SAGA STUDY REPORT
Spotlight on Risk of Gang Activity Among Youth and Recommended Responses
From the Sun Prairie Youth and Families Commission Subcommittee to Assess Gang Activity
April 2015 © 2015 City of Sun Prairie Youth and Families Commission LETTER FROM SUBCOMMITTEE CO-CHAIRS
un Prairie is a wonderful community. It is a special place to live, learn and for young people to grow up safe. For that reason, the Sun Prairie Youth and Families S Commission enthusiastically accepted the charge from then Mayor John Murray to conduct a study to assess youth-gang activity in Sun Prairie. The Commission’s Subcommittee to Assess Gang Activity (SAGA) also was responsible for developing recommendations to strengthen the community’s response to an issue that threatens the safety of our children. Together we agreed to lead SAGA, which began its work in October 2012. The Report that follows is the culmination of that work and contains what we believe are bold, proactive recommendations to prevent the spread of gang activity and make Sun Prairie an even greater place to raise a family. We began this project with no preconceived notions. During the study more than 75 people from Sun Prairie and Dane County volunteered to assist. We knew there were concerns about an escalating level of gang activity in the Sun Prairie area. Teachers and administrators in the Sun Prairie Area School District, officers in the Sun Prairie Police Department and others who provide services to our youth, expressed these concerns, as did parents of kids at risk and members of the faith community. Gangs and gang-related violence does occur in our growing city as elsewhere in Dane County. In this Report, we explain the steps we took to complete this study, including the resources the SAGA teams relied on to educate ourselves about the issue generally and develop an organized method for researching our community. We benefited greatly from the expertise and backgrounds of the people who came to the table with a mix of professionalism and personal commitment to the project. We extend our heartfelt thanks to all of them for contributing to what became a significant undertaking. We include acknowledgements by name in the body of the Report and in the supplementary material. The Assessment Teams researched data that provided a baseline about police incidents and the demographic makeup of our schools and community. We conducted valuable community conversations and cast a critical eye on best practices locally and nationally. What we found paints a picture of a community that is changing. We also found a community that while struggling slightly to stay ahead of some serious challenges is fortunate to have many resources—including dedicated people—who can address concerns about gang activity. Is Sun Prairie rife with gang violence and crime? You’ll see in these pages that is a hard question to answer completely with available data. Although we do not see gang activity equal to other areas in southern Wisconsin, there are events that disturb the peace and our complacency. The recommendations we forward here were developed, researched and supported by leaders in both the public and private sectors. These recommendations, if enacted, will enhance the lives of youth and provide an opportunity for them to live and learn safely and be positive participants in their community. It would be naïve to think we can eliminate either the threat or the existence of gang activity in Sun Prairie. What we will do, however, is work with school, law enforcement, business, county, faith-based organizations, service providers and other community leaders to implement and support programs that engage youth in our community. Please join us in making this happen.
Mary Ellen Havel-Lang Aaron Oppenheimer, Chair Youth & Families Commission Administrator, City of Sun Prairie
SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 3
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: CALL TO ACTION
enefits to the City of Sun Prairie of the growth it has enjoyed in the last decade or more are many. The community’s appeal to Dane County residents as a good place B to live, run a business and raise a family is apparent in the doubling of its population since 2000. Local support for public schools and library services is strong with serious attention to academics as well as infrastructure. Sun Prairie has attractions that put it on the map as a destination for weekend fun or a congenial night out. Its proximity to Madison also means easy access to a variety of good-paying jobs and first-rate entertainment. For these reasons and more, Sun Prairie attracts a diverse population of residents and visitors that enrich the quality of life for everyone. The fact it also attracts gang-related trouble is an inescapable truth. Recognition of concerns about an increase in the criminality and violence that come with gang activity was the impetus for the study reported here. It also serves as proof that a growing group of community members agree with city leaders about the need to act together and soon to protect the character of a community lauded as safe and welcoming. Targeted recommendations in this Report urge strong action by the community’s public and private sectors to help prevent gang activity in Sun Prairie and reduce the impact of a gang-associated culture prevalent in the region. The Youth and Families Commission and SAGA Steering Committee propose ideas decision makers and activists on this issue can use to build capacity and proactively provide viable alternatives that keep young people engaged in positive rather than dangerous behaviors. These include making greater use of existing resources like in-school programs for youth at risk, peer-to-peer study groups and job training. Many programs the Report spotlights are poised for expansion. Others provide a basis for designing something similar but suitable for serving a diverse and growing population of young people. Other recommendations focus on helping parents with the resources they need to navigate the growing-up years of their children, especially when they struggle themselves. An organized, accessible community resource bank is on the list of bold but achievable recommendations, as is putting the concept of a community center with wraparound services on the table. Importantly, the SAGA Report calls on the City and School District to coordinate efforts to fortify Community Schools. This established but underutilized initiative came up There are opportunities to in many discussions during the study as a program with potential to answer countless needs make a positive difference that decision makers cannot afford to ignore. in the lives of children and There are opportunities to make a positive difference in the lives of children and teens in Sun Prairie but there is work ahead. It is work that demands a unified response from teens in Sun Prairie but there the many groups that gave input over the two years of this study on gang activity. The City, is work ahead. the School District, local law enforcement, area nonprofit agencies, members of the faith community, businesses that call Sun Prairie home and residents in every neighborhood of the city must contribute to this response.
SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 5 CONTENTS
Introduction ...... 7 Project Goals and Process ...... 8 Acknowledgements ...... 9 Comprehensive Gang Model ...... 10 Observations ...... 11 Community Readiness ...... 12 Community Schools Initiative ...... 13 Research Findings ...... 17 • City Demographics ...... 17 • Current Gang Activity ...... 17 • School Data ...... 22 • Hearing from the Community ...... 25 • Best Practices ...... 27 • Community Resources ...... 29 Final Recommendations ...... 31 • Policy and Appropriation/Top Priorities ...... 31 • Administrative ...... 33 • Ongoing ...... 36 Appendices ...... 37 Appendix A: SAGA Study Participants and Sponsors ...... 37 Appendix B: Community Readiness Chart ...... 40 Appendix C: City of Sun Prairie Demographics ...... 42 Appendix D: School Demographics ...... 43 Appendix E: Interview Guide Used in Community Conversations ...... 57 Appendix F: Community Resources ...... 58 Appendix G: Youth Survey Questions ...... 65
6 SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 INTRODUCTION
n August 2012, then Mayor John Murray asked the Youth and Families Commission to study the issue of a growing gang presence in Sun Prairie. The purpose was to help ensure I the City of Sun Prairie takes a proactive approach to checking the spread of violence and criminal activity that accompanies gang culture and puts young people at risk of involvement or victimization.
The Youth and Families Commission charge was to: • Assess current anti-gang efforts by the Sun Prairie Police Department, Sun Prairie Area School District, Dane County, the YMCA, state law enforcement agencies, faith- based and non-profit organizations, and other groups involved in youth and family issues; • Identify gaps in anti-gang strategies and solutions to fill those gaps; and • Outline how the Community School Initiative fits into an anti-gang strategy.
The Youth and Families Commission authorized formation of a Subcommittee to Assess Gang Activity (SAGA) to undertake the charge and present their findings to the Sun Prairie City Council and School District. This document reports on the process and presents final recommendations from the SAGA Steering Committee. The chart below illustrates the structure of the project.
Sun Prairie Youth and Families Commission
Subcommittee to Assess Gang Activity (SAGA)
Steering Committee Assessment Teams Leaders concerned with gang activity who can make agency policy Data, Local Stories & Best changes and be influential Practices with community groups and/or neighborhood groups
SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 7 PROJECT GOALS AND PROCESS
n overriding goal of the SAGA project was to get a clear picture of the level of youth gang activity in Sun Prairie and recommend a balanced response that builds capacity A in existing programs and improves opportunities that steer young people away from gang-related involvement. Finally, the study would identify new proactive strategies for preventing youth-gang activity. Members of the Steering Committee agreed to keep an open mind on the topic and avoid making assumptions. They committed to looking at behaviors, not stereotypes and to avoid using labels. Besides researching the topic quantitatively, the project engaged different community groups (youth and adults) in discussions that provided qualitative evidence of what stage Sun Prairie is at in its readiness to address concerns about youth-gang activity. Central to the study was the work of three Assessment Teams that reported to the Steering Committee. The teams researched the topic of youth-gang activity and solutions for preventing or reducing it from different perspectives. The Data Team gathered and analyzed key statistics to provide baseline numbers about where things stand now based on specific risk factors. The Stories Team collected anecdotal evidence from the community to hear what people think, what they are doing and how they The Steering Committee want the future to look. The third Assessment Team explored best practices Sun Prairie agreed to keep an open might find relevant to addressing youth-gang concerns. The Steering Committee as a whole also looked at how the City and School District mind on the topic and avoid could use study results to educate and inform individuals who work with youth or raise making assumptions. them, and the community as a whole.
8 SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
he SAGA project attracted a diverse group of stakeholders concerned about or affected by the issue of youth-gang activity. Youth, parents, teachers, school T administrators, police officers, faith leaders and concerned community members all got involved. The City of Sun Prairie thanks the many dedicated individuals who contributed their hard work and wisdom to the project. SAGA Co-Chairs Mary Ellen Havel-Lang, Chair of the Youth and Families Commission, and City Administrator Aaron Oppenheimer provided exceptional leadership along with SAGA Vice Chair Luke Waldbillig, a student member of the Youth and Families Commission. Their guidance inspired an active group of Assessment Teams members to roll up their sleeves. They include Youth and Families Commission members James Pontius (also a student), Karen Bailey and Peg Hanson; Gary Nichols of the Sun Prairie Police Department; Wendi Tavs of the Sun Prairie Area School District; Janelle Vreugdenhil from Joining Forces for Families; Randy Molina from the Dane County Neighborhood Intervention Program, and Ann McNeary from the United Way of Dane County. Organizational consultant AB Orlik served the Committee as a volunteer and skilled facilitator throughout the process, keeping the group focused over the course of many discussions. She also led the all-important community conversations. Thank you to Father Mike Tess of Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, Pastor Harold Rayford of Faith, Hope and Love Church, and Buena Vista Community School and Westside Elementary School Principal Rick Mueller for hosting those conversations, and to Boardman & Clark LLP, J H Findorff & Son Inc., Sun Prairie Rotary Foundation, and the Sun Prairie Police Department for sponsoring them. Melissa Havens and Cacy Vaupel of the Sun Prairie Area School District, Jack Wilkinson and Scott Faust of the Sun Prairie Police Department, Beth Krebs and Scott Kugler of the City Planning Department, and community member Keith Lang provided data analysis for the study, an important role. Besides taking the lead on the study project, the Sun Prairie Youth and Families Commission provided financial support. The City also is grateful to the Center for Community Stewardship for providing nonprofit sponsorship of the study. See Appendix A for a complete list of individuals involved in project planning and the study itself.
The City of Sun Prairie thanks the many dedicated individuals who contributed their hard work and wisdom to the project.
SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 9 COMPREHENSIVE GANG MODEL
primary source for the Steering Committee and Assessment Teams was a Comprehensive Gang Model developed by the Office of Juvenile Justice and ADelinquency Prevention (OJJDP), a division of the Office of Justice Programs in the U.S. Department of Justice (http://www.nationalgangcenter.gov/Content/Documents/ Assessment-Guide/Assessment-Guide.pdf). The OJJDP supports state and local efforts to develop and implement effective programs for youth with research, training programs, information and funds for local programming. The agency bases its “model” on an extensive study of successful gang suppression and intervention programs around the country. The SAGA group discussed how to incorporate strategies inherent in the OJJDP model into Sun Prairie’s response to gang concerns. These include mobilizing the community, increasing positive opportunities for youth, recruiting public and private sector groups to help with outreach, and strengthening policies and procedures within and across agencies that work with youth at risk. The Data Team used risk factors for delinquency in the target population identified by the OJJDP to guide their research. Categorized into five developmental domains, the risk factors are family, individual, school, peer group and community.
OJJDP bases its “model” on an extensive study of successful gang suppression and intervention programs around the country.
10 SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 OBSERVATIONS
he U.S. Department of Justice definition of a gang became the basis for the SAGA group’s examination of surveillance video and police incident reports. The definition, T used by the Sun Prairie Police Department and other area law enforcement, reads: A group of three or more persons who have a common identifying sign, symbol, or name and whose members individually or collectively engage in a pattern of criminal activity. Definition of a gang: Assessment Teams member Randy Molina, who works for the Dane County Neighborhood Intervention Program (NIP), has extensive experience with gangs and knowledge of their culture and behaviors. He also leads a NIP program referenced later in A group of three or more this Report for at-risk youth at one Sun Prairie middle school. For the study, Molina viewed persons who have a passing-period video from Cardinal Heights Upper Middle School (CHUMS) and Sun Prairie High School to gather informed, objective observations on the presence of activity common identifying sign, that met the accepted gang definition. symbol, or name and whose Molina followed a strict criteria for spotting actions that signified gang-related activity: members individually or special handshakes or hand signs, colors, altercations between groups, and posturing that showed or implied gang affiliation. collectively engage in a In the CHUMS video, he reports finding nothing to suggest gang activity. “I watched pattern of criminal activity. many youth interacting but they all appeared to be normal and pro-social in nature.” He drew different conclusions from his viewing of the high school tapes, noting several instances that met at least one of his criteria. Several individuals would meet regularly throughout the day and exchange “shake ups,” or gang-like handshakes. “I could not identify a specific gang this handshake belonged to, only that it was consistent and involved upwards of six to eight individuals,” Molina explained in a report to the Steering Committee. “While it is possible the handshake is simply something they do as friends, experience tells me there is more to it.” In his report to the Steering Committee, Molina goes on to describe observations from his day-to-day work with NIP, which brings him into contact with youth who are gang- involved and at risk in communities all across Dane County. He describes using social media to better understand their lives and struggles, and also their gang involvement. “Many youth in Sun Prairie have been involved in ‘cliques,’ some of which have allegiances to the major gangs,” writes Molina. “Although they say they are not a gang, these smaller groups do many of the same activities bigger gangs do and I’ve seen a rise in this kind of activity in Sun Prairie in the recent past.” Gang members from Madison naturally migrate to neighboring communities like Sun Prairie, he notes, a situation that sparks interest among youth in those communities to copy gang behavior. Youth not engaged in pro-social activities risk feeling the pull of gang culture in that scenario. It does not mean Sun Prairie has the gang problem that exists elsewhere, Molina says, but there are dramatic changes in the city that demand attention. Far too many youth are aimless and lack employment, Molina concludes, a scenario that is a breeding ground for gang activity as it is in major cities. “The cliques I’m seeing are small now but the potential is there and that is worrisome. Without more activities to involve youth that counteract gang culture, it will become a major issue in the future.”
SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 11 COMMUNITY READINESS
eadiness on the part of the community to address concerns about an escalation of gang- related activity in Sun Prairie was a critical question for the Steering Committee. R They turned to a model for “community readiness” in use across the country as a tool for analyzing the level of recognition about gang issues among residents and the level of concern. The Assessment Teams used characteristics defined by the model’s nine-point scale to support their research, especially the listening sessions where facilitators measured people’s perceptions. Early stages on the nine-point scale range from no awareness and denial/resistance to vague awareness and unfocused efforts to address an issue. The scale accelerates through small groups responding to a perceived problem with a modest effort through active implementation of programs and a high level of community ownership that signals detailed and sophisticated knowledge about the issue. The proposals for expanding Final recommendations for action at the heart of this Report reflect where the existing efforts and community of Sun Prairie is right now on the readiness scale, including the willingness to act. The proposals for expanding existing efforts and implementing new ones represents the implementing new ones SAGA group’s view that the community is prepared to move beyond vague awareness to represents the SAGA group’s bolder action to prevent and reduce gang-related activity. view that the community is prepared to move beyond vague awareness to bolder action to prevent and reduce gang-related activity.
12 SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 COMMUNITY SCHOOLS INITIATIVE
xisting programs are an important starting point for recommendations in this Report that respond to the challenges faced by young families in the community. The SAGA E Steering Committee especially looked for programs that emphasize a proactive response to concerns about local gang-related activity. Sun Prairie Community Schools is one the group examined in detail to determine how the three-year-old initiative fits into a potential anti-gang strategy. The community schools concept is that of a public school serving as the hub of its neighborhood, offering on-site programs and services that support the success of students and their families. Four components often characterize the community schools model:
1. Establish a partnership between a school and at least one community-based organization. 2. Develop an advisory board with board representation from the community. 3. Offer programs and services that support the academic success of students. 4. Hire a full-time community schools director or coordinator to facilitate all activities.
Focus on Positive
The Sun Prairie Community Schools follows this model closely. It is a partnership of Community Schools mission: individuals and organizations that provide quality programs focused on positive child and youth development. The program does this while meeting the community’s need to keep To enhance the lives of kids safe and families engaged. The Sun Prairie Community Schools mission, adopted in May 2013, reads as follows: students and their families To enhance the lives of students and their families by offering experiences by offering experiences for for social, physical, intellectual, and emotional growth in a safe and social, physical, intellectual, secure environment. and emotional growth The program also adopted this vision statement to help guide ongoing implementation: in a safe and secure Every Sun Prairie Community School will be a thriving and dynamic environment. environment that produces inspired and engaged learners of all ages who trust in, invest in, and benefit from education and become life-long learners.
During the 2012-13 school year, Sun Prairie Community Schools operated at two sites, Buena Vista, located at Westside Elementary School, and Main Street, located at Prairie Phoenix Academy. Community Schools focus on the whole child by providing resources to support academics, health, wellness and social services. Its tangible end goals, listed below, are crucial to the future of a community.
• Children ready and able to learn when they enter school and throughout their school career, achieving a high standard. • Young people prepared to become productive adults in the workplace and at home. • Families and neighborhoods reconnected, safe, supportive and engaged. • Parents and community members involved with school and life-long learning.
Safe and Healthy Choices
The SAGA group learned in its review that Community Schools recognizes all youth have choices about how to spend their time, but gaps in the availability of safe and healthy choices
SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 13 can increase their risk of exposure to disruptive and dangerous behaviors. Access to relevant and appealing youth activities help protect against risk factors for the individual and the community. Pursuits that are educational and socially enriching also reduce the negative impact of circumstances a young person cannot control, like socio-economic status and family structure. In the process of researching how to incorporate the existing Community Schools program into an anti-gang strategy for Sun Prairie, the SAGA group reviewed results from the Sun Prairie Area School District 2010-11 School Performance Report, published in May 2012. It included facts that enumerate an existing state of affairs in the City of Sun Prairie generally and the two Community Schools locations specifically that the program could address, starting with Sun Prairie’s almost 100 percent increase in poverty since 1998 (from13.8 to 27.2 percent). Key statistics about the Comunity Schools sites were informative. • Westside Elementary, site of Buena Vista Community Schools, had: > An increase from 37 to 58 percent over the past seven years in the population it serves of people who are economically disadvantaged based on students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals. > Over 90 students living in a single-parent household, the majority single mothers according to a 2006 review of household information. > Eighteen students who qualify for services under the McKinney Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act based on their family’s housing status. • Prairie Phoenix Academy (PPA), the alternative high school and site of Main Street Community Schools, had: > A reduced-price lunch eligibility rate of 65 percent among its 79 students. > One or more risk factors in the lives of every student at PPA that challenges their progress in school; and > Graduation rate of 88.2 percent compared to 97.8 percent at the traditional high school.
KAT Program Reading Growth Results 2012–13
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0 READING MATH
■ Expected 1 year growth ■ Westside Average ■ KAT students
14 SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 Address Disparities
The School Performance Report also emphasized that, like much of Wisconsin and the country, an achievement gap exists in these schools between students of color and their white peers. Disparities also exist in discipline. A disproportionate number of disciplinary incidents involve African-American students. Among Community Schools activities in the 2012-13 school year, Buena Vista initiated the Kids Achieve Together (KAT) program. High school students tutored 16 elementary school students twice a week in combination with a nutritional snack and activity time. The demographic profile of students participating in the KAT program include:
• Level of poverty: 16 students who are economically disadvantaged; • Language spoken at home: seven students, English; nine students, Spanish; • Race: nine Hispanic, three black, two white and two mixed-race students.
Subsequent tests showed reading growth in the KAT students at Buena Vista of 13.4 percent, a rate 1.3 times greater than the mean reading growth of 9.7 percent (over more than one year) for all Westside students in fourth and fifth grades. See graph on page 14.
Partnership Support
Strong partnerships with community-based groups are an essential component of the community schools model. As of August 2013, Sun Prairie program had 25 partners providing a range of services to kids and their families. Some of those partners include:
• Access Community Health – Celebrate Smiles • Baile Lation culture Connection Dance • Becoming a Love and Logic Parent • Briarpatch of Youth Services of Southern WI • Cooking Class – Creative Chef • CPR and First Aid Classes • Craft Day • Crossroads Sun Prairie Adolescent Day Treatment Program • Early Childhood Intervention • Family Fun Night • Family Resource Center • Family Services of Madison – PICADA • Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation • Jobs for America’s Graduates • Organization of Parents, Teacher & Students (OPTS) • Pre-Season Basketball Clinic • Schools of Hope Tutoring • Ski Day • Suicide Prevention Training • Sun Prairie Action Resource Coalition (SPARC) • United Way Play and Learn • UW Extension Nutrition Education • Watch D.O.G.S. • YMCA Programs and Activities • Youth Center
SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 15 Sun Prairie Community Schools received funding during the past three years from 12 agencies or entities. The program also hosted Community Engagement Team meetings quarterly. Other teams also provide support in these key areas:
• Site Leadership, one at each location • Executive management and oversight • Assessment, Evaluation and Outcomes • Fund Development • Communication and Marketing
Restore Momentum
Reductions in funding mean the Sun Prairie Community Schools continues currently at the Buena Vista Site only and in a limited capacity. Organizers are seeking opportunities to restore momentum there and expand programs again at the Main Street Site. Negotiations to secure a new fiscal agent are underway but hampered by the lack of a lead agency to supervise and direct day-to-day operations. The SAGA Steering Committee offers a key recommendation on page 31 of this Report that addresses what the Youth and Families Commission and Sun Prairie Community Schools advocates see as an effective approach to meeting the current and anticipated needs of the community’s youth population. The School District’s commitment of facility and project support provides a foundation for the program. Next steps include the City and School District finding resources to fund hiring of a program director to help ensure the quality and sustainability of Community Schools.
16 SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 RESEARCH FINDINGS
he SAGA Steering Committee used information gathered by the Assessment Teams to develop final recommendations for this Report. Capsulized here are steps in the T process and key findings that guided Committee discussions and helped members prioritize their proposals for addressing gang-related concerns.
City Demographics
The City of Sun Prairie is one of the fastest growing cities in Wisconsin. Its population increased by nearly 50 percent over the last 14 years. More than 30,400 people now call Sun Prairie home. The chart at Appendix C details the demographic shift in that time period, including population by race, gender and age. Census Bureau data last released in 2010 showed that Dane County saw household income drop at twice the rate nationally. The impact on middle-income households in the County is apparent in the increasing number of poor households. Sun Prairie sees proof of this in the fact there are more students enrolled in area schools living at or below the federal poverty guidelines. Data from the Department of Health Services also shows an increase of more than 35 percent in the number of food stamp recipients in Dane County as a whole since 2008. The SAGA Steering Committee took this and the other information that delineates the population make up of the community into consideration with data on current gang activity, school enrollment and disciplinary measures to guide its final recommendations for preventing and reducing gang activity. It is important to note that City and Police data represent only the City of Sun Prairie. The Sun Prairie Area School District goes beyond city boundaries so District data reflects a larger geographic area. Census Bureau data last released in 2010 showed Current Gang Activity that Dane County saw The Sun Prairie Police Department follows State of Wisconsin guidelines for identifying household income drop at whether an individual has gang involvement, starting with admitted membership in a twice the rate nationally. known gang at the time of an arrest or incarceration. Other factors, like being identified as a member by another known member, being seen associating with a known group or affecting the group’s appearance and actions, also can confirm an individual’s involvement. Nonetheless, determining the number of gang members in any community is difficult, explains Assessment Teams member Scott Faust, who also serves as Assistant Police Chief with the Sun Prairie force. Chief Faust reviewed data collected from police incident reports and provided the Steering Committee with background on the challenge to identifying actual gang involvement. “Individuals leave gangs, shift allegiance or hide their memberships,” he explained. “People the police encounter might be members of a gang, mere associates, marginally involved or aspiring to belong but without success.” A department assessment from 2013 records the number and name or group affiliation of confirmed gang members in Sun Prairie. Although it does not indicate how many members are school-age youth, the information substantiates the presence of these groups and their influence in the community. See table page 18. The Assessment Teams analyzing the data learned that extracting an accurate count of activity by known gangs operating in Sun Prairie is a challenge. Police department records of crimes with a gang connection contain only reported crimes and only those where the police can ascribe the incident to an individual or group that admits to or fits the profile of
SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 17 Gang Names and Member Numbers as of 2013
Gang Name Confirmed Police Department Gang Task Force Specialist Members Comments
Gangster Disciples 8 Generally unorganized with most members claiming Black Disciples 4 an affiliation that stems from their residence in another Vice Lords 5 community or a family affiliation. Black P Stones 3 Mickey Cobras 3
Bloods 6 Most active and organized of the Chicago gangs in Sun Prairie.
Latin Kings 3 Generally unorganized but more so than the Chicago gangs
MAD Boyz/Girlz 3 Cliques or hybrid gangs based in Madison that are very Young Fellaz 4 active and generally well organized. Operate mostly in Deep End 2 Madison but some activity takes place in Sun Prairie.
C-14 10 Most organized and active of the Hispanic gangs. More Southside Locos so than other gangs generally. Chicano Pride
Biker Boyz Group 10-20 Sun Prairie-based group formed in the summer of 2011 at westside park. Original members still active and committing crimes in Sun Prairie. Constantly adds and loses members.
gang affiliation. The total of 12 incidents in 2008 and 2013 ascribed to gang activity included multiple cases of property damage and theft, possession of drugs, malicious mischief, an Loose affiliations, a fluid accident and a traffic stop. membership and the reality Chief Faust cites two incidents over the past four years in Sun Prairie as examples of of arrest can keep a group of juvenile activity that law enforcement scrutinizes for indications they are gang-related. kids looking for trouble from The first began one summer when a group of youths started to meet regularly on a school playground, hanging out and shooting hoops. Eventually, the informal clique turned becoming a full-fledged to minor acts of vandalism and then to physical confrontations with other juveniles. These gang. fights spread to other locations and the original group took a gang name. Their notoriety and level of violence grew until the police took aggressive action. The criminal charges that resulted took the would-be gang out of action but their story mirrors a recent trend, according to Chief Faust. Loose affiliations, a fluid membership and the reality of arrest can keep a group of kids looking for trouble from becoming a full-fledged gang. The second example illustrates how retaliation between different juvenile groups can cause alarm but still not constitute gang activity—despite the brandishing and firing of BB guns. The first of three incidents took place at a playground in Sun Prairie where one group was congregating when the other drove up and an individual in the vehicle stepped out to shoot a BB gun at the young people on the playground. The shot hit one person in the leg. It happened again the next day on a street near the playground. The victimized group finally obtained a BB gun of their own for protection. A citizen observed this group with their gun, however, and alerted police who found them at a convenience store and made arrests. In
18 SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 the end, the Sun Prairie police charged three juveniles with crimes related to the three gun incidents. These examples demonstrate how hard it is for law enforcement to identify precisely what motivates criminal activity among juveniles. Is it gang pressure to act or another reason? Sharing his expert knowledge with the Assessment Teams, Chief Faust notes about “Given that overall gang activity in Sun Prairie, “Given that overall enforcement action by the department has decreased over the measurement period from 2003 to 2013, it is not clear what impact if any enforcement action by the gang membership has had on criminal activity by juveniles during that period.” department has decreased The bar chart below shows Sun Prairie Police Department juvenile enforcement action over the measurement over the three 12-month periods reviewed for this Report. period from 2003 to 2013, Types of Juvenile Enforcement Action it is not clear what impact if any gang membership Warning 470 has had on criminal activity 337 by juveniles during that 393 Referral period,” Assistant Chief Scott
2 Faust notes about gang 106 108 activity in Sun Prairie. Citation 787 462 438 Arrest 190 167 141
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800
■ 2003 ■ 2008 ■ 2013
Authorities define the four enforcement actions in the chart as follows: • Warning – strict caution to avoid breaking the law, traffic or non-traffic; given for truancy, curfew and trespassing. • Referral – report sent to district attorney’s office requesting criminal charges; most often for being disorderly, stealing, weapons or drugs. • Citation – documented offense, traffic or non-traffic; curfew violations, battery, weapons, drug sales, possession of tobacco. • Arrest – individual taken into physical custody with request for criminal charges; theft, operation without a license, drug sales.
