Graduation Celebration: Empowering Youth through the G.R.E.A.T. Program
DENVER, Colo — Special Agent in Charge Brent Beavers of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ Denver Field Division announced the upcoming graduation ceremony of the Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) program at Munroe Elementary School in Denver May 23. The graduation celebrates the development amongst the students of essential life skills and positive relationships between law enforcement and local community youth.
The G.R.E.A.T. youth and community outreach program was launched in 1991 to proactively combat violent crime. It uses community-oriented policing tactics and community outreach to change perceptions about law enforcement, one student at a time.
The G.R.E.A.T. curriculum includes violence prevention, conflict resolution techniques, decision-making, goal setting and problem-solving. The elementary school curriculum is a six-week interactive session for fourth and fifth graders with an emphasis on family involvement. Students are taught how to set goals, resist peer pressure, respect differences, resolve conflicts and understand how gangs can negatively impact their quality of life. They also learn the importance of becoming responsible members of their communities.
In Denver, G.R.E.A.T. program instructors have focused on helping eliminate delinquency, youth violence and gang membership. The graduation ceremony provides an opportunity to acknowledge the positive changes participating students have made in their lives and their commitment to building a safer and more harmonious community.
"Graduates from the G.R.E.A.T. program are equipped with necessary tools to help them navigate life's challenges with resilience, empathy, and understanding,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Brent Beavers. “As they step into the world, they carry with them the power to deter violence, to build bridges instead of barriers, and to be beacons of hope in their communities.”
Graduation Details:
Date: May 23, 2024
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Location: Munroe Elementary School, 3440 W. Virginia Ave., Denver, CO
Media interested in covering this event should contact ATF’s Denver Field Division public information officer Crystal McCoy at 303-575-7611.
You can learn more about the G.R.E.A.T. Program, its mission, and impact on communities at Fact Sheet - Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) Program | Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (atf.gov) and G.R.E.A.T. Home (great-online.org).
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