The BEST program service delivery is guided by the MGPTF’s Strategic Work Plan “Reclaiming our Youth”. A complete description of the MGPTF Strategic Work plan may be downloaded from the MGPTF website http://www.sanjoseca.gov/prns/mgptf.asp . This strategic plan is a collaborative effort involving private citizens, city, county, state, local community-based organizations, youth commissioners, schools, parents, faith community, and local law enforcement. These contributors united behind a plan to positively intervene in the lives of San José youth – to reclaim them from anti-social pulls that have disconnected them from their families, schools, communities, and their futures. This plan for the future combines the latest research on successful approaches to healthy youth development with a new strategy to provide more intervention services to gang-involved youth and disconnected youth. By committing to reclaiming San José’s youth, the community comm

its to get them back into schools, reconnect them with their families and communities, provide them with a supportive and healthy environment to learn and grow, and redirect them toward more pro-social behaviors. Ultimately we envision youth who maintain a sense of responsibility for their actions and accountability to themselves and others.

All youth progress through critical developmental transitions and optimum healthy development is best achieved by promoting assets or strengths in youth, families, communities and schools. (See Search Institute’s description of developmental assets http://www.projectcornerstone.org/html/assets/41assets.htm ). The following are some general ideas for how providers can build assets for children & adolescents:

• Involve youth in leadership program planning, and program evaluation
• Provide a range of structured activities for youth with diverse interests and needs
• Provide opportunities where young people feel supported and safe
• Coordinate activities and priorities with other service providers
• Focus on asset building in programming, including building social competencies, engaging youth service, strengthening personal identity, and shaping risk-avoidance behaviors

One critical component in youth developmental asset theory is resiliency. The hallmark of a resilient child includes knowing how to solve problems or knowing that there is an adult to turn to for help. A resilient child has some sense of mastery of his own life, and if he gets frustrated by a mistake, he still feels he can learn from the mistake. Three core variables of resiliency are:

• High expectations of the youth in the home, school and community;
• Meaningful participation of the youth in the home, school and community; and
• The presence of caring and supportive adults in the home, school and community.

Dr. Edward Latessa, head of the Department of Criminal Justice at the University of Cincinnati, identifies three core principles of effective interventions with juvenile offenders: Risk Principle, Need Principle, and Treatment Principle.

Risk Principle states that treatment intervention should be used primarily with higher risk offenders. Service providers must identify which of the population has the highest probability of being an offender and provide the most intensive intervention to these youth.

Need Principle states that criminogenic predictors of crime and recidivism should be targeted. Criminogenic predictors include anti-social/pro-criminal attitudes, values, beliefs, and peers. Non-criminogenic factors, which are often targeted by programs seeking to reduce recidivism, include low self-esteem and anxiety.

Treatment Principle states that treatment and services should be behavioral in nature. Programs seeking to reduce recidivism in juvenile offenders should use empirically valid behavioral/social learning and cognitive behavioral services specific to risk level. Interventions for offenders need to provide “…structured social learning programs where new skills are taught, and behavior and attitudes are reinforced. Cognitive behavioral programs target attitudes, values, peers, etc..

Prevention programs need to meaningfully engage the youth in learning – so youth can find something that they are good at and motivated to get better. They should provide opportunities for youth to experience all the different modalities of learning such as physical skills, hands-on mechanical skills, art, music, culture, personal development, and other activities that allow youth to demonstrate growth and learning.

Intervention programs need to challenge the mindset of youth participants. A trusting relationship between staff and youth – characterized by respect, care and support – can allow youth to practice new behaviors that lead to pro-social lifestyles.

The San José B.E.S.T. Program aims at supporting programs that develop skills and competencies resulting in healthy and thriving youth and families.

The MGPTF Policy Team has identified the following client service groups:

• Families (including parents and children) and friends of youth involved with the gang lifestyle, have a history of domestic violence, or incarcerated for gang-related crimes.
• Youth ages 12-21 exhibiting high-risk behaviors; youth committing intentional acts of violence.
• Youth exhibiting high-risk behaviors related to gang lifestyles.
• Youth identified as gang members and/or arrested for gang-related incidents or acts of gang violence.

For further information please call the office of San José B.E.S.T. at: (408) 793-5560