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Intervention

Movimiento Ascendencia (Upward Movement) was established in Pueblo, Colo., to provide girls with positive alternatives to substance use and gang involvement. Outreach workers recruited 8- to 19-year-old females to the program, though some girls were instead referred to it. The program, which serves both at-risk and gang-involved youth, is headed by the Pueblo Youth Services Bureau and consists of a project director, a coordinator, and three outreach workers who are trained in conflict mediation and resolution skills, signs and symptoms of drug and alcohol abuse, and providing information on sexuality, pregnancy, and sexually transmitted diseases. The five professionals work closely together.

Activities are designed around three main components: cultural awareness, mediation or conflict resolution, and self-esteem or social support. Participation in any of the Movimiento Ascendencia activities is voluntary. The program includes

• Mentoring. Girls are matched with a female mentor with whom they spend at least 2 hours a week for 9 months.
• Organized sports and recreational activities, such as movies, pizza parties, and talent and fashion shows.
• U*R*IT—tutoring and homework support given by staff twice a week after school within the school. This component also includes gender-specific life skills training on topics such as self-esteem, pregnancy prevention, personal grooming, personal safety and self-defense, loss and grief, relationships and emotions, and career goals.
• Cultural enhancement—attending cultural fairs, listening to speakers talk about different cultures, day trips into Denver or Colorado Springs.
• Case management. An initial home visit and needs assessment is conducted when a girl first joins the program. She is referred to services in the community.
• Parental involvement. Parents transport children to activities and scheduling activities that include the family, such as an annual awards banquet.
• Safe Haven provides a safe place where girls can go within their communities.
  

Evaluation

The program was evaluated as part of a study looking at adolescent female gang intervention/prevention programs. A nonequivalent-group, quasi-experimental design was used to study gang members, former gang members, and non–gang members. The treatment group consisted of a random sample of program participants, while the control group consisted of a “snowball” sample gathered through school and juvenile justice contacts. Interview-based surveys were conducted during the final 12 months of the program. Level of delinquency was measured by incidents such as throwing objects at people or cars, purposely damaging or destroying someone else’s property, running away from home, stealing or trying to steal something worth less than $50, stealing or trying to steal something worth more than $50, carrying a concealed weapon other than a pocket knife, and knowingly buying, selling, or holding stolen goods. Academic performance and self-esteem were also measured. The treatment group consisted of 61 girls, 32 non–gang members, 20 gang members, and 9 former gang members. The control group also consisted of 61 girls, 32 non–gang members, 13 gang members, and 16 former gang members. The girls in the treatment group averaged 14.8 years of age; the control group’s average age was 15.4. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups at baseline.

Outcome

Girls in the treatment group showed a greater reduction in delinquency than girls in the control group during the preprogram and postprogram periods. This difference was statistically significant, at the .01 level. Preprogram reports showed that the control group had significantly higher grades than the treatment group. Postprogram reports showed that both groups had statistically significant increases in reported average grades, resulting in a nonsignificant difference between the two groups after the program. There were no differences found in the Hare self-esteem scale measures between the two groups.

References

Williams, Katherine, G. David Curry, and Marcia I. Cohen. 1999. Evaluation of Youth Gang Drug Intervention/Prevention Programs for Female Adolescents Volume 1: Final Report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice.

———. 2002. Gang Prevention Programs for Female Adolescents: An Evaluation. In Winifred L. Reed and Scott H. Decker (eds.). Responding to Gangs: Evaluation and Research. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice, 225–63.

Contact

Molly Melendez
Pueblo Youth Services Bureau
1920 Valley Drive
Pueblo, CO 81008
Phone: (719) 542-5161
Fax: (719) 542-1335
E-mail: PuebYouth@aol.com