Award Information
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2011, $380,276)
Evaluation of Girls' Delinquency Programs is designed to fund grants to document and measure the effectiveness of delinquency prevention, intervention, and/or treatment programs in preventing and reducing girls' risk behavior and offending. This program is authorized by the Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011, Pub. L. 112-110.
MANILA Consulting Group proposes to conduct an impact and process evaluation of Girls Inc.'s Friendly PEERsuasion, a prevention program designed to help girls ages 11 to 14 avoid substance use. The Friendly PEERsuasion program model is currently being delivered to approximately 10,000 girls nationwide each year. While preliminary evaluation results are promising, this proposed evaluation would determine whether the positive short term impacts previously detected are actually sustained for one year following program participation. MANILA proposes to partner with the National Research Director of Girls Inc. and six (6) Girls Inc. affiliate sites (Albany, GA; Atlanta, GA; Chattanooga, TN; Hagerstown, MD; Newport News, VA; and Pittsfield, MA). The evaluators will test the hypotheses that the program will be effective in reducing girls' use of and attitudes toward substance use, as well as their association with peers who use substances. The researchers propose an experimental design in which girls at six (6) Girls Inc. affiliates are randomly assigned to either treatment or delayed-entry control groups. Girls will complete pre-program, post-program, and one-year follow-up surveys. Program fidelity measures and site visits will be used to identify factors critical to successful program implementation. The evaluators will develop multiple reports that describe the evaluation study and the findings from the process and impact assessments.
CA/NCF