and become more widespread.

By participating in the CSC initiative in October, G.R.E.A.T. officers will have an opportunity to reach out to and interact with their communities as well as market the G.R.E.A.T. Program. If you choose to register your event with CSC, your initiative will also become eligible for recognition and awards.

For more information, please visit www.celebratesafecommunities.org. This Web site will provide you with answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) as well as resources and tools for making your event a success. In addition, at your option, the Web site will provide a way for people to contact you and exchange ideas for activities that promote prevention awareness. Celebrate Safe Communities is a Bureau of Justice Assistance, National Sheriffs’ Association, and the National Crime Prevention Council cooperative project. Excerpts were taken from the National Crime Prevention Council Web site at www.ncpc.org/about/crime-prevention-month.

No VioleNce is G.R.e.A.T.

No VioleNce is G.R.e.A.T.PROGAM AIMS TO KEEP HISPANIC YOUTH OUT OF GANGSRichard Jones

El Hispanic News Writer

Portland, OR — At the G.R.E.A.T. Families Celebration Saturday afternoon a casual observer might well have assumed that the half dozen Latino families had been best friends for years with the four Portland police officers present.That guess would have landed far from the facts.“On day one they were really distrustful of police,” Officer Angel Ocasio said. “They felt that they couldn’t talk because of their immigration status.”“Day one” was less than six weeks ago. The Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) program had just begun meeting one Saturday per week at the Baltazar Ortíz Community Center at the Clara Vista apartment complex on N.E. Killingsworth St.“I told them that our mission as Portland police officers is not to enforce federal immigration laws,” Ocasio said. “It’s to enforce neighborhood livability. I told them that when they saw crimes being committed, don’t be afraid to call the police.”With that understanding established, the six-week G.R.E.A.T. program at Ortíz center was ready to get under way.Originally launched in 1991 and revised several times since, the program was designed to foster better relations between students and police, greater awareness of the consequences of gang involvement, and to reduce gang membership and delinquent behavior. A National Institute of Justice report said that the program has shown success achieving its first two goals, if not the third.The latest iteration of the program incorporated one new feature: it was conducted totally in Spanish. Ocasio, who grew up speaking Spanish in Puerto Rico, became the linchpin that held the program at the Ortíz center together.The other strength came from Portland Police Sergeant Frank Gorgone. Gorgone, the Western Regional Administrator for the program, teaches team members how to make the program work.Gorgone, who has been involved with the program since its beginning, noted that the first attempts had a very low success rate. “We looked at the [ones that worked], “Gorgone recalls, “and took the best practices.”In addition to police officers, Multnomah County employees Daniel García, Odelia García, Fernando Sanjines, and Virginia Salinas helped coordinate the program, making sure that all efforts were pushing in the same direction.“We started this six weeks ago and we didn’t know how it was going to turn out,” Daniel García said. “We have come to realize that this has been a very, very successful program.”Others receiving acknowledgment for their contributions were the City of Portland’s public advocate Jeremy van Keuren, Stephanie Adams, and Baltazar “Buzz” Ortíz. Ortíz, a prominent contractor and innovator of low-cost, high-strength buildings, was instrumental in the development of the community center that bears his name.Four unseen heroes were the volunteer baby sitters. Their services permitted parents to attend the G.R.E.A.T. sessions.

A winning plan

One of the features of the program is that it involves whole families, from parents to toddlers. And on the sixth Saturday, all six families came to the ceremonies.Certificates went to all involved. The families each received an extra bonus: a nylon sports bag with two soccer balls.Ocasio said that his involvement in the program came naturally. “I was a patrol officer in this area,” he noted, and “the only one who spoke Spanish fluently.”

People were already coming to the Ortíz center, Ocasio reasoned, so who better to teach the program than the officers who were already there? He said several factors make the G.R.E.A.T. program successful.It emphasizes that communication means more than speaking and writing. One must understand body language and the signals it sends.Young people should also understand the decision-making process. To make sense of the dilemmas that they face in school, he said, young people must weigh the risks and benefits of any action. Only by this kind of analysis can one hope to make the best decision.Ocasio stressed the importance of good role models. Positive images may come not only from sports heroes, but from parents and other family members.Refusal skills can be life savers when friends try to pressure young people into taking drugs or joining gangs. “A lot of kids don’t know how to say no,” Ocasio pointed out. Ocasio also underlined the matter of anger management. Losing one’s temper can have very serious consequences.“A lot of this is easy [to teach] because we’re all experienced,” he said.In addition to class time, Ocasio said, “We threw in a class project.” That involved having the families go out into the community to circulate anti-gang and anti-drug pamphlets and talk to their neighbors about these problems.Ocasio suggested sources of other problems. Messages received from television programs or video games may create unrealistic perceptions, Ocasio said. “Kids see movies that idolize gangsters.”Other dangers, he added, lurk on the Internet. Pedophiles cruise programs such as MySpace. Gang members even leave their messages there.“That’s how kids communicate these days,” Ocasio said. He advised parents to relocate the family computer to a room where children’s Internet activities can be monitored.A parent’s need to be involved never stops. Ocasio, a father of three, conceded, “There’s things I need to do better.”Gorgone noted that sharing meals helped break the barriers between the officers and civilians. “What makes this program so special is that we all get together and break bread,” Gorgone said.Gorgone said that the optimum class would involve about 10 families. Because of space limitations, the program will accept only six families. Those six have already been chosen to participate in the next class that begins in two weeks.For more information on the G.R.E.A.T. program, contact Sgt. Frank Gorgone at 503-823-2111 or email great@portlandpolice.org.