Three Tier Program
Prevention
Prevention: Our prevention efforts focus on providing youth with the tools and resources they need to make positive choices and avoid negative influences. Participants will learn life, communication, and decision-making skills and provide opportunities to engage in meaningful activities and mentorship. We aim to enhance the social and emotional competencies of the participants, increasing their resilience and helping to improve their long-term outcomes in school, work, and life.
Intervention
Intervention: We will offer customized interventions for youth already in gangs to help them disengage from gang activities and re-enter a positive path. These interventions will be prescriptive and tailored to meet each participant's needs and may include counseling and other supportive services, education alternatives, or other customized solutions.
Suppression
Suppression: We believe that suppressive measures are needed to disrupt gang activity and prevent the formation of new gangs. Our suppression efforts include developing relationships with law enforcement and other community partners to prevent gang activity and increase public safety.
Purpose
The Lawson Academy Gang Reduction Youth Program (GRYP) is a project aimed at reducing the number of youths involved in gang activities and preventing them from getting deeper into the criminal justice system. This program targets learners between 9 and 17 and seeks positive engagement, mentorship, life skills training, and job readiness to deter them from the streets and into productive lifestyles.
The GRYP program will bring together a team of professionals, mentors, and community members from the public and private sectors to work with the learners. The team will provide wrap-around services, such as counseling, academic assistance, and job placement, to help them build better lives. The primary objective of the GRPY program is to improve life outcomes for young people at risk of gang involvement or gang exposure. The program's success will measure the number of youths diverted from gang activity and graduates who complete the program and successfully transition into productive citizenship.
The significance of our program is different from a typical gang suppression intervention. We encompass emotional intelligence and psychological well-being and pair them with mentorship to achieve individual success through interests and career pathways. Each participant will participate in community-involved programs, meet with counseling resources, improve academic standing through the Accelerated Education curriculum implemented through Lawson Academy, and build knowledge and skills in various industries through job shadowing and certification opportunities by career and technical education instructors.
In summary, the GRYP program has the potential to make a significantly positive impact on the lives of young people who are vulnerable to gang involvement. With the support of stakeholders, this program will change the trajectory of their lives from a life of crime, violence, and poverty to one of hope, prosperity, and possibility.