NCJ Number
204809
Journal
Weed & Seed In-Sites Volume: 8 Issue: 3 Dated: August/September 2000 Pages: 1-24
Editor(s)
Penne Soltysik
Date Published
2000
Length
24 pages
Annotation
This report describes specific Weed-and-Seed programs that have been effective in achieving essential elements of the Weed-and-Seed strategy, primary intervention, early intervention, and treatment and re-entry.
Abstract
An aspect of the Weed-and-Seed program in Lowell, MA, illustrates effective creative problem solving regarding an obstacle to youths' access to various youth activities. The impediment was the termination of public transportation in Lowell at 6 p.m., which meant that participants in youth activities were often left stranded or forced to walk long distances late at night to return home from program sites. Partnerships were developed under which various community organizations donated the use of their vehicles for transporting youth to and from program activities. A program in Indianapolis is described to show how the Weed-and-Seed program developed relationships with community youth through an annual Bike Safety Rodeo; and a program in Augusta-Richmond, GA, is portrayed to show how a community festival encouraged greater resident involvement in the neighborhood. Other programs presented as examples of achieving greater community involvement are a Tallahassee (Florida) program of week-long events that solicited resident involvement in various events, as well as a "Cleanup Day" in Fresno, CA. Site programs that pertain to primary intervention focus on targeted code enforcement and nuisance abatement issues, a partnership to achieve lead-abatement in households, an alley-cleanup, and access to health care for uninsured children and teens. Six programs on early intervention have focused on youth involvement in learning about space exploration, trading cards that feature photos of neighborhood police officers, police crime prevention instructors in schools, a kids race against drugs, an arts program for a troubled neighborhood, and a conference for kids and their mentors involved in drug education programs. Also described is a Las Vegas program that provides support for ex-offenders in their efforts to achieve a positive adjustment in the community after release from prison.