PROJECT WISE-UP: THE INS AND OUTS OF A SUCCESSFUL PREVENTION PROJECT.

Unless certain destructive behaviors exhibited by today's youth are halted, they have the potential of permanently affecting the health and well-being of our country's most precious human resource. The epidemic of school shootings that struck Paducah, Ky.; Jonesboro, Ark.; Pearl, Miss.; and Springfield, Ore., is just the tip of the iceberg. Today's youngsters are incapable of handling the dynamics of many of the challenges and decisions to which they are exposed. Fact: The national high-school dropout rate for 16- to 19-year-olds is nine percent. Intensifying this reality is the juvenile violent-crime arrest rate for homicide, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault: 305/100,000 (The Annie B. Casey Foundation, 1994).

In Florida, where this success story evolved, the 1994 high-school dropout rate for 16- to 19-year-olds was 13 percent, and the juvenile violent-crime arrest rate was 805/100,000. The state's Alachua County provides even more disturbing statistics. From 1993 to '94, there were 698 cases of detention, 62 percent of which involved African-Americans. Managers transferred 197 of these youngsters to adult court.

These trends, especially as they relate to African-American youth, prompted the prevention initiative Project WISE-UP (Work in School to Educate Yourself for Prevention). After becoming familiar with these statistics, a principal investigator resolved to develop her ideas and find funding for a prevention intervention. The process also involved finding a co-principal investigator and partners, and developing the intervention. Hopefully, this article will contribute to the body of knowledge validating recreation, decision-making, and crime and drug education as valuable strategies in the prevention effort, and share factors contributing to the success of Project WISE-UR

Our success story began in 1994 when the principal and co-principal investigators persuaded the local police department, the Alachua County school board, and the local juvenile justice department to enter into a partnership. The investigators then lobbied with a local member of the Florida House of Representatives and achieved several opportunities to share their ideas and strategies with state-level and juvenile justice stakeholders. The investigators, along with a graduate student, delivered presentations to the state attorney general and members of Florida's Appropriation Committee and Juvenile Justice Department. Goals and objectives were presented in a very logical and systematic manner.

They discussed program components in relation to goals and specific behavioral outcomes. This shed a new light on the potential of recreation, decision-making, and drug and crime education as factors in the prevention equation. As a result, the project's initial two-year funding was extended to a third year.

The Nature of Project WISE-UP

Investigators marketed this program as an innovative, collaborative, client-centered approach to substance abuse and delinquency prevention. The focus was placed upon the early intervention of "high at risk, middle school, African-American youth." Program segments were comprehensive, innovative, interactive, client-centered, and family-oriented, comprising a continuum of integrated, interactive activities consisting of dominant components of a student's environment, community, school, peer group, and family. This element was achieved using an after-school program (the WISE-UP Educational Module), field trips, the game of chess, and a parental component.

Through increased resiliency and protective factors, WISE-UP sought to reduce the risk that youths will engage in dysfunctional behaviors like drugs and crime. This goal was to be accomplished by improving the referrals and academic standing of participants, while decreasing absences and in- and out-of-school suspensions; improving leisure attitudes and participation, while increasing knowledge of the harmful effects of drugs and criminal activities; and improving family interaction through a family-enrichment program.

The Participants

Over the three-year period, 100 middle-school students from a neighborhood housing project in Gainesville participated in the project. Participants were characterized by multiple risk factors including economic distress, alcohol and drug experimentation, chronic failure in school, high school-suspension rates, and learning disabilities. The community's 174 households are predominantly headed by single female minorities. Police regularly patrol this area plagued with drug use, prostitution, violence, and loitering. Busing students to an across-town, upper-middle-class school compounded their problems and at-risk tendencies.

Program Impact

In its first year, the program was responsible for slowing down the rate of academic deterioration. The cases of students being administratively promoted to upper grades were lessened. After two years of participation in Project WISE-UP, participants began to boost grade-point averages (from 1.7 to 2.1), while decreasing absence rates (cut by 54 percent) and school-suspension rates (dropped 76 percent). The number of referrals plummeted by 54 percent. In addition, participants showed improvements in goal-related protective factors, their knowledge about drugs and alcohol increased, leisure perceptions improved by three percent, pre- and posttests on leisure attitudes revealed a seven percent increase, conflict-resolution and decision-making scores increased by 10 percent, family bonding showed a five percent increase, and study habits improved by two percent.

As revealed in participants' quotes found throughout this article, youth recognized the value of participation in the project. One value the staff strove to instill in the participants was a sense of ownership. Progress could only be made if participants bought into the goals and objectives, and acquired a personal sense of responsibility. The quantitative data also included many of these benefits.