The department counts individuals subject to more than one of the actions shown in the graph above only once. There are no duplicated numbers. Youth-gang criminal behavior typically manifests itself in several categories, according to Chief Faust. These can include violent crimes (robbery, aggravated battery, battery, firearms offenses, and disorderly conduct), property crimes (burglary, motor vehicle theft, theft, vandalism), and drug sales. The bar graphs on page 20 show a break down of crimes committed by juveniles in 2003, 2008 and 2013 that led to police enforcement action. Chief Faust explains it is hard to
SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 19 Violent Crimes-Juvenile Enforcement Action
Weapons—All Types 5 45 8 Resisting/Obstructing an O cer 31 32 23 Disorderly Conduct 143 157 168 Battery—All Types 0 17 12 Armed Robbery 0 0 2
0 50 100 150 200
■ 2003 ■ 2008 ■ 2013
Property Crimes/Drug Offense Enforcement Action
Tresspassing—All Types 25 32 107 Theft—All Types 52 36 128 Take/Drive/Operate w/o Consent 10 9 8 Drugs—Selling & Possession—All Types 42 46 59 Criminal Damage 37 52 121 Bomb Scare 1 1 0 Arson 0 0 2 Burglary 0 0 2
0 30 60 90 120 150
■ 2003 ■ 2008 ■ 2013 20 SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 draw specific conclusions about Sun Prairie based youth-gang membership or activity from the data, but change in the community of one kind or another can be a factor. For example, the police believe recently built large retail stores have influenced the increase in juvenile theft and trespassing. Smaller offense-related trends are impossible to ascribe to a cause. The Sun Prairie Police Department is doing further analysis of the increased numbers for property crimes to gain insights on the cause and any relationship to gang membership. The Assessment Teams requested information from the justice system about their response to gang activity and strategies for known gang members who enter the system. Keeping youth out of the system and out of gangs depends on a combination of strategies, according to Jack Wilkinson, an officer with the Sun Prairie Police Department who also serves as a Police/School Liaison. He explains these include home visits to educate a young person and his or her parents about risks of gang involvement, and answering questions and raising awareness of the issue in neighborhood meetings. A close collaboration with other The education of teachers area law enforcement agencies in the School District also helps keep everyone informed. Intensive supervision services and a Dane County Gang Response Intervention Team— and school administrators, now known as the Neighborhood Intervention Program (NIP)—are available to assist with parents and the community incidents that involve juveniles. Wilkinson says NIP does some education and helps law as a whole around gang enforcement form trusting relationships with parents and their kids. “While it’s not always clear the interaction has an affect on the targeted child, I’ve seen younger siblings and concerns is an important parents benefit from the contact and connection to services.” ongoing strategy, as is an The Dane County Department of Human Services does a Juvenile Justice Assessment increase in school-based on all youth referred for a crime and the agency uses a risk assessment they administer for mentoring through NIP case planning. Randy Molina of the Assessment Teams and NIP says the county is looking for ways to do such assessments at the elementary and middle school level before a child gets programs. into the juvenile justice system. School officers also try to intervene early when possible in the schools, a process Wilkinson says generally involves the home visits. “Trust is a powerful relationship piece when dealing with people who face the threat of gang issues in their lives and the lives of their children. We let them know the police want to help and be part of the solution.” Other responses to a youth entering the system because of gang activity include electronic monitoring, basketball leagues, community outreach, cognitive therapies and group-based discussions. The education of teachers and school administrators, parents and the community as a whole around gang concerns is an important ongoing strategy, as is an increase in school-based mentoring through NIP programs. The table on page 22 outlines the questions asked by Assessment Teams with responses from the courts and law enforcement. The Assessment Teams reviewed material from the Sun Prairie Police Department about the status of the comprehensive strategy to address the gang presence proactively. Introduced in May 2011, the most prominent strategy was to establish a team of officers who specialize in gang issues. Today, six officers serve on the department’s task force. The two sergeants, two school liaison officers, a patrol officer and a neighborhood officer meet regularly, receive additional training and have a range of responsibilities.
• Conduct aggressive enforcement when gang-related criminal acts occur • Analyze available data and police reports to identify gang members committing crimes • Investigate criminal acts or assist other officers in their investigations • Share information on gang members with other area law enforcement to assist their investigations • Train all police staff members on gang activities
SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 21 • Maintain liaison with other law enforcement agencies in the area • Make public presentations about gangs and gang issues to help citizens understand how to report suspicious activity and stay safe
Justice System Response to Local Gang Activity
Data Requested Data Received
What law enforcement strategies Community meetings, violence reduction team call-ins, are in place to prevent, intervene collaboration with other law enforcement agencies with, and suppress gang activity? and community agencies. Community outreach.
What other justice system Intensive supervision services, Gang Response programs, services, or activities Intervention Team (GRIT), School based groups. are provided to gang members? Juvenile Cognitive Intervention Programming.
When were these programs Twenty+ years ago for ISPs, GRIT (now Neighborhood started? How have these Intervention Program or NIP) restarted about eight programs changed over time? years ago, School-based groups the last seven years. What success have they had? Mixed success.
Do juvenile justice agencies Yes, as a part of the Juvenile Justice Assessment by conduct individual risk the Dane County Department of Human Services. Risk assessments that include gang assessment done on all youth referred for a crime and membership? used in case planning.
Officers on the gang task How has the community A variety of responses: early intervention services, force also conduct home historically responded to gang community supervision, electronic monitoring, activity? Has this worked? Why basketball leagues, community outreach, cognitive visits with suspected has the problem not gone away? therapies, group-based discussions. Also educate gang members or gang- school personnel, parents and community members around gang issues. involved individuals to ensure they understand the ramifications of Officers on the gang task force also conduct home visits with suspected gang members or gang-involved individuals to ensure they understand the ramifications of their actions their actions and the and the consequences of an arrest. If the individual is a juvenile, the home visit gives the consequences of an arrest. officers an opportunity to involve family members and ask for their assistance in removing the child from the gang culture. The overall strategy, says Chief Faust, charges all Sun Prairie police officers with gang awareness responsibilities. Officers help identify gang members and gang activity. They also refer people who want to remove themselves from gang activity, where possible, to social services and organizations that will help them succeed.
School Data
Demographic and other data from the Sun Prairie Area School District (SPASD) helped the SAGA Steering Committee focus final recommendations related to proactive school-based strategies that address the community’s gang concerns. A significant increase in the student population over the past ten years in Sun Prairie was a major data point. SPASD enrolled more than 2,600 additional students over that
22 SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 period, an upward trend that continues. The School District had an enrollment of 7,598 in the 2012-13 school year and projects up to 9,212 students in the schools by 2021. There also is a change in the composition of the student population. The percentage of students in poverty, those who qualify for the federal free or reduced-price breakfast and lunch programs, changed from 15.2 percent in the 2002-03 school year to nearly 29 percent in 2012-13. Over that same period, Sun Prairie schools saw an increase in students of color among the student body. The percentage of students who identified as African American, Hispanic, Asian, mixed race or other designation in 2002-03 was 13.7 percent. In the 2012-13 school year, students of color made up 31.5 percent of the students enrolled. There was a modest decrease in the number of students requiring special education services from 13.1 percent of the student population in 2003 to 11 percent in 2013. Students with limited English proficiency increased over that time from 2.9 percent to 6.3 percent. Charts detailing demographic data on each school are included in Appendix D. Assessment Teams collected it from SPASD and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. The data comes from the first Friday of September count, the second Friday in January count and, for the graduation data, an end-of-the-year count. SPASD cautioned that a disparity in some of the numbers is typical of a growing school district and the time of year adminstrators collect the data. When people talk about the issue of gang activity in Sun Prairie, the question that often arises is: “Where do new students in the Sun Prairie schools come from?” A review of enrollment data from the 2012-13 school year clarified this key point for the SAGA group. Students with a point of origin outside the United States come from Brazil, Gambia, Kosovo, Mexico and Venezuela. The list of states is longer and includes, alphabetically and with number of students:
• Arizona 4 • California 25 • Colorado 5 • Florida 12 • Georgia 5 • Illinois 26 • Indiana 7 • Iowa 9 • Kentucky 5 • Massachusetts 3 • Minnesota 15 • Missouri 2 • Nevada 4 • New Jersey 1 • New Mexico 2 • North Carolina 1 • Ohio 7 • Oklahoma 9 • Oregon 4 • Pennsylvania 1 • South Carolina 2 • Tennessee 1 • Texas 12 • Washington 2
SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 23 Disciplinary data from recent School District records indicates the variety of approaches administrators, teachers and school social workers use to address risky or non- social behavior on school premises. Assessment Teams reviewed information on the types of actions taken in school to address disruptive behavior and compared totals across the School District for the 2008 and 2013 school years. Data for the 2003 school year was not available. Schools throughout the Half or more than half the time, students were subject to one of three specific discipline types: out-of-school suspensions, expulsions and in-school suspensions. A partial list of district use a disciplinary behaviors that resulted in such action include: program called Positive Behavioral Intervention • Bullying and Supports, a research- • Chronic absenteeism • Drugs based approach that • Fighting supports positive behavior • Gang-related behavior and helps create a safer • Harassment • Threats school environment that is • Vandalism conducive to learning. • Violating school rules • Weapons
The table below tracks the number of incidents in Sun Prairie area schools during two of the school years analyzed for the SAGA study, 2008 and 2013. SPASD did not have matching data for 2003 for technical reasons following a software upgrade.
Discipline Type and Number of Incidents
Discipline Type 2007-2008 2012-2013 Out-of-School Suspensions 534 373 Expulsions 12 7 In-School Suspension 5053 829 All Other Discipline Events 1598 1227 TOTALS 7197 2436
Schools throughout the district use a disciplinary program called Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS), a research-based approach that supports positive behavior and helps create a safer school environment that is conducive to learning. Grade- specific resources in PBIS provide school staff members with tools to encourage respectful interactions and make informed assessments of students at risk. District administrators and teachers follow a progressive discipline approach that tries other options with a child before resorting to stricter measures. SPASD implemented PBIS in 2004, but it was not in wide-spread use until 2011, a fact that might account for the reduction in incidents between the school years presented in the data above. Finally, strong taxpayer support for public schools distinguishes Sun Prairie from other communities its size and underpins why this study to identify strategies to prevent or reduce risky behavior among the City’s youth. The investment in more school facilities is one
24 SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 example of this. SPASD currently operates 12 school facilities to meet the needs of youth and families in Sun Prairie. The expansion from seven facilities in 1998 to 12 in 2010 includes a new high school, two new elementary schools and the renovation of the former high school into an Upper Middle School. The School District operating budget was $74.4 million in 2012-13, a considerable increase over its 2002-03 budget of $42.5 million.
Hearing from the Community
An important aspect of the SAGA study was to check in with the community. The Assessment Teams tasked with reaching out organized a gathering with young people that became known as Reality Check, held a focus group and conducted three Community Conversations involving interested Sun Prairie residents. Consultant AB Orlik facilitated all A forum to explore the four events. real issues facing youth Reality Check, sponsored by the Youth and Families Commission, took place in April in our community!
REALITY CHECK is being organized by and for Sun Prairie APRIL 30, 2014 2014, at Prairie Phoenix Academy in Sun Prairie. Forty-six students in grades 8 to 12 youth in grades 8-12 because there’s no greater power than a community discovering what it cares about. 3:30-7pm Prairie Phoenix Academy Gym Join students from Cardinal Heights Upper Middle School, participated from three area schools. Six adults served as witnesses and pizza waiters. Peace Evangelical Lutheran School, Prairie Phoenix NO CHARGE Academy, Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Catholic School Free busing to and from PPA and Sun Prairie High School for a one-of-a-kind opportunity. Refreshments from No names. No games. No shame. No blame. Just honest Day One Pizza and Schoeps The goal was to get the students talking about what they like about their community conversation—and fabulous prizes. This event is not for spectators. Are you willing to trust that APPLICATION and what is missing. They also shared ideas about what changes they can make and what meaningful conversations can change your world? REQUIRED If so, join us! Request an application from your teacher or Available from teachers student services office and fill it out today. and student services offices others can do to improve opportunities for youth in Sun Prairie. Students moved around the room engaging in conversations with different people Sponsored by the Sun Prairie Youth and Families Commission! on these topics. They kept notes on small-group discussions and then shared the most important points with the full group, organizing them into six main areas: school, community, recreation, support, safety and opportunity. Among things the students listed as positive, or beneficial about school:
• Programs that help them to fill extra time in school productively • The Business/Education partnership • College prep, languages, music, technology and sports “I can make a difference in • Tutoring resources and opportunities to raise their grades • Support for the Minority Student Achievement Network (MSAN) and the Gay ways I didn’t know before.” Straight Alliance (GSA) – Student Participant in • Programs for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) and other diverse Reality Check groups
Outside areas the Reality Check students rated as “best” include city parks, the YMCA, Corn Fest and the library; a helping community that is diverse and has good neighborhoods, and a city small enough to make them feel safe. They also listed liking the fact there are jobs and work programs, and support for education and athletics. Participants identified opportunities for students to make changes by recycling more, recruiting high school sophomores to run for the school board, promoting mature but clean music for high school dances, and doing more to connect with the community in a positive way. Participants shared comments on what they took away from the Reality Check conversation on feedback forms turned in at the conclusion. This is a sampling of those comments.
• “I can make a difference in ways I didn’t know before.” • “Students have a voice and we don’t need grownups to make a change.” • “I know I’m not the only one who wants change.”
SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 25 • “I met some new friends.” • “How to be a better leader.” • “A new mindset on what change really is.”
Asked what they wanted adults to hear, the students wrote: • “They need to listen to kids’ ideas more.” • “Never assume someone is stupid, kids just need someone to listen.” • “Glee Club and better food!” • “Students want change and are willing to work for it.” • “Involve the students more.” • “We do care and we will make a difference.”
Opportunities for action by the School Board and the City Council that emerged from the Reality Check conversation appear in the final recommendations from the SAGA Steering Committee on page 32 of this Report. There are many who are Another event in October 2014 took the form of a focus group. It involved a cross- unaware of gang-related section of interested and concerned adults from the community, the school district, law enforcement and county intervention programs, and the faith community. concerns in the community, The moderator opened by stating there are many who are unaware of gang-related indifferent about them concerns in the community, indifferent about them or dismiss the possibility. She then posed or dismiss the possibility. the question: What should these people know so they gain a better understanding of potential youth gang activity in Sun Prairie? What should these people Highlights from the comprehensive, wide-ranging discussion reflect how the session know so they gain a better benefited from many participants’ experience of connecting with youth in the classroom, understanding of potential while leading after-school programs and patrolling the streets. youth gang activity in Sun • Incidents outside school, like a fight between rivals, reverberate in school hallways for Prairie? days afterwards, a disruption to learning and creating tension. • What happens in Madison spills over into neighboring towns and cities, including Sun Prairie. • Some groups start as seemingly harmless cliques then evolve to form rivalries with other groups and experiment with minor criminal acts that mimic gang activity. • Some evolving groups lack structure or a clear leader, making it harder for authorities to identify, confront and neutralize them. • Even small, disorganized groups can cause significant problems. • It takes just one charismatic kid to come to Sun Prairie and recruit others to join an organized gang. • Every gang or gang-like group does not fit the traditional stereotype of protecting territory or flashing colors; handshakes or hand signals are more the norm in Sun Prairie and Dane County. • Parents sometimes have past or current gang connections and tacitly endorse a child’s involvement; other parents ignore or deny the obvious.
The focus group agreed that whether or not law enforcement and school officials can definitively label certain risky behavior as gang-related, such behavior and its aftermath indicates a need to engage with those involved and steer them in another direction. Several participants who work with youth noted that young people need and want rules that hold them accountable. “Kids yearn for it, even the seemingly tough ones. If you call them out about something, it tells them you’re paying attention. Otherwise, they think, why not join a gang.”
