Robert J. Bensley, Ph.D. Lori Stegmier, M.A., CHES Associate Professor
Department of HPER
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, MI 49008 Chief Health Educator
Kent County Health Dept.
700 Fuller, NE
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Phone Number: (616) 387-3081 (616) 336-3841
Objective
The purpose of this project was to reduce the risk that youth
living in a public housing complex, located in Kent County Michigan,
will be either perpetrators or victims of violence.
Assessment of Need
At the time of the initial stages of this project, juvenile crime
rates in Kent County were among the highest rates in Michigan.
When compared to the average household, residents of the public
housing unit were 30 times more likely to have weapons violations
and 20 times more likely to have a family member who was the victim
of an aggravated assault. Youth living within this housing unit may
be subjected to extreme economic deprivation, low neighborhood
attachment and community disorganization, friends who engage in
problem behavior, and early initiation of problem behavior.
Strategy
This program was designed to (1) facilitate the development of knowledge,
attitudes, and skills needed to handle life situations in nonviolent ways; (2)
facilitate the development of protective factors and skills needed to handle
life situations in a resilient manner; and (3) provide youth with the opportunity
to practice these newly learned skills in a "real life" setting.
Twenty-nine youth, ages 10-14, took part in an after-school
Campau Youth Club at which two curricula were implemented: (1)
The 33-module Campau Resilient Youth Curriculum, which was designed
to engage youth in activities intended to build protective factors;
and (2) the 26-session Campau Violence Prevention Curriculum, which was
designed to assist youth in handling life in a non-threatening manner.
After the completion of both curricula, youth engaged in a series of
community service activities that were designed to provide youth with the
opportunity to apply newly acquired skills.
Evaluation Approach
Participants completed the Healthy Campau Resilient Youth and Violence
Prevention Scale both prior to implementation and following completion
of the three interventions. A second instrument was administered prior
to and upon completion of the Campau Violence Prevention Curriculum.
Two focus groups were conducted following completion of the interventions
for the purpose of providing qualitative support to quantitative findings.
Implications for the Practitioner
EThis project was an innovative attempt to reach a high-risk-to-violence population
in order to foster violence prevention and resilience skills that would protect
them from being perpetrators or victims of violence. Teamwork and social bonding
may be a useful way to prevent adolescent violence.
For more information, contact either Robert Bensley at Western Michigan
University, HPER Department, Kalamazoo, MI 49008; phone: (616) 387-3081;
or Lori Stegmier at Kent County Health Department, 700 Fuller Ave., NE,
Grand Rapids, MI 49503; phone: (616) 336-3841.