Contributing Factors

Scott, Witt, and Foss (1996) noted that professionals needed to identify key program features that contributed to program outcomes. While there were many factors that could contribute to the success of this project, the key factors included a unique partnership, diverse staff, client-centered intervention, unique incentive system, in-depth dosage, parental involvement, culturally sensitive teaching and testing materials, and a teamwork approach.

The Unique Partnership

Many issues confronting leisure services professionals are too large for any one agency to handle. As investigators became familiar with issues confronting these young people, they realized they could not achieve their goals and objectives without the help of other community networks. The theoretical notions of the ecological model also reinforced their beliefs. This model advocates that a prevention project must include all primary spheres of influence within a child's life -- including parents, siblings, teachers, counselors, and juvenile justice and community representatives -- to be successful.

These perceptions became underlying forces in the establishment of partnerships to deliver Project WISE-UP. The University of Florida, District Juvenile Justice Department, police department, Alachua County school board, participants, parents, and housing office all became partners. They provided resources, programming ideas, leadership, and representation on the advisory board.

The Juvenile Justice Department provided a teen-court program and co-sponsored various workshops for parents and juvenile justice professionals. The police department provided speakers for various workshops and after-school sessions. Parents were hired to work in the after-school program and assist in student recruitment and retention. They also supervised field trips and helped in problem-solving. The housing office provided space for project activities.

Community organizations were called upon for resources, volunteers, and financial contributions. For example, LINKS Incorporated provided leadership and admission tickets to various local cultural events. They also provided female participants with the opportunity to take part in the Take a Daughter to Work Day program. In addition to the facility for the project, the school board provided academic data and books, and supported teachers' involvement in the project. Teachers gave updates of students' academic progress and assignments, and suggested exercises to improve performance. School counselors served as liaisons, aiding staff in obtaining access to school resources, additional classrooms, and audio-visual materials.

A Diverse Staff

Effective, sensitive staff were a salient factor in the success of Project WISE-UP, and investigators made an effort to encourage diversity. Individual who had experience working with at-risk youth were recruited; cultural sensitivity was critical.

Staff were chosen based upon their ability to serve as positive role models. Students majoring in health, leisure studies, exercise and sport sciences, educational instruction, counseling, criminal justice, or law were preferred. WISE-UP participants had limited exposure to adults who aspired to higher education, professional careers, or even long-term goals. As a result, positive role models were critical, especially for male participants. As previously noted, single mothers with limited education headed the majority of the households.

The staff, most of whom were graduate students, served as teachers, tutors, research assistants, workshop facilitators, special event coordinators, and bookkeepers. Their main responsibility was to conduct classes in the after-school educational modules. This responsibility included designing lesson plans; identifying and ordering educational resources; and monitoring attendance, academic progress, and achievement of personal educational goals. In addition to data collection and analysis, they also planned special workshops for participants and their parents, recruited volunteers, and sought community involvement. Orientation and in-service training for working with at-risk youth, methods of discipline, and management techniques were provided to all staff involved in the project.

Client-Centered and Comprehensive

At the heart of Project WISE-UP was the after-school educational module, a client-centered, comprehensive, interactive multi-tier prevention initiative. Program components were based upon the unique needs of these at-risk youth. The program included a variety of subjects to foster resiliency or empower youth with various protective factors. There were five submodules: crime prevention, drug education, leisure education, life-skills building (decision-making, problem-solving and conflict resolution), and a tutorial program. Various topics -- sex education, self-esteem, African-American history -- were discussed under each of these areas. The module was interactive; participants were exposed to a very unique and diverse staff. Most lessons were taught using an experiential or interactive multi-tier approach. Program components were designed to fit the personal, social, and educational needs of participants.

Longitudinal Nature of Project WISE-UP

Project WISE-UP was not designed as a "quick hit" Investigators realized the need for an intervention with intensity. Or as they say in the prevention literature, "An in-depth dosage was needed." Because of the overwhelming academic and social problems these students faced, Project-WISE-UP was initially offered for two years. The educational module was offered for two hours, four times a week, in six. teen-week blocks. This coincided with the university's semester system. As reflected by the results of the quantitative data, the longitudinal design of the project was critical. The project was effective in reversing the trends of deteriorating protective factors in the first year. With continuous and intensive efforts during the second year, the project started to show impressive improvements in participants' academic performance and protective factors.

Parental Involvement

Parents were hired to provide supervision in the after-school program and help with recruitment, retention, and problem-solving. Parental involvement was also integral as far as meeting with parents in their homes, inviting them to chaperone field trips, and offering parental workshops.