26 SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 The focus group moved from there to exploring how the community can respond to gang concerns. The ideas include:
• Improve access to organized programs in school, after school and on weekends that give youth something better to do than join a gang. • Promote job programs for employment-age youth that give them a way to earn honest money. • Help parents—especially single parents—connect with resources for keeping an at- risk child safe and focused on school. • Educate teachers about gang issues so they can spot risky behavior early and intervene as appropriate. • Communicate more information on the topic to the community and encourage more C mmunity conversations. C nversations about
3Hosted by the YOUTH A total of 33 people attended the community conversations, which took place in Sun Prairie Youth and Families Commission and its Subcommittee to Assess Gang Activity separate sessions in November and December of 2014. These were interactive events that All three sessions are FREE and asked attendees to focus on “moments of excellence when it comes to empowering youth” open to the public. We’ll explore the same questions with new people each time. by telling their own stories about interactions with someone under age 18 that left an 9-11am on Saturday, November 1 Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, 3416 Swansee Ridge impression. Whether it was about something positive or challenging in the young person’s 2-4pm on Saturday, November 1 Come if you Faith, Hope and Love Church, are… 211 E Linnerud Drive life, the question was: Did the adult feel like he or she made a difference by engaging with that
A parent 6-8pm on Monday, December 1 Buena Vista Community School located at A teacher person or felt enriched in return by the encounter? Westside School, 1320 Buena Vista Drive A business owner financial support provided by Sun Prairie Rotary Foundation A neighbor A citizen Onsite childcare available with reservation. Working in pairs, participants took turns describing a particular give-and-take they had Write [email protected]. YOU! with a child or teen. The full group reassembled after this exercise to share memorable high- Sign up in advance at a host site or email [email protected]. lights of the stories they heard from one another. They related what they heard to the themes of trust, relationships, modeling and time that facilitator Orlik used to frame the conversations. SAGA is a project under the fiscal sponsorship of the Center for Community Stewardship Comments collected after each session gave the Assessment Teams an idea of how important such conversations are for building individual awareness. Many of the “storytellers” wrote about how the activity strengthened their determination to talk more with the children in their lives, to listen for what troubles them and what gives them joy. They also saw the importance of sharing what they learned by participating. Other observations included:
• Kids need space to express themselves and contribute. • Help the whole community be involved with youth. • Trust takes time. • Develop more after-school programs. • Support Community Schools in more locations. • Create more volunteer opportunities for kids. • Social media changes our world but family relationships remain challenging. • Need purposeful one-to-one mentoring of youth. • Teach young people value of education.
Feedback gathered from the Reality Check and community conversations generated many ideas for change and reinforced other findings of the study. They also provided the SAGA Steering Committee with material for the final recommendations in this Report.
Best Practices
Learning from what other communities do to address youth gang concerns made sense to the SAGA study. Assessment Teams member Janelle Vreugdenhil, who works with Joining
SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 27 Forces for Families in Sun Prairie, researched school- and community-based programs around Wisconsin and the country that are seeing success in their efforts to provide safe places for youth to participate in structured activities. “Many of the cities had done gang assessments that identified issues of risky behavior among young people,” Vreugdenhil wrote in a report to the Assessment Teams “You can see in their program goals an attempt to identify kids who need help and promote alternatives to gang involvement.” A brief overview of her findings starts in Milwaukee. The Milwaukee Public Schools’ Community Learning Centers (CLCs) are open after school, on evenings and weekends, and in the summer months. Committed to “learning, enrichment and support activities that help lessen exposure to negative influences,” CLCs around the city partner with community organizations like the Boys and Girls Club, businesses, government agencies, families and neighborhoods. Programs include tutoring and homework help, adult learning and job training, nutritional snacks and meals, and recreational/social outlets. It is similar to the Community Schools initiative in Sun Prairie, Vreugdenhil notes, but on a larger scale. Los Angeles runs an early-intervention program to prevent gang involvement for all youth ages 8 to 17 and their parents. The Jeopardy Program is a partnership of community, neighborhood schools and local law enforcement that targets at-risk boys and girls. Its intervention model identifies children needing help through referrals from juvenile court, teachers, parents and police officers. The program notifies parents and conducts family interviews, referring families to local counseling agencies where necessary. It also hosts regular seminars on family issues. Participating children can select from an array of activities designed for learning and active fun in a positive, safe environment. Private donations and grants fund the program. Community Learning Centers also are producing results in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The These and other programs program places a primary focus on closing the achievement gap in academics for low- underscore the notion that it income students. It also provides youth development in the areas of career, character and takes a partnership of many leadership, health and life skills, the arts, and sports and fitness. The two-hour after-school program has a different activity theme every day, from Math Monday to Fitness Friday. One groups to raise, teach and full-time staff member runs the program with volunteer help from college students and guide young people along a community members. High school students also act as tutors and activity instructors. positive path. Kenosha County funds a Summer Youth Employment Program that serves youth up to age 21 who face barriers to employment, like delinquents or kids at risk for delinquency. The county partners with Boys and Girls Club, the school district and a local mental health/ Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse (AODA) counseling agency. Participants work 18 hours a week for a subsidized wage and attend class on Friday to hone skills in resume writing and workforce readiness. The City of Racine, Wisconsin, funds community centers located around the city that offer activities for senior citizens, youth and families. Their focus on youth includes homework assistance, computer lab, a summer lunch program and recreational fun. Each facility has amenities like a kitchen, gym, game room, nutrition room, story-hour room and playground. Racine also runs a program called Gang Resistance Education and Training, or GREAT. Vreugdenhil found GREAT in several communities around the U.S. The program’s goal is to prevent violence and criminal activity by helping youth at all grade levels avoid gang membership and develop a positive relationship with law enforcement. These and other programs underscore the notion that it takes a partnership of many groups to raise, teach and guide young people along a positive path, Vreugdenhil notes. “The idea of ‘it takes a village’ applies here as we look for effective ways to engage at- risk youth—whether they are 5 years old or 18—with the services that reach into the
28 SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 community where they are,” she adds. The Steering Committee based several recommendations on information in the report on community-based best practices, in particular that Sun Prairie explore development of a community center that provides an array of wraparound services that becomes a hub for the community where all ages come to socialize, learn and grow.
Community Resources
SAGA Assesstment Teams member Ann McNeary, AFL-CIO Community Services Liaison with the United Way of Dane County, used her network to assemble a comprehensive list of agencies and programs available for youth and families in Sun Prairie. What she found was a wide array of services that meet the needs of many but not all. “It appears there are fewer services available that meet the needs of the City’s growing low-income population, a fact that presents a challenge to the school district and other social service agencies.” McNeary found that services include faith-based programs (sometimes seen as exclusive) and programs run by the City of Sun Prairie. Area non-profits administer other programs related to their missions. Programs for youth and families generally operate citywide, focus on a particular neighborhood or associate with a specific school. Still others are countywide programs. Many programs are free but some do charge a fee, which can create a barrier for low-income families. In many casers, scholarships are available. Another overwhelming obstacle for many people, notes McNeary, is the lack of accessible, affordable, safe transportation options. It is difficult or impossible for youth and families without reliable transportation to attend programs held after school, across town from where they live or in Madison, she writes in an overview for the SAGA group about resources. Finally, while most programs serving the Sun Prairie community focus on prevention, some emphasize intervention and are available by referral only after there is an incident or problem with a child. A partial list of organizations that provide resources for youth and families follows here to demonstrate the range of programs. Appendix F contains a complete resource list with program descriptions and other details. While most programs
• Access Community Health Centers serving the Sun Prairie • Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dane County community focus on • Black Youth Academy prevention, some emphasize • Boys & Girls Club of Dane County intervention and are • Briarpatch Youth Services, Inc. • Bristol Lutheran Church available by referral only • Buena Vista Community School after there is an incident or • City of Sun Prairie Recreation Department problem with a child. • Common Wealth Development • Dane County Housing Crisis Hotline • Domestic Abuse Intervention Services • Good Shepherd Episcopal Church • Heartland Community Church • Joining Forces for Families • Journey Mental Health Center • Latino Youth Academy • Living Hope Fellowship • Main Street Community School
SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 29 • Mentoring Positives • Neighborhood Intervention Program (NIP) • Northeast YMCA • Oasis • Operation Fresh Start • Project Respect • Proud Theater • Recovery Dane • Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Catholic Church • Saint Albert the Great Catholic Church • Schools of Hope • Shelter from the Storm Ministries • Sun Prairie Community Help Organization • Sun Prairie Emergency Food Pantry • Sun Prairie Public Library • Sun Prairie Share-Ride Taxi Service • Sun Prairie United Methodist Church • Sunshine Connections • Sunshine Place • United Way of Dane County 2-1-1
Of key importance, McNeary and the Steering Committee agree, is the need to improve how organizations communicate information about and access to their services with parents, school personnel and community partners, and keep it accurate and current.
30 SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS
inal recommendations from the SAGA Steering Committee propose actions that require a serious commitment from the Sun Prairie community. Based on an appraisal F of current public and private sector efforts to address youth-gang activity, members’ analysis of police and school data and best practices elsewhere, and the group’s candid conversations with residents across the age spectrum, these ideas also reflect what the Steering Committee believes are changes or improvements within reach. The Committee organized its 19 recommendations under three categories and gave five of them priority status. The categories are: 1. Policy and Appropriations – includes Priority Five 2. Administrative 3. Ongoing
Policy and Appropriations
The early success of the This first set of recommendations require a decision by the City Council, the School Board or other local governing body and budget action. The list begins with the top five actions the program, demonstrated by Steering Commitee considers essential for addressing concerns about youth-gang activity in favorable feedback from Sun Prairie. They appear here in priority order. participants, school staff Q PRIORITY ONE Increase support for Community Schools by employing the and volunteers, indicates resources and active participation of both the City of Sun Prairie and the Sun Prairie that Community Schools Area School District to hire a director and/or recruit a lead agency so the program can has the potential to fill a thrive and expand. The City or School District becomes the lead if none is found. Community Schools began in 2012 under the auspices of the Sun Prairie Youth and Families gap in resources that many Commission as a framework for offering children and families reliable access to healthy and families in Sun Prairie face. positive activities. Program resources support academics, health, wellness and social services. Program goals—preparing children to learn and young people to be productive adults, keeping families connected and engaged, and encouraging life-long learning for all—focus on efforts crucial to the future of the community. As a response to findings from the SAGA study that youth in Sun Prairie crave safe outlets for play and learning, Community Schools emerged as an existing template that deserves a closer look. The early success of the program, demonstrated by favorable feedback from participants, school staff and volunteers, indicates that Community Schools has the potential to fill a gap in resources that many families in Sun Prairie face. Doing so, however, requires the appointment of a dedicated director to provide the leadership that will allow the program to grow. Having the City and School District invest in the position gives Community Schools access to essential infrastructure resources, along with greater stability and accountability. Along with support from the City and School District, explore a range of grant funding, including from state and federal sources.
Q PRIORITY TWO Provide more affordable, accessible transportation options for youth and families, 24/7. More and better transportation is an essential component affecting every other recommendation from SAGA—like job training and jobs, after-school activities, tutoring and mentoring programs and volunteering. These and other necessary and enriching activities rely on having safe, dependable, accessible transportation options so youth can attend and participate in programs that help them avoid risky behavior. Sun Prairie needs mass transit, sidewalks where there are none, and safe bicycle paths and routes. SAGA also recommends support for expanded use and availability of affordable taxi services.
SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 31 Q PRIORITY THREE Create more connections for community involvement/ volunteer opportunities that can redirect youth with a commitment to doing a job that helps others. Explore with the Sunshine Place, United Way of Dane County and other umbrella groups a method for recruiting youth as volunteers. Activities like working in a food pantry, on clothing drives, tutoring younger students or older learners, coaching sports, assisting senior home owners and helping in other areas of need are a healthy free-time outlet that gives youth—especially those too young to work a paying job—the experience of showing up on time, doing their fair share, taking initiative and learning new skills. Structured and available volunteer assignments for youth also teach them the value of giving back to the community.
Q PRIORITY FOUR Consider suggestions from the Reality Check event sponsored by the Youth and Families Commission in April 2014 that invited young people to identify the best things about Sun Prairie and areas where the community could do more to engage youth in positive behaviors. The conversation produced ideas about what both the City Council and the School District can do. First, the City: • Support/promote more positive (fun!) community events • Create more safe social spots in Sun Prairie for kids to gather • Build a roller blading and/or complete the skate park
…And then the School District: • Introduce summer school (enrichment) classes • Add weekend and summer education activities • Support organization of Glee Club • Open gym for after-school and weekend activities • Plan field trips, including tours of local businesses or institutions • Establish career courses and young entrepreneur group • Support opportunities for youth with disabilities • Support Talent and Gifted (TAG) program • Ensure equal distribution of supplies and space to all levels and genders of sports teams (e.g., playing fields) • Earmark money for music and arts programs • Enforce importance of school before athletics • Address bullying
Q PRIORITY FIVE Promote development of a community center—possibly aligned Sun Prairie needs a central with Community Schools—that provides a range of services and programs for youth and place where youth especially families, and city residents of every age. can go to learn, play, grow Sun Prairie needs a central place where youth especially can go to learn, play, grow and stay out of trouble. Drawing from research on the composition and impact of programs in and stay out of trouble. communities around the United States, the subcommittee found that many are a partnership of local government, law enforcement and community residents. Centers operate out of freestanding locations or existing school buildings. They provide a safe after-school and weekend place where young people can participate in structured activities or hang out and socialize. Many, like the Goodman Center in Madison, offer an array of wraparound services and are a hub of activity where all ages and interests intersect. SAGA suggests the City take the lead, possibly organizing a public/private task force to explore the idea and how to implement.
32 SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 Policy and Appropriations
While not prioritized like the five above, these two recommendations similarly require policy and budget action for implementation.
Q Expand existing youth job training programs and develop new initiatives that provide positive workplace experiences and career-focused role models for 14- and 15-year-old youth. Work-age youth in Sun Prairie who participated in community conversations for this study list access to paying jobs as an “opportunity for action” by the community. The City and School District, in partnership with local businesses, need to explore opportunities to connect youth with jobs. Strategies include extending the current high school-based job fair program into the upper middle school, asking more business leaders to participate in Positive results at CHUMS the events and commit to providing summer/weekend jobs or paid internships for job-age and elsewhere suggest Right youth. Explore how to duplicate a summer program the Urban League of Greater Madison runs for youth age 14 to 15 at Cardinal Heights Upper Middle School (CHUMS) in Sun Track’s prevention and Prairie. Youth in the program work 12 hours a week for a local business the Urban League early-intervention approach recruits and spend eight hours a week in the classroom. The state-based national nonprofit works and there is value in organization Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG), which organizes career training in a school expanding its reach in Sun setting for young people at risk of not graduating, represents an existing program that the City and/or School District could help Madison-based Forward Service Corporation expand Prairie. locally. A JAG program the nonprofit employment corporation ran in recent years at Prairie Phoenix Academy (PPA) produced positive outcomes for older students. The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development is another potential resource/partner.
Q Expand the Right Track program for youth at risk in Sun Prairie to include groups for girls and other schools in the program. Right Track is the “philosophical framework” of the Neighborhood Intervention Program (NIP) run by Dane County. The program provides structured social and educational experiences for youth in a school setting. The County currently hosts a single group for boys at Cardinal Heights Upper Middle School (CHUMS) in Sun Prairie. Randy Molina of NIP leads the group, which promotes individual self-esteem and steers youth away from destructive behavior. Positive results at CHUMS and elsewhere suggest Right Track’s prevention and early-intervention approach works and there is value in expanding its reach in Sun Prairie. Responsibility for implementing rests with the School District and the County.
