Award Information
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2023, $972,405)
The Puerto Rico Intervention, Diversion, and Education (PRIDE) program by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Puerto Rico supports children exposed to violence in two high crime, high poverty communities in public housing complexes. PRIDE seeks to support, expand, and remove barriers to accessing evidence-based programs and practices to help Hispanic youth aged 6-18 discover strengths, reduce system-involvement and exposure to violence and substance abuse. A three-tiered coordinated and comprehensive system of community-based support, PRIDE will provide support to children, youth, and families exposed to violence with trauma-informed, culturally specific services to foster resilience and prevent violence and delinquency. PRIDE will be centered at the Llorens Torres (San Juan) and Arecibo Clubs, and in Y 2 and 3 select programming will expand to additional clubhouses. Tier 1: Universal evidence, strength-based afterschool programming engaging participants (ages 6-18) at two clubs; Tier 2: Targeted supports, brief interventions, and referrals (ages 12-18). Tier 3: Intensive structured diversion and legal services to justice-involved/at-risk youth (ages 12-18). Youth crime and victimization in PRIDE communities reduced by 5%; 100 youth diverted from prosecution; 30% of youth referred through the justice system will not reoffend; and 275 youth receive more intensive Tier 2 and 3 services.