Culturally Sensitive Teaching and Testing

To be successful, participants had to be offered something unique. Therefore, the staff strove to avoid typical Eurocentric teaching strategies. That meant no lectures, tests, large groups, or long sessions. All sessions were designed to be 30 minutes long and very interactive. Generally, one graduate student -- using a trial-and. error, demonstration, or role-playing method -- would teach a concept, each session. This was followed with one-on-one or small-group interaction. For example, in a decision-making unit, one graduate student would discuss the process of decision-making. He or she may have continued with an inquiry of how students currently go about deciding, and whom they involve in the process. This discussion was followed with a systematic, five-step process.

After this process, participants were showed a video depicting issues confronting today's youth. In small groups, they were asked to solve this issue using the decision-making steps discussed.

A Unique Incentive System

Participation in Project WISE-UP was entirely voluntary. As such, the staff developed a unique three-tier incentive system for recruitment and retention of participants. The first tier, a genuine incentive, was field trips to amusement parks like Busch Gardens and Universal Studios. These incentives served both as "attractors" and long-term rewards for participation in the project Participants were told that they had to be active in 80 percent of project components to receive this incentive. Second, an incentive contract, "My WISE-UP Plan," was developed to promote achievement of project goals via a behavior contract. This incentive focused on project goals. As such, staff guided participants, establishing personal short- and long-term goals. They were rewarded upon achievement. Established goals were often related to project goals. Third, a daily short-term system of incentives was established to maintain positive behaviors and promote dally retention.

Summary and Conclusions

In this age of accountability, recreation, parks, and leisure services agencies need documentation of program outcomes and sound explanations of salient program features. The Benefits-Based Management movement is evolving from this need. It has been reinforced by the overall profession's need to establish itself as a catalyst in solving prevalent social issues.

This is the essence of Peter Witt and John Crompton's repositioning and redefinition notions. Documentation of the value of HPER programs and services is the most difficult type of evaluation because it requires a systematic methodology for collecting information, a careful topology of activities, clearly defined goals and performance outcomes, and specific measure of outcomes and perceived benefits. Despite difficulties inherent in trying to carry out community-based programs, this is vital for an evolving profession. As the profession provides explanations for cause-and-effect relationships, we gain more credibility.

Project WISE-UP, a three-year prevention initiative, has offered a comprehensive, documented example of the benefits and positive outcomes of a structured after-school leisure and drug- and crime-education program. It has provided concrete support to what Witt and Crompton (1996) suggested must be done as the profession moves forward in refining and repositioning itself as a catalyst in solving prevalent social issues. The project has shown that leisure and education can insulate youth from many dysfunctional behaviors common in today's society.

These activities can empower young people to make better decisions, improve their GPAs, and reduce absenteeism and in- and out-of-school suspensions. Students can be educated about the destructiveness of drugs. They can learn to discern the difference between internal and external stimuli.

For example, the student who learned to "avoid fights by talking out her problems." Or the one who said she can "walk away from a fight." These instances reflect awareness that the locus of control rests within our youth. As a result, they do not have to allow outside influences to dictate their behavioral responses.

In closing, the investigators and staff of Project WISE-UP have bridged a theoretical, logical notion with practice. For three years, the staff have toiled to apply discussed theoretical notions such as the ecological model, partnerships, and a quasi-experimental design in a grassroots community setting. Current challenges with our youth require that professionals continue to investigate strategies and opportunities for education and empowerment. Our youth must have the skill, attitude, and readiness to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

References

Annie E. Casey Foundation. 1996. Kids Count Data Book: State Profiles of Child Well-being.

Crompton, J., and P. Witt. 1996. "Positioning: The key to securing tax resources for at-risk youth recreation programs." Proceedings from Parks and Recreation in the 21st Century. Myrtle Beach, S.C., 15-31.

Scott, D., P. Witt, and M. Foss. 1996. "Evaluation of the impact of the Dougherty Arts Center's creativity club on children at-risk." Journal of Parks and Recreation Administration 14 (3): 41-59.

"Practitioners and educators alike have found merit in our strategies and evaluation model," reflects Or. Bertha Cato, an associate professor in the Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism at the University of Florida. The initiative of which she speaks, Project WISE-UP, is an innovative, collaborative approach to substance abuse and delinquency prevention. Cato and co-authors Dr. William Chen, professor and chair, and Dr. Nell Rainford, a doctoral student, both with UF's Health Science Education Department, have watched gradepoint averages rise, absenteeism plummet, and life-altering decisions take a turn for the positive as a result of this three-year prevention initiative (p. 90).