Administrative
Ten recommendations in this category represent no-cost changes or improvements to existing procedural standards. They appear in no particular order.
Q Create a new resource directory that provides access to services for youth who remain outside the juvenile justice system and do not yet meet the definition for gang membership but are at risk of getting involved with a gang. Combine this resource with the development of an overall services clearinghouse for the wider community and expanded data collection. Resources that direct youth to services often target only those who authorities can identify as presently endangered, have committed a crime or have known gang involvement. When an individuals does not fit one of these categories but has some suspected gang involvement, their access to intervention services is minimal or nonexistent. The SAGA
SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 33 Steering Committee recommends the School District, the United Way of Dane County and the Dane County Department of Human Services explore creating a focused, organized referral source that helps school personnel, social workers, police officers and other adults who raise or work with young people take a proactive approach to keeping the ones who risk becoming involved with gangs from going down that path. For the larger clearinghouse, that includes youth-at-risk resources built on existing lists to create an accessible tool that combines in one place the most relevant resources. SAGA recommends the Sun Prairie Area School District take the lead, gathering (and keeping current) information about programs (educational, job skills, social services, healthcare and mental health services, recreational etc.) that help youth and families. The District should work with the United Way, Boys and Girls Club of Dane County, the Urban League, Joining Forces for Families, the Sunshine Place, Forward Service Corporation and other nonprofits, City and County law enforcement, the County Department of Human Services, local businesses and other groups to assemble contents for the clearinghouse. Also explore the opportunity to collaborate or combine with the 2-1-1 program sponsored by the United Way of Dane County. While not Sun Prairie- specific, the program is an information and referral service designed to connect people Encourage positive living in Dane County to a variety of resources that meet their needs. Categories cover crisis mentoring relationships and emergency services, food, housing, transportation, mental health and substance abuse that help redirect youth services, education and more. Access to 2-1-1 is available every day around the clock by telephone or online. Assistance is available in multiple languages. susceptible to gang activity without singling Q Expand the School District’s Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports individuals out. (PBIS) program to help with early intervention in schools. School hallways, classrooms and gymnasiums are places where young people face peer pressure to test the limits. An on-site tool or protocol like PBIS with its approach of conducting one-on-one discussions with a student, can give teachers, school administrators, and social workers a structured way to intercept tough or belligerent conduct before it escalates out of a young person’s control, endangering their personal safety and the safety of others.
Q Develop peer-to-peer student study groups to connect struggling, at-risk students with cohorts who are strong learners. Use existing programs as models. The goal is to encourage positive mentoring relationships that help redirect youth susceptible to gang activity without singling individuals out. An existing effort that mirrors this idea is the SPICE program (Sun Prairie Involved in Children’s Education), which serves 5th graders in the district. The program recruits adults to lead study groups of five to 10 children. Other examples are Schools for Hope and the Urban League’s mentoring program. While none are peer-to-peer as recommended by the Subcommittee, they can provide a platform for something new. Consider integrating into Community Schools “curriculum.”
Q Use Peer Court to address gang-related concerns with youth under 17 years who have a first-offense municipal citation and are willing to plead guilty or no contest. Briarpatch, the nonprofit services organization serving runaway, homeless and at-risk youth in Dane County, runs Peer Court as part of its Court Involved Youth programs. The Sun Prairie Municipal Judge routinely offers Peer Court as an option for eligible juveniles who appear before him. He sent 43 cases to Peer Court in 2013. The program offers non- monetary dispositions, like community service, to youth who opt to plead. If they meet conditions, the court eliminates the conviction from their record. For first offenders with non-traffic citations, Peer Court minimizes the long-term consequences of destructive behavior and maximizes a young person’s chance to change for the better.
34 SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 Q Develop parent-to-parent mentoring programs to support families overwhelmed by the pressures of parenting at-risk youth. Adults struggling with their parenting role are a potential source of family instability that pushes young people to seek that stability elsewhere. When they find it in groups of youth who identify as gangs or participate in risky behaviors, it can lead to trouble. A peer- mentoring program—perhaps incorporated into Community Schools—offers parents of kids at risk an environment where they can explore problems and find solutions in non- threatening, non-judgmental interactions. Consider expanding the curriculum of an existing A peer-mentoring program program, Love and Logic, that is based on a practical, straight-forward approach to helping adults achieve respectful, healthy relationships with their children. offers parents of kids at risk an environment where Q Organize regular community forums that bring residents and police officers they can explore problems together to discuss issues that affect youth at risk of becoming involved in gangs or gang- related activity. and find solutions in The Peacemakers Forums launched in Madison last year can serve as a model for this non-threatening, non- idea. Organizers describe the events as creating a “firm bridge of cooperation” between judgmental interactions. community members and the police. Another recent example is the forum hosted locally by the African American Parent Network. Such an approach offers a chance for the community to build understanding among all stakeholders—parents, teachers, homeowners, business people and police officers. The goal is to unite community members across all groups in development of positive strategies for steering youth away from gang-related activity. Community Schools could be the catalyst for this idea.
Q Explore other data collection opportunities in the police department to provide data that portrays Sun Prairie’s gang situation accurately. The Sun Prairie Police Department will continue to list individuals as gang members according to current state and federal definitions but look for additional tools to collect realistic and fair statistics on criminal activity that are a better barometer on the source of gang concerns.
Q Assign a City of Sun Prairie staff member to oversee implementation of the SAGA Report recommendations and make certain the initiatives move forward in a responsible and timely way. The Youth and Families Commission will monitor progress on implementation of the recommendations and serve as resource where necessary. But it is important the City designate one person to put the effort into motion and report on its progress.
Q Revisit the gang activity study in two years to measure progress in implementing recommendations. Publish an updated report based on the findings. Using baseline data gathered from the first study, a team of people familiar with the effort can measure progress on addressing concerns about gang-related violence in Sun Prairie and explore other opportunities to engage youth in positive behaviors.
Q Designate someone to coordinate quarterly meetings of a group similar to the Subcommittee to Assess Gang Activity Steering Committee for the purpose of continuing the discussion on strategies that direct youth away from gangs. Designate a person or team of people to spearhead this effort. The rich and varied exchange of information during the SAGA Steering Committee meetings over the course of the initial study was extremely valuable. Continued conversations with an expanded group of individuals involved in serving youth allows the community
SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 35 to take advantage of the momentum generated by the study process and benefit all parties. Recruit members to the continuing committee who represent the City, County, schools, law enforcement, juvenile justice, service providers, and local faith-based and non-profit agencies.
Ongoing
Actions or changes already in place appear in these last two recommendations. The Steering Committee includes them to recognize the importance of many ongoing programs or approaches.
Q Continue the policy of community policing in Sun Prairie. The Sun Prairie Police Department currently uses this approach as a way to build ties with Continued conversations members of the community, especially youth, and engage in proactive problem solving. The SAGA study and other sources indicate the department’s work in the schools, and with an expanded group with students and families around the community is a successful strategy for preventing of individuals involved juvenile crime in Sun Prairie and reducing risky behavior that can become dangerous and/or in serving youth allows criminal. SAGA recommends the department continue and strengthen its approach. the community to Q Include questions about gang involvement adapted and modified from the take advantage of the federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) Comprehensive momentum generated Gang Model in the annual Dane County Youth Assessment survey. by the study process and SAGA members were unable to interview community youth directly about their first-hand knowledge or experience of gang-related activities. The County’s annual assessment tool benefit all parties. offered a good alternative. The Steering Committee provided questions based on those from OJJDP that the County added to the latest survey. The questions appear in Appendix G. Participant responses will give community leaders and law enforcement baseline data on youth-gang activity and a way to measure, from year to year, the effectiveness of steps to prevent it. The School District expected to have results from the 2014-15 survey by the end of March, 2015.
36 SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 APPENDIX A SAGA Study Participants and Sponsors
Action Committee to Elevate Youth and Prevent Gang Activity August 2012–April 2015
Tiffany Keogh, Chair & Youth and Families Commission A.B. Orlik, Facilitator Aaron Oppenheimer, City of Sun Prairie Amber Pardo, Sun Prairie Area School District (SPASD) Celestine Cooper, Community Dan Moritz, Northeast YMCA Daniel Kigeya, SPASD Donald Hanson, Community Donna Graves, Community Emily Halverson, SPASD Gary Nichols, Sun Prairie Police Department (SNPD) Jack Wilkenson, SNPD Jahmon Patterson, Urban League of Greater Madison James Pontius, Student member Youth and Families Commission Janelle Vreugdenhil, Joining Forces for Families Jennifer Apodaca, SPASD Jennifer Parks, Youth and Families Commission Johnella McIntoush-Martin, Community Jon Lothe, SNPD Karen Bailey, Youth and Families Commission Kathy (Dammen) Rocker, SPASD Lisa Bollinger, SPASD Luke Waldbillig, Student Member Youth and Families Commission Marlon Brown, Citizen Mary Ellen Havel-Lang, Youth and Families Commission Mike Denu, Northeast YMCA Mike Kostelnik, Sun Prairie City Council Mitch Potter, High School student Nichelle Nichols, Urban League of Greater Madison Peg Hanson, Youth and Families Commission Randy Hepp, Citizen Randy Molina, Dane County Neighborhood Intervention Program Ray Thomson, SNPD Richard Scott, KoJo Productions Rod Johnson, Citizen Scott Ellis, Community Seth Brody, Northeast YMCA Stephanie Ramer, SPASD Tracy Harold, Sun Prairie Library Wendi Tavs, SPASD Will Green, Mentoring Posititives
SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 37 APPENDIX A SAGA Study Participants and Sponsors page 2
Subcommittee to Assess Gang Activity (SAGA) April 2013–April 2015
STEERING COMMITTEE: Aaron Oppenheimer, SAGA Chair, City of Sun Prairie Administrator Mary Ellen Havel-Lang, Chair, SAGA and Youth and Families Commission Luke Waldbillig, Vice Chair, SAGA and Youth and Families Commission Bob Lee, Dane County Children, Youth and Families Division Christina Beach-Baumgartner, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dane County Connie Bettin, Dane County Department of Human Services Dave Mahoney, Dane County Sheriff Dora Zúñiga, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dane County Edward Lee, Director, Urban League of Greater Madison Father Mike Tess, Good Shepherd Episcopal Church Gunna Middleton, YMCA of Dane County Jay Keifer, Program Director, Youth Services of Southern WI Jennifer Apodaca, Director, Student Services Sun Prairie Area Schools John Bauman, Dane County Juvenile Court Judith Rosario, Centro Hispano Karen Menéndez Coller, Centro Hispano Kevin Florek, President & CEO, Tellurian UCAN, Inc, Mary Polenske, Chair, Sun Prairie City Council Mike Denu, YMCA of Dane County Mike Mitchell, Youth Services of Southern WI and citizen representative Nick Zweifel, Supervisor, Dane County Board Pastor Harold Rayford, Faith, Hope & Love Church Pat Anhalt, Chief, Sun Prairie Police Department Paul VanderVelde, YMCA of Dane County Rick Schade, Cross Roads Counseling Services Ron Chance, Joining Forces for Families Stephen Blue, Dane County Department of Human Services Tom Weber, President Sun Prairie Area School Board
Assessment Teams: A.B. Orlik, Facilitator Al Guyant, City Council Ann McNeary, United Way of Dane County Dan Moritz, Northeast YMCA Diane Brown, Dane County Juvenile Shelter Donna Mackey, Community Gary Nichols, Sun Prairie Police Department (SNPD) Jake Germann, Northeast YMCA James Pontious, Student and Youth and Families Commission Janelle Vrengdenhil, Joining Forces for Families Jeb Searls, Department of Corrections (DOC) Jenn Parks, Youth and Families Commission Jon Lothe, SNPD
38 SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 APPENDIX A SAGA Study Participants and Sponsors page 3
Karen Bailey, Youth and Families Commission Lisa Bollinger, Sun Prairie Area School District (SPASD) Luke Waldbillig, Youth and Families Commission Mary Ellen Havel-Lang, Chair and Youth and Families Commission Peg Hanson, Youth and Families Commission Randy Molina, Dane County Neighborhood Intervention Program (NIP) Ray Thomson, SNPD Rick Mueller, SPASD Scott Faust, SNPD Sabrina Sims, Dane County Sherriff’s Office Susan Bender, Community Corrections Tiffany Kvalheim, SPASD Wendi Tavs, SPASD
Special thanks for data analysis: Melissa Havens, SPASD Beth Krebs, City Planning Department Scott Kugler, City Planning Department Keith Lang, Community Member Cacy Vaupel, SPASD Jack Wilkinson, SNPD
Special thanks for hosting community conversations: Father Mike Tess, Good Shepherd Episcopal Church Pastor Harold Rayford, Faith, Hope and Love Church Rick Mueller, Buena Vista Community School
Special thanks for sponsoring community conversations: Boardman & Clark LLP J H Findorff & Son Inc Sun Prairie Police Department Sun Prairie Rotary Foundation
Special thanks for nonprofit sponsorship: Center for Community Stewardship
And all who took the time to participate in the community conversations.
Thanks for additional financial support from the Sun Prairie Youth and Families Commission.
SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 39 APPENDIX B Community Readiness Chart
Adapted from Community Readiness: A Handbook for Successful Change, published by Tri-Ethnic Center for Prevention Research, Fort Collins CO.
Stage Description Appropriate Goal & Strategies
1. No awareness Issue is not generally recognized by the Raise awareness of the issue community or leaders as a problem (or • Make one-on-one visits with community leaders/members it may truly not be an issue) • Visit existing and established small groups to inform them of the issue • Make one-on-one phone calls to friends and potential supporters
2. Denial/ resistance At least some community members Raise awareness that the problem or issue exists in this recognize that it is a concern, but there community is little recognition that it might be • Continue one-on-one visits and encourage those you’ve occurring locally talked with to assist • Discuss descriptive local incidents related to the issue • Approach and engage local educational/health outreach programs to assist in the effort with flyers, posters, or brochures • Begin to point out media articles that describe local critical incidents • Prepare/submit articles for church bulletins, local newsletters, club newsletters, etc. • Present information to local related community groups NOTE that media efforts at the lower stages must be lower intensity as well. For example, place media items in places where they are very likely to be seen, e.g., church bulletins, smaller newsletters, flyers in laundromats or post offices, etc.
Raise awareness that the community can do something 3. Vague awareness Most feel that there is a local concern, • Get on the agendas and present information at local but there is no immediate motivation community events and to unrelated community groups to do anything about it • Post flyers, posters and billboards • Begin to initiate your own events (potlucks, potlatches, etc.) and use those opportunities to present information on the issue • Conduct informal local surveys and interviews with community people by phone or door-to-door • Publish newspaper editorials and articles with general information and local implications
40 SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 APPENDIX B Community Readiness Chart page 2
Adapted from Community Readiness: A Handbook for Successful Change, published by Tri-Ethnic Center for Prevention Research, Fort Collins CO.
