American Village Kids for Character!

This application proposes a character/civic education outreach program to help prevent juvenile delinquency among 25,000 fifth grade students deemed at-risk, based on poverty, in about 1,000 Alabama schools. The program is based on research that positive character and civic knowledge, skills, and dispositions foster 'connectedness' and a sense of personal and civic efficacy, which in turn, reduce adverse juvenile behaviors. Concomitant goals of increasing knowledge and dispositions for positive personal character and civic roles are the foundation of a third goal: students choosing to model such knowledge and dispositions in individual and civic settings. The goals will be accomplished by creation of an umbrella 'community' of students discovering these important personal roles. The project, now tentatively branded as 'American Village Kids for Character!' will provide an array of outreach resources and student activities based on nine themed month-long challenges spanning the school year. Student participation will be enhanced by targeted free media, and jumpstarted by engaging and powerful regional outreaches to schools. Students will be challenged to progress through activities fostering knowledge, skills, and application, and rewarded with positive recognition. Evaluation will note numbers and scope of participation, and changes in knowledge, skills, and participation in individual and/or civic activities. NCA/NCF