Stage Description Appropriate Goal & Strategies
4. Preplanning There is clear recognition that something must be done, and there may even be a group addressing it; however, efforts are not focused or detailed
5. Preparation Active leaders begin planning in earnest; community offers modest support of efforts
6. Initiation Enough information is available to justify efforts; activities are underway
7. Stabilization Activities are supported by administrators or community decision makers; staff are trained and experienced
8. Confirmation/ Efforts are in place; community expansion members feel comfortable using services, and they support expansions; local data are regularly obtained
9. High level of Detailed and sophisticated knowledge community exists about prevalence, causes and ownership consequences; effective evaluation guides new directions; model is applied to other issues
SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 41 APPENDIX C Food Share data comes from of Health Services the Dept. 5 year estimates Community*** 2012 American Survey 3–year Community** 2011–2013 American Survey estimates 3–year Community* 2006–2008 American Survey e stimates Source: of food share recipients in Dane County Number of Persons on Food Stamp (SNAP), monthly average number ConfirmedReports Child Abuse and Neglect Teen (per 1,000) Rate Birth % Single-Parent Households Graduates School or higher (25 years% High and older) % Unemployment % Female Households Below Poverty (with children under 18 years) % Families Below Poverty Poverty Threshold (family of 4) Average (Dollars) Household Income (Dollars) Household Income Median 64 % Over Years % 44–64 Years % 25–44 Yearrs % 20–24 Years % 15–19 Years % 10–14 Years % Under 10 Years % Other % Native American/Indian % Asian % Caucasian/White % Hispanic/Lation % African American/Black % Females % Males Total Population Category
City Demographics City
59,727 51,345 20,369 92.68 51.87 48.13 2000 92.9 19.8 37.2 16.4 2.59 0.29 1.34 2.72 8.2 3.9 3.8 9.3 6.1 7.2 7.8 3.1 16
2003
26,045 78,683 66,054 27,700 2008* 90.69 49.24 50.75 11.8 93.7 31.2 22.1 33.5 16.8 1.19 2.46 4.51 1.05 5.4 4.4 9.5 5.7 6.5 6.1 0.1
39,070 77,597 29,364 65652 2010 94.4 26.6 26.6 28.9 15.4 85.4 48.5 51.5 5.3 3.8 7.7 6.6 7.5 7.6 4.4 0.3 4.3 6.1 3.7 11
2012** 52,199 80,232 29,274 67294 50.83 49.17 15.9 95.1 28.8 22.9 33.2 15.1 87.9 0.1 4.5 9.5 5.5 6.2 7.6 0.7 4.4 4.9 4 3
2013*** 52,962 78,313 66,402 30,404 17.8 95.4 24.6 23.8 30.2 17.2 85.9 52.4 47.6 5.2 4.1 9.5 5.6 6.1 7.7 0.3 0.3 6.4 4.1 .4
42 SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 APPENDIX D School Demographics
^2002-03 2007-08 2012-13 *School test scores – percent passing
Reading (Grade 4) ^84.0% 38.4% 40.3% Math (Grade 4) ^77.0% 55.9% 57.3%
Reading (Grade 8) 87.0% 42.7% 42.1% Math (Grade 8) 77.0% 45.3% 50.4%
Reading (Grade 10) 78.0% 40.3% 56.2% Math (Grade 10) 75.0% 53.0% 63.7%
Asian 165 (3.3%) 295 (4.9%) 488 (6.4%) Black 472 (9.0%) 703 (11.7%) 770 (10.1%) Hispanic 148 (3.0%) 301 (5.0%) 607 (8.0%) American Indian 23 (.5%) 36 (.6%) 21 (.3%) Native Hawaiian # # 5 (.1%) Two or More Races # # 505 (6.6%) White 4,302 (86.3%) 4673 (77.8%) 5,202 (68.5%) Totals 4,987 6,008 7,598
Economically Disadvantaged 757 (15.2%) 1181 (19.7%) **2,111 (28.6%) 144 (2.9%) 282 (4.7%) **478 (6.3%) Limited English Proficiency 731(13.1%) 738 (12.3%) 837 (11.0%) Special Education
K 391 497 562 1st 379 486 561 2nd 367 492 546 3rd 365 434 556 4th 361 450 516 5th 361 433 513 6th 389 457 544 7th 368 429 508 8th 382 416 520 9th 466 476 521 10th 390 430 496 11th 372 447 543 12th 366 435 509 **Totals 4984 5882 6895
1Graduation Rate 94% 94% 95%
*Only District-wide score are available ^DPI raised the cut scores in reading and math between 2003 and 2008. These numbers are recalculated % for students who scored proficient or advanced based on the new cut scores. it is an apples to apples comparison. # Added in the 2010-11 School Year ** Does not include Preschool Special Education or ½ Day Kindergarten 1Data Source =Department of Public Instruction (DPI)
SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 43 APPENDIX D School Demographics—page 2
Sun Prairie Virtual High School open 2009-10
2002-03 2007-08 2012-13 N/A N/A +School performance score
Total population
Asian 0 Black 1 Hispanic 1 American Indian 0 Native Hawaiian 0 Two or More Races 0 White 28
Economically Disadvantaged 8 (26.6%) Limited English Proficiency 2 (0.07%)
Special Education 2 (0.07%)
K 1 1st 1 2nd 1 3rd 1 4th 3 5th 2 6th 0 7th 2 8th 3 9th 3 10th 4 11th 2 12th 7 Totals 30
*Only District-wide score are available ^DPI raised the cut scores in reading and math between 2003 and 2008. These numbers are recalculated % for students who scored proficient or advanced based on the new cut scores. it is an apples to apples comparison. # Added in the 2010-11 School Year ** Does not include Preschool Special Education or ½ Day Kindergarten 1Data Source =Department of Public Instruction (DPI)
44 SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 APPENDIX D School Demographics—page 3
Sun Prairie High School – open 2010-11 school year - grades 10 through 12
*School performance score % passing 2002-03 2007-08 2012-13
Reading 40.5 42.2 Math 53.3 55.3
Total population
Asian 84 68 Black 184 145 Hispanic 59 94 American Indian 8 7 Native Hawaiian # 1 Two or More Races # 51 White 1400 1100
Economically Disadvantaged 251 (14.5%) 381 (26.0%) Limited English Proficiency 59 (3.4%) 36 (2.5%)
Special Education 251 (14.5%) 158 (10.7%) Career and technology education **515 (31%) ***316 (21%) Gifted and Talented N/A N/A N/A
9th 466 476 N/A 10th 382 417 491 11th 365 426 520 12th 345 416 455 Building Total 1558 1735 1466
1Graduation Rate 94.2% 94.6% 96.8%
*Tenth grade only # Added in the 2010-11 School Year **grades 9 through 12 *** grades 10 through 12 1Data Source =Department of Public Instruction (DPI)
SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 45 APPENDIX D School Demographics—page 4
Prairie Phoenix Academy (PPA)
2002-03 2007-08 2012-13 +School performance score % passing
Asian 0 0 Black 19 20 Hispanic 2 1 American Indian 1 0 Native Hawaiian # 0 Two or More Races # 7 White 32 40
Economically Disadvantaged 14 (25.9%) 46 (67.6%) Limited English Proficiency 0 (0%) 0 (0%)
Special Education 0 (0%) 10 (14.7%) Career and technology education N/A N/A N/A Gifted and Talented N/A N/A N/A
9th 0 1 0 10th 8 13 1 11th 7 21 21 12th 21 19 47 Building Total 36 54 68
1Graduation Rate 94.5% 83.8% 82.0%
+Fewer than 10 students tested. Therefore, scores are not released # Added in the 2010-11 School Year 1Data Source =Department of Public Instruction (DPI)
46 SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 APPENDIX D School Demographics—page 5
Cardinal Heights Upper Middle School (CHUMS) – open 2010-11 school year – grades 8 and 9
2002-03 2007-08 2012-13 School performance score % passing N/A *Reading 43.2% 47.9% *Math 45.9% 55.8%
Total population
Asian 48 Black 108 Hispanic 76 American Indian 7 Native Hawaiian 3 Two or More Races 70 White 723
Economically Disadvantaged 295 (28.5%) Limited English Proficiency 54 (5.2%)
Special Education 102 (9.9%) Career and technology education 397 (77%)* gr. 9 only Gifted and Talented N/A
8th N/A N/A 517 9th N/A N/A 518 Building Total 1035
* Note: students were at Prairie View and Patrick March
SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 47 APPENDIX D School Demographics—page 6
Patrick Marsh Middle School
2002-03 2007-08 2012-13 School performance score % passing @Reading 32.5% 42.5% @Math 50.6% 64.1%
Asian 27 28 Black 72 55 Hispanic 37 30 American Indian 2 1 Native Hawaiian # 0 Two or More Races # 38 White 520 391
Economically Disadvantaged 138 (21.0%) 165 (30.4%) Limited English Proficiency 41 (6.2%) 20 (3.7%)
Special Education 70 (10.6%) 65 (12.0%) Career and technology education Gifted and Talented N/A N/A N/A
6th 210 248 276 7th 181 208 267 8th 191 202 N/A Building Total 582 658 543
@grades 6 and 7 only # Added in the 2010-11 School Year
48 SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 APPENDIX D School Demographics—page 7
Prairie View Middle School
2002-03 2007-08 2012-13 School performance score % passing @Reading 47 44.4 @Math 57.1 63.0
Asian 37 29 Black 82 60 Hispanic 29 41 American Indian 8 3 Native Hawaiian # 1 Two or More Races # 33 White 488 507
Economically Disadvantaged 1339 (21.6%) 169 (33.3%) Limited English Proficiency 33 (5.1%) 25 (4.9%)
Special Education 70 (10.9%) 61 (12.0%) Career and technology education Gifted and Talented N/A N/A
6th 179 209 268 7th 187 221 239 8th 191 214 N/A Building Total 557 644 507
@ grades 6 and 7 only # Added in the 2010-11 School Year
SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 49 APPENDIX D School Demographics—page 8
C.H. Bird Elementary
2002-03 2007-08 2012-13 School performance score % passing Reading 28.6 25.5 Math 48.6 49.1
Asian 25 28 Black 62 53 Hispanic 31 47 American Indian 5 0 Native Hawaiian # 0 Two or More Races # 44 White 340 291
Economically Disadvantaged 115 (24.8%) 179 (38.7%) Limited English Proficiency 29 (6.3%) 31 (6.7%)
Special Education 57 (12.3%) 49 (10.6%) Career and technology education Bilingual ESL education Gifted and Talented 85 64
K 80 75 86 1st 81 76 88 2nd 77 76 83 3rd 78 68 69 4th 71 77 73 5th 53 78 64 +Total 440 450 463
# Added in the 2010-11 School Year + does not include Preschool Special Education or ½ Day Kindergarten
50 SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 APPENDIX D School Demographics—page 9
Creekside Elementary – open 2005-06 school year
2002-03 2007-08 2012-13 School performance score % passing N/A N/A Reading 44.4 Math 66.7
Asian 58 Black 47 Hispanic 38 American Indian 1 Native Hawaiian 0 Two or More Races 31 White 233
Economically Disadvantaged 179 (43.9% Limited English Proficiency 73 (1.8%)
Special Education 49 (12.0%) Career and technology education Bilingual ESL education Gifted and Talented 76
K 70 1st 54 2nd 75 3rd 79 4th 61 5th 69 +Total 408
+ does not include Preschool Special Education or ½ Day Kindergarten
SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 51 APPENDIX D School Demographics—page 10
Eastside Elementary
2002-03 2007-08 2012-13 School performance score % passing Reading 52.0 49.4 Math 72.7 68.4
Asian 29 17 Black 38 40 Hispanic 25 33 American Indian 4 0 Native Hawaiian # 0 Two or More Races # 42 White 473 372
Economically Disadvantaged 81 (14.2%) 123 (24.4%) Limited English Proficiency 23 (4.0%) 23 (4.6%)
Special Education 56 (10.1%) 51 (10.1%) Career and technology education N/A N/A Gifted and Talented 95 110
K 79 92 100 1st 83 84 103 2nd 81 87 92 3rd 67 74 96 4th 78 89 86 5th 80 78 77 +Total 468 504 554
# Added in the 2010-11 School Year +does not include Preschool Special Education or ½ Day Kindergarten
52 SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 APPENDIX D School Demographics—page 11
Horizon Elementary – open 2004-05 school year
2002-03 2007-08 2012-13 School performance score % passing N/A Reading 48.1 45.5 Math 55.7 72.7
Asian 37 54 Black 76 40 Hispanic 11 18 American Indian 1 0 Native Hawaiian # 0 Two or More Races # 32 White 366 362
Economically Disadvantaged 78 (15.9%) 112 (31.0%) Limited English Proficiency 19 (3.9%) 24 (6.6%)
Special Education 57 (11.6%) 52 (14.3%) Career and technology education N/A N/A Gifted and Talented 70 80
K 91 89 1st 79 99 2nd 87 82 3rd 89 78 4th 79 63 5th 81 67 +Total 362 478
# Added in the 2010-11 School Year + does not include Preschool Special Education or ½ Day Kindergarten
SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 53 APPENDIX D School Demographics—page 12
Northside Elementary
2002-03 2007-08 2012-13 School performance score % passing Reading 29.4 30.4 Math 72.5 72.5
Asian 21 15 Black 37 45 Hispanic 29 41 American Indian 3 0 Native Hawaiian # 0 Two or More Races # 21 White 409 357
Economically Disadvantaged 90 (18.0%) 175 (36.5%) Limited English Proficiency 29 (5.8%) 23 (4.8%)
Special Education 53 (10.6%) 47 (9.8%) Career and technology education N/A N/A Gifted and Talented 79 65
K 73 77 78 1st 64 94 89 2nd 52 88 84 3rd 66 71 84 4th 63 78 88 5th 81 71 67 +Total 399 479 490
# Added in the 2010-11 School Year + does not include Preschool Special Education or ½ Day Kindergarten
54 SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 APPENDIX D School Demographics—page 13
Royal Oaks Elementary
2002-03 2007-08 2012-13 School performance score % passing Reading 52.9 66.2 Math 86.2 86.2
Asian 17 32 Black 32 2203 Hispanic 19 0 American Indian 0 0 Native Hawaiian 31 Two or More Races 335 White 389
Economically Disadvantaged 43 (9.4%) 87 (19.7%) Limited English Proficiency 12 (2.6%) 18 (4.1%)
Special Education 55 (12.0%) 41 (9.3%) Career and technology education N/A N/A Gifted and Talented 78 62
K 77 77 75 1st 83 75 68 2nd 91 82 67 3rd 72 60 78 4th 86 71 75 5th 75 76 81 +Total 484 441 444
# Added in the 2010-11 School Year + does not include Preschool Special Education or ½ Day Kindergarten
SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 55 APPENDIX D School Demographics—page 14
Westside Elementary
2002-03 2007-08 2012-13 School performance score % passing Reading 24.6 30.0 Math 55.0 55.0
Asian 18 22 Black 101 62 Hispanic 59 69 American Indian 4 1 Native Hawaiian 0 Two or More Races 40 White 256 196
Economically Disadvantaged 206 (47%) 219 (56.2%) Limited English Proficiency 37 (8.5%) 58 (14.9%)
Special Education 69 (15.8%) 46 (11.8%) Career and technology education Gifted and Talented 79 45
K 82 73 75 1st 68 65 72 2nd 66 64 70 3rd 82 70 73 4th 63 57 66 5th 72 61 74 433 390 430
# Added in the 2010-11 School Year + does not include Preschool Special Education or ½ Day Kindergarten
56 SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 APPENDIX E Interview Guide Used in Community Conversations
Sun Prairie Community Conversations About Youth • Nov/Dec 2014
GUIDELINES for CONDUCTING PEAK EXPERIENCE INTERVIEW • Select an interview partner you don’t know very well or would like to know better. • Once everyone has found a partner, I’ll read the interview frame aloud. We’ll then share a few moments of silence in which to reflect. • On my signal, take ___ minutes to share your story with your partner, then switch (I’ll signal again) and allow your partner to tell her or his story to you. • Listen exquisitely. Allow for silence. Resist getting into conversation. Return to the original questions if you get lost along the way. • Feel free to take notes if they help you remember what you’ve heard. • Remember, there are no “right” answers. Speak from your heart.
Recall a time that stands out as a high point, when your interaction with someone under the age of 18 struck you as particularly memorable. Pick a time when you experienced making a difference in the life of that young person—or that young person making a difference in your life. You may have been met with enthusiasm or resistance. You may have heard what was needed or just said what was on your mind. You may even have seen the situation from a new point of view… Whatever your peak experience looks, sounds or feels like, tell that story. 1. What happened? Where were you? Who was there? 2. What were you and others doing? 3. What made this a memorable experience? 4. What was present that made this experience possible? (Think about what beliefs, assumptions, values, techniques, behaviors, actions, etc. contributed to that experience.)
SMALL GROUPS • Taking turns around the group, introduce your partner by sharing highlights from your interview: What was the most memorable or important part of your partner’s story? • Keep your introduction brief—about ____ minutes per person. • As others tell their stories, listen for ideas, themes, and “a-ha” moments. Collect a list that reflects what emerged from these stories. • When everyone has been introduced, review the list, highlight the most important factors, and pick which elements you will share with the large group.
LARGE GROUP • Each small group reporter will have about _____ minutes to present ideas to the full group. • Listen exquisitely and ask clarifying questions to make sure we capture the best of the best of what emerged from this exercise. • After we’ve heard from all of the small groups, we’ll ask: Given the wisdom we’ve collected, what might we do the same, more of, or differently?
FINAL REFLECTIONS We’ll have a moment to write and then share in a closing round: What “next smallest step” might you take and by when?
SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 57 APPENDIX F Community Resources
Access Community Health Centers [email protected] 1270 West Main Street The Black Youth Academy is hosted by the Madison Police Sun Prairie, WI 53590 Department, with the Sun Prairie Police Department participating. Mary Carr Held in August, this academy is geared toward students entering 608-825-7128 the 7th and 8th grade. Students are recommended to the academy [email protected] by their teachers throughout the Dane County area. The Sun http://www.accesscommunityhealthcenters.org Prairie School District works with the Police Department to recruit Dental Services several minority students who then are accepted to participate in Our experienced team provides the highest level of dental care so the academy. This academy is designed to build trust, promote our patients can achieve a state of enduring oral health. Emphasis careers in law enforcement, and to inspire and educate middle is placed on oral hygiene and the prevention of tooth decay and school students. The academy has participation from a diverse periodontal (gum) disease. Services include: cleanings, oral group of law enforcement officers committed to building positive hygiene instruction, dental exams, restorative care, dentures, root relationships. Ultimately, academy leaders hope to encourage canals, extractions, sealants, fillings, and X-rays. leadership, provide positive role models, and help develop skills that participating youth can take back into their homes, schools, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dane County and communities. 2059 Atwood Avenue Madison, WI 53704 Boys & Girls Club of Dane County Lindsey Weber 2001 Taft Street Sun Prairie School Friends Coordinator Madison, WI 53713 608-661-4391 Michael Johnson [email protected] Chief Executive Officer www.BBBS.org 608-257-2606 For more than 100 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters has operated [email protected] under the belief that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed www.BGCDC.org and thrive in life. As the nation’s largest donor and volunteer Boys & Girls Club of Dane County will inspire and empower all supported mentoring network, Big Brothers Big Sisters makes young people, especially those who need us the most to reach meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers (“Bigs”) their full potential as productive, responsible, and caring adults. and children (“Littles”), ages 6 through 18, in communities across The mission of the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County is to be the the country. We develop positive relationships that have a direct leader in youth development programs by developing partnerships and lasting effect on the lives of young people. The Big Brothers to produce positive outcomes for young people, families, and Big Sisters of Dane County’s mission is to help children reach communities. Strategic priorities are: create a world class their full potential through professionally supported, one-to-one experience for 10,000 young people; ensure the young people we mentoring relationships. The Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dane serve reflect the populations who need us the most with more sites County’s vision strives to ensure all children seeking a mentor and more hours; foster and leverage value-added partnerships receive a mentor and reach their full potential. National research to connect members to meaningful opportunities; increase and has shown that positive relationships between “Littles” and their diversify our financial resources and engage our donors to ensure “Bigs” have a direct and measurable impact on children’s lives. By our members’ needs are being met; and responsible infrastructure participating in our programs, Little Brothers and Sisters are more growth to ensure members have needed resources. confident in their schoolwork performance; able to get along better with their families; 46% less likely to begin using illegal Briarpatch Youth Services, Inc. drugs; 27% less likely to begin using alcohol; and 52% less likely to 2720 Rimrock Road skip school. Madison, WI 53713 608-251-1126 Black Youth Academy www.YouthSOS.org Sun Prairie Police Department Briarpatch Youth Services provides innovative services dedicated to 300 East Main Street strengthening and improving the lives of youth, their families and Sun Prairie, WI 53590 our community. Briarpatch Youth Services was formed through Officer Kalvin Barrett the merger of Briarpatch, Community Adolescent Programs, and 608-837-7336 Project HUGS. Serving South Central Wisconsin for more than 40
58 SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 years, the agency offers services for runaway, homeless, and at-risk The City of Sun Prairie’s Recreation Department, in conjunction youth. In September of 2014, they changed their name (again) with the Parks & Forestry Division, is committed to providing to Briarpatch Youth Services, Inc. from Youth Services of Southern quality services, a variety of programs and special events, facilities, Wisconsin. parks and open spaces. The programs range from a variety of fitness classes, enrichment classes, sports programs, aquatics Bristol Lutheran Church programs, and activities for the very young and those young at 6835 North Highway N heart. Sun Prairie, WI 53590 Pastor Rick Reiten Common Wealth Development 608-837-6093 1501 Williamson Street [email protected] Madison, WI 53703 www.BristolLutheran.org 608-256-3527 The youth ministry team at Bristol Lutheran Church is always www.CWD.org looking for ways that help create joyful opportunities for faith Common Wealth Development has been helping teens take building through social activities, service learning, and community steps toward economic success since 1991. Our goal is to create involvement. Explore these questions (and more!) with your opportunities for youth to develop and apply employment and friends in faith. financial skills that will help them now and far into the future. Our participants also build a host of life skills ranging from prioritizing Buena Vista Community School to problem-solving that enable them to exercise more control 1320 Buena Vista Drive over their lives. Our award-winning programs provide teens with Sun Prairie, Wisconsin 53590 employment and financial education, job placements, mentoring, Dan Moritz and matched savings accounts. 608-837-8221, extension 6019 [email protected] Dane County Housing Crisis Hotline http://www.ymcadanecounty.org/community-schools Community Action Coalition Buena Vista Community School is a public school that acts as the 1717 North Stoughton Road hub of its neighborhood by engaging community resources that Madison, WI 53704 offer on-site programs and services that support the success of 855-510-2323 students and their families. The Community Schools model is [email protected] often characterized by these four components: a partnership www.DaneCountyHomeless.org between a school and at least one community based organization; The Dane County Housing Crisis Hotline is for families and development of an advisory board with board representation individuals without a place to stay or who are imminently at risk from the community; programs and services that support of losing their nighttime residence. Call the hotline for a mini- the academic success of students; and a full-time community assessment that will identify available options. The toll-free hotline school director or coordinator to facilitate all out-of-school number provides coordinated intake services to homeless persons time activities. Community Schools focus on the whole child and those at risk of becoming homeless. The hotline acts as a by providing resources to support academics, health, wellness centralized resource for those that need help navigating the local and social services. The end goals of Community Schools are homeless and housing system. All callers with a housing crisis tangible and crucial to the future of the community. The goals are: receive an assessment to determine the nature of the crisis. Once children are ready and able to learn when they enter school and a participant’s needs are assessed, referrals are made to eligibility- everyday thereafter, achieving high standards; young people are appropriate, agency-based housing program and mainstream well prepared to be productive adults on the workplace and at resources (FoodShare, W2, BadgerCare, …). The hotline also their homes; families and neighborhoods are reconnected, safe, includes a phone prompt system that gives information and supportive, and engaged; and parents and community members options on how to reach local shelters. are involved with school and life-long learning. Domestic Abuse Intervention Services City of Sun Prairie Recreation Department 2102 Fordem Avenue 2598 West Main Street Madison, WI 53704 Sun Prairie, Wisconsin 53590 Shannon Barry Jana Stephens Executive Director Recreation Director 608-251-4445 (help line) 608-837-3449 608-251-1237 (office) [email protected] [email protected] www.CityofSunPrairie.com/recreation-aquatics www.AbuseIntervention.org
SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 59 Domestic Abuse Intervention Services (DAIS) offers a wide array of joiningforcesforfamilies crisis intervention and community education/prevention programs, Joining Forces for Families (JFF) is a voluntary, community-based, including a 24-hour Help Line, programming for children from supportive service that helps families address their basic human violent homes, legal advocacy, support groups, emergency safety needs. By quickly linking clients to resources, JFF often keeps planning, and the only domestic violence shelter for all of Dane families stable and deflects them away from costly formal system County. interventions. The JFF program encourages cooperation between agencies in caring for families. JFF uses the combined talents and Good Shepherd Episcopal Church resources of the Dane County Human Services Department, public 3416 Swansee Ridge health, county and local law enforcement agencies, school districts, Sun Prairie, WI 53590 human services organizations, and residents to support the success Father Mike Tess of children, youth and families in home, school and the community. 608-837-3308 [email protected] Journey Mental Health Center www.GSEChurch.com 625 West Washington Avenue Good Shepherd Episcopal Church is a traditional Christian Madison, WI 53703 community. Our world view is summarized in the Creeds, and we William Greer believe that God speaks to us through the Holy Spirit, the Bible, and President and CEO Tradition. The stability that comes from being anchored in Christ, 608-280-2700 and the forward thinking born of a pioneer spirit, combine to form [email protected] an essential theme in the Good Shepherd story. We challenge www.JourneyMHC.org ourselves to use that “innovative thinking” to discover new ways to Journey Mental Health Center participates in two unique serve others in Christ’s name. Our older students will be involved school-based mental health services. These include FACE and in the mentoring program specifically designed to be scheduled CBITS. Four Agency Cooperative Effort Groups (FACE) groups around their needs. in area schools are offered through the FACE program. Area schools identify student group needs and make requests of the Heartland Community Church partner agencies. JMHC provides group co-facilitators for FACE 800 Wilburn Road as well as assists schools in identifying student group needs. The Sun Prairie, WI 53590 Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS) Brian Diebling is an evidence-based group intervention for children who have Director of Student Ministries experienced a past trauma and have active PTSD symptoms. 608-469-9391 CBITS is offered in numerous area schools for 6th grade students. [email protected] Family/youth services for behavioral, mental health, and Lead Pastor Jon McNary substance use problems are provided by licensed Master and 608-834-1900 Psychologist level therapists. Service modalities include family [email protected] therapy, individual, and group work. Psychiatry services are www.SunPrairie.Heartland.CC integrated into treatment interventions. Supportive counseling Heartland Community Church has a number of student/youth and psychiatry services may be offered for children/youth who programs. Genesis is our Middle School, 6th - 8th grade, ministries struggle to maintain psychiatric stability in the community. and Delta is our High School, 9th - 12th grade, ministries that Evidence-based practices include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, are committed to pursuing God’s best plan and purpose in their Motivational Interviewing, Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral lives. Genesis and Delta meet every week for a powerful night of Therapy(TF-CBT), EMDR, and culturally specific services. Services worship, teaching, media, community and fun centered on God are provided in English and Spanish. Another area of support and living entirely for Him. If you like to hang out with students, is suicide/crisis. The mission of all Emergency Services (ESU) lead small groups of students in a discussion or even checking-in programs is to support individuals with special, and long-term, students, consider joining our student ministries team! mental health needs, reside successfully in the community. The goals of ESU programs include assisting adults and children Joining Forces for Families in crisis to return to a more satisfactory level of functioning, Dane County Department of Human Services using the immediate crisis as an opportunity to gain insight 18 Rickel Road and make changes in their immediate situation that will lead Sun Prairie, WI 53590 to a more satisfactory level of functioning. ESU also works to Janelle Vreugdenhil prevent suicides, reduce the number of out-of-home placements 608-825-3225 for children/youth, and reduce the need for unnecessary [email protected] hospitalizations and institutional stays. www.danecountyhumanservices.org/family/
60 SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 Latino Youth Academy students and their families. The Community Schools model is Sun Prairie Police Department often characterized by these four components: a partnership 300 East Main Street between a school and at least one community based organization; Sun Prairie, WI 53590 development of an advisory board with board representation Officer Marisol Lopez from the community; programs and services that support 608-837-7336 the academic success of students; and a full-time community [email protected] school director or coordinator to facilitate all out-of-school The Latino Youth Academy is hosted by the Madison Police time activities. Community Schools focus on the whole child Department, with the Sun Prairie Police Department participating. by providing resources to support academics, health, wellness Held in August, this academy is geared toward students entering and social services. The end goals of Community Schools are the 7th and 8th grade. Students are recommended to the academy tangible and crucial to the future of the community. The goals are: by their teachers throughout the Dane County area. The Sun children are ready and able to learn when they enter school and Prairie School District works with the Police Department to recruit everyday thereafter, achieving high standards; young people are several minority students who then are accepted to participate in well prepared to be productive adults on the workplace and at the academy. This academy is designed to build trust, promote their homes; families and neighborhoods are reconnected, safe, careers in law enforcement, and to inspire and educate middle supportive, and engaged; and parents and community members school students. The academy has participation from a diverse are involved with school and life-long learning. group of law enforcement officers committed to building positive relationships. Ultimately, academy leaders hope to encourage Mentoring Positives leadership, provide positive role models, and help develop skills 414 Rethke Avenue that participating youth can take back into their homes, schools, Madison, WI 53714 and communities. Will Green 608-819-6200 Living Hope Fellowship www.MentoringPositives.org 411 North Thompson Road Mentoring Positives Inc. (MP) is an innovative referral-based Sun Prairie, WI 53590 mentoring program servicing kids and families throughout Senior Pastor Tom Edwards Dane County and outlying areas. Mentoring Positives Inc. serves 608-837-9500 elementary, middle, high-school aged youth and young adults who [email protected] may need: positive role models to provide support and guidance www.LHF-SP.org adjusting to obstacles in the community, school and/or home Living Hope Fellowship has a youth group on Sunday evenings. environments and positives programming and exposure to unique Come as you are and join us for worship, announcements, and opportunities. Mentoring Positives, Inc. serves youth that often relative teachings from Scripture every Sunday evening in the have a history of: difficulties in the community, school, and home; Student Worship Center. Check out the GZ Student Lounge school suspensions and/or police contact for aggressive behaviors; before and after service for a time of games and fellowship. Don’t youth with mental health diagnosis and learning disorders; or forget to grab a snack and beverage from the coffee bar before youth who are transitioning back into their communities from service, too! We have youth events every month and Life Groups restrictive settings including but not limited to corrections, juvenile on Wednesday evenings during LHF Family Night activities. Each detention, and multiple foster home placements. week students meet in a smaller group called a “life group”. You are assigned to a Life Group based on age and gender to better Neighborhood Intervention Program (NIP) acquaint you with your youth leaders and other students your age. Dane County Department of Human Services We share real-life situation stories sparked by discussion points 1227 North Sherman Avenue based on Sunday night’s teaching and lift each other up in prayer. Madison, WI 53704 Andre Johnson Main Street Community School 608-288-2402 160 South Street [email protected] Sun Prairie, WI 53590 https://DaneCountyHumanServices.org/Family/ Dan Moritz NeighborhoodInterventionProgram/default.aspx 608-837-8221, extension 6019 The Neighborhood Intervention Program (NIP) is a unit of the [email protected] Children, Youth, and Families Division of the Dane County http://www.ymcadanecounty.org/outreach-centers Department of Human Services. It offers innovative Community Main Street Community School is a public school that acts as the Supervision Services and Early Intervention Services to boys and hub of its neighborhood by engaging community resources that girls ages 10-17 who are delinquent or at risk for delinquency. offer on-site programs and services that support the success of NIP programming is based on the principles of the Balanced and
SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 61 Restorative Justice Model. Programming seeks to redirect youth Operation Fresh Start provides Dane County youth a path to self- by simultaneously holding youth accountable for their behaviors, sufficiency through education and job training. In Dane County, building youth competencies, and protecting the community. we face a racial disparity and an achievement gap. There are over 3,000 disconnected youth (ages 16 to 24) - the vast majority Northeast YMCA of them people of color - who have not completed high school. 1470 Don Simon Drive Operation Fresh Start (OFS) has been helping youth attain a fresh Sun Prairie, WI 53590 start for forty-five years. Operation Fresh Start helps participants Mike Denu to become self-sufficient, contributing members of the community Associate Executive by providing them an opportunity to gain employment training, 608-837-8221, extension 6022 education, independent living skills, and a chance to serve the [email protected] community. www.YMCADaneCounty.org/Northeast-YMCA The Northeast YMCA is a cause-driven organization that is for youth Project Respect development, healthy living, and social responsibility. With the ARC Community Services, Inc. (ARC) Y, you’re not just a member of the facility; you’re part of a cause. 2001 West Beltline Highway Suite 102 With a shared commitment to nurturing the potential of kids, Madison, WI 53713 improving health and well-being, and giving back and supporting Paulette Romashko our neighbors, your membership gives you and your community Project Director the opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive. 608-278-2300 [email protected] Oasis www.ARCcommserv.com Canopy Center Project Respect addresses local prostitution in the City of Madison 1457 East Washington Avenue Suite 102 and Dane County and was opened by ARC Community Services, Madison, WI 53703 Inc. (ARC) as a project in the community in 1986. This project Cathy Cornell is jointly funded by the City of Madison and Dane County and Clinical Director provides diversion services on an outpatient basis for women 608-729-1114 involved in prostitution as processed by the City of Madison and [email protected] Dane County District Attorney’s Offices for the violation of loitering www.CanopyCenter.org/P/Oasis and other prostitution related ordinances and statutes in lieu of The Oasis Program offers group, individual, and family therapy fines, court appearances and jail time, and also provides services to people who have been affected by incest and child sexual for women who have voluntarily come to RESPECT for counseling abuse. The Oasis program model strives to increase the healthy and assistance in leaving the life of prostitution. RESPECT functioning of families who participate in the program therapy provides a safe space and peer support as well as advocacy, case groups, and help children and non-offending parents or caregivers management, counseling and crisis intervention on an outpatient incorporate the experience of the sexual abuse into their lives in a basis in order to assist women in leaving prostitution and to help manner that reduces the short-term and long-term effects, as well them into essential community services in order to address a as the cycle, of sexual abuse. The program helps non-offending woman’s health, economic, and family needs so she can develop parents and caregivers learn more effective and protective a safe, constructive lifestyle. RESPECT also does outreach for strategies to better parent their child. Oasis has groups for children HIV prevention intervention for high-risk behaviors as a result of and teens, ages 5-18, who have been sexually abused. These funding from the Madison AIDS Network, the State Department of children and teens meet with others their own age. Groups meet Public Health, and Center for Disease Control. weekly, offer support from peers, and are led by professional therapists, to provide structure and guidance. Group participation Proud Theater can reduce isolation and help in healing from the aftereffects of Sun Prairie, WI 53590 sexual abuse. Brian Wild Executive Director Operation Fresh Start 608-469-6685 1925 Winnebago Street [email protected] Madison, WI 53704 www.ProudTheater.org Gregory Markle Proud Theater embraces and promotes all avenues for personal Executive Director growth, interpersonal development, and community engagement. 608-244-4721 Youth develop creative and dramatic approaches to dialogue, are [email protected] given the chance to act, compose, dance, direct, and participate www.OperationFreshStart.org fully in developing a show from conception to closing night.
62 SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 But beyond performance opportunities, youth can serve in loving parish, and we are blessed to have such amazing youth in democratically elected leadership positions on the Youth Artistic our community! If you are in middle school or high school, you are Committee - which serves as a critical communication conduit invited to take part in our youth ministry programs, and you are between youth and adult participants - or work alongside adult always welcome here, exactly as you are. We want YOU to share mentors as Youth Artistic Director, Music Director, or Dance the wonderful gifts God has given you here in our community, and Director. Proud Theater also serves as an inroads to the larger are so excited to get to know you! As a youth ministry team we are community: youth participants have the opportunity to perform here to support you on your journeys in any way that we can. So in primary and secondary educational settings, conferences, come get involved! Take a leap of faith and come to one of our banquets, and ceremonies within the LGBT community, or for events. Take part in some of the amazing service opportunities this Proud Theater benefits. Proud Theater seeks to open up these community has to offer. Bring a friend! Wherever you are on your avenues for its participants, but like all paths, the participant faith journey, and whatever you’re going through, you will have a must choose to walk it or not: the individual determines their home here at Saint Albert’s! experience. Proud Theater’s goal is to support all participants on whatever path they choose. Schools of Hope Urban League of Greater Madison Recovery Dane 2222 South Park Street Suite 200 2025 Atwood Avenue Madison, WI 53713 Madison, WI 53704 Ellery Graves www.RecoveryDane.org 608-729-1226 Recovery Dane is a Dane County Human Services mental health [email protected] information and referral program that serves as the centralized http://www.ulgm.org/schoolsofhope portal for mental health information and referral, for professionals, Schools of Hope is an effort to reduce the gap in academic peers and the community. Recovery Dane serves as the achievement between students of color and their white peers in networking hub of mutual support for consumers, their families Dane County schools. Working closely twelve middle schools in and their allies. Recovery Dane is where consumers, their families Dane County, the Urban League recruits, trains and matches tutors and friends, and professionals can promptly access not just with students to ensure that all students are adequately prepared information and referral, but also teaching, training, networking, to successfully complete algebra and other academic subjects support and other tools to support consumer self-empowerment, when they enter high school. wellness, self-advocacy and recovery. Shelter from the Storm Ministries Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Catholic Church Post Office Box 152 221 Columbus Street Sun Prairie, WI 53590 Sun Prairie, WI 53590 608-320-3601 Jessica Davis SFTSm.org Coordinator of Youth Ministry The mission of Shelter from the Storm Ministries of Sun Prairie is to 608-837-8509, extension 242 provide relief, rehabilitation and development through: SHELTER [email protected] - finding housing for those facing homelessness; TRAINING - www.Sacred-Hearts.org teaching life skills leading to independence; OPPORTUNITY Youth programming at Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Catholic - providing a network of community resources; RELATIONSHIP Church is done in collaboration with Saint Albert the Great Catholic - connecting with God, self, others, and creation; MENTORING Church. - modeling with compassion and accountability; and SUPPORT - encouraging through prayer, listening, and leadership. In the Saint Albert the Great Catholic Church winter of 2011, a group of people, representing five different 2420 Saint Albert the Great Drive churches, was made aware of the fact that Sun Prairie School Sun Prairie, WI 53590 District had registered over 70 homeless children into their Sarah King-Politano schools. Our group, Shelter from the Storm Ministries, has been Director of Youth Ministry and Faith Formation meeting for almost two years to seek the will of God to connect 608-837-3798 resources to this growing problem. As we walk next to those [email protected] facing homelessness, we realize the challenges of finding housing Monsignor Terry Connors and other struggles. We also realize that through mentoring 608-837-3798 and teaching, life skills can be learned and second chances are [email protected] possible. http://saintalberts.org/youth Saint Albert the Great Catholic Church is a vibrant, joyful, service-
SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 63 Sun Prairie Community Help Organization 608-837-5554 974 Duncannon Way [email protected] Sun Prairie, WI 53590 www.SunPrairieUMC.org www.SunshinePlace.org/services/SPCHO.html The Youth Ministry program of the Sun Prairie United Methodist Sun Prairie Community Help Organization’s main program is Spirit Church involves the middle and high school students of our of Giving. By lifting the burden of gift-giving, you are making the church and their friends. The goal is to build relationships as holidays brighter for some area parents, and you’re bringing great well as provide a safe place to encourage a faith journey with joy to many area children. Christ. There are many different activities inside and outside the church including: Sunday School (middle school and high Sun Prairie Emergency Food Pantry school students); small group Bible Study; Sunday night youth 18 Rickel Road group; summer Mission Trip (senior high); LOGOS and LOGOS Sun Prairie, WI 53590 Conference; Summer Stretch (students entering 7th & 8th grades); Mark Thompson Confirmation; Noah’s Ark (those entering 6th grade); movie nights Board President (at the church and the theater); lock-ins; and a lot more … 608-513-1044 www.sunprairiefoodpantry.com Sunshine Connections The Sun Prairie Emergency Food Pantry provides food for area 18 Rickel Road residents in need who reside within the Sun Prairie Area School Sun Prairie, WI 53590 District. The pantry can be accessed once every thirty (30) days. Lisa Wilkins 608-219-8029 Sun Prairie Public Library [email protected] 1350 Linnerud Drive www.sunshineplace.org Sun Prairie, Wisconsin 53590 Sunshine Connections connects volunteers with needs in the Lynn Montague community. Sunshine Connections works to build relationships 608-825-0903 in the community, provide families with basic needs and provide [email protected] information about volunteer opportunities. Tracy Herold 608-825-0900 Sunshine Place [email protected] 18 Rickel Road www.SunPrairiePublicLibrary.org Sun Prairie, WI 53590 A variety of youth/teen programs are provided on a year-round Teri Barr basis. There is a teen book club and a teen gamers group. 859-240-2765 [email protected] Sun Prairie Share-Ride Taxi Service Bill Maselter 608-837-5550 608-825-3875 http://www.cityofsunprairie.com/our-community/shared-ride-taxi- www.sunshineplace.org service-0 The mission of Sunshine Place is to operate a single location for the Sun Prairie Share-Ride Taxi Service is a shared-ride taxi service and Sun Prairie community that provides social services needs, such as bus shuttle serving the City of Sun Prairie and the Sun Prairie Area food, clothing, home, health and family resources, through several School District. This is a subsidized service through the City of Sun charitable organizations. Prairie. There are two basic services: shared ride door-to-door taxi service and “corner service” which provides transportation for United Way of Dane County 2-1-1 students to the Sun Prairie Schools by picking up and dropping off 2059 Atwood Avenue at pre-determined corners. Madison, WI 53590 Burlie Williams Director Sun Prairie United Methodist Church 608-246-4390 702 North Street [email protected] Sun Prairie, WI 53590 www.UnitedWayDaneCounty.org/2-1-1 Shana Tiltrum United Way 2-1-1 (formerly First Call for Help) is an information and Youth Minister referral service that connects people to a variety of resources such 608-837-5554 as: help paying bills, housing search assistance, support groups, [email protected] food pantries, community clinics, and many other services! We Lisa Wink are available every hour of every day and can assist in almost any Youth Minister language.
64 SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 APPENDIX G Youth Survey Questions
Adapted from the OJJDP Comprehensive Gang Model for use in the annual Dane County Youth Assessment survey.
1. Have you ever belonged to a gang, crew, posse or ganglike clique? __ Yes, I belong to a gang/crew/posse now __ Yes, but that was in the past __ No, I’ve never belonged to a gang/crew/posse
Answer the next few questions thinking about the most recent gang/crew/poss posse or ganglike clique.
2. Does your gang/crew/posse have a name? __ Yes __ No
3. Does your gang/crew/posse have a hand sign? __ Yes __ No
4. Does your gang/crew/posse have rivals? __ Yes __ No
5. How many members are there in your gang/crew/posse? __ 1 to 5 __ 6 to 10 __ 11 to 20 __ 21 to 30 __ More than 30
6. How many school-age boys belong to your gang/crew/posse? __ No boys __ 1 to 5 __ 6 to 10 __ 11 to 20 __ 21 to 30 __ More than 30
7. How many school-age girls belong to your gang/crew/posse? __ No girls __ 1 to 5 __ 6 to 10 __ 11 to 20 __ 21 to 30 __ More than 30
8. How far from the center (leadership) of the gang/crew/posse are you? I am: __ At the Center __ Close to the Center __ A Follower __ Outside of the Gang
9. Why did you join the gang/crew/posse? Check all that apply.
SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 65 APPENDIX G Youth Survey Questions page 2
__ For fun __ For protection __ A friend was in the gang/crew/posse __ A family member was in the gang/crew/posse __ I was forced to join __ To get respect __ For money __ To fit in better __ Other (please specify)
10. Which of these things does your gang/crew/posse do? Check all that apply. __ Get in fights with other gangs/crews/posses __ Provide protection for each other __ Steal things __ Help out in the community __ Rob other people __ Steal cars __ Sell marijuana __ Sell other illegal drugs __ Damage or destroy property __ Do stuff at school that police get involved with __ Other (please specify)
66 SAGA STUDY REPORT: SPOTLIGHT ON RISK OF GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH - APRIL 2015 WRITING/EDITING: MARY MAHER City of Sun Prairie Youth and Families Commission 300 East Main Street Sun Prairie, Wisconsin 53590 www.cityofsunprairie.com