Rehab

The R.I.Skprogram has been used very effectively in county-funded efforts to rehabilitate juvenile offenders. Mandating participation in a R.I.Sk group for that purpose serves the highest purpose of community service, which is to build good citizens by teaching young people the behavioral skills they must have to relate with respect and responsibility to themselves, their families, and the community.

In one such program, high school students referred through a county's Juvenile Probation Office participated in 9 sessions (14 hours) of after-school training. The students proved very responsive and responsible to the program, and analysis of the pre- and post-surveys revealed that after training they were much more accepting of others, much less likely to abuse others verbally or physically, much more able to resist peer pressure, and much more willing to accept feedback.

Studies show that young people who feel they "don't fit in" (= feel rejected) are more likely to drop out and become self- or other-destructive--this feeling decreased markedly among juvenile offenders participating in the R.I.Sk program. From the pre-survey to the post-survey the group average re "I feel I don't fit in" (Q19) dropped very dramatically from 6.0 to 2.5 for a strongly positive change of 3.6.

Several of the teens emerged as positive role models for the others, volunteering their services as co-facilitators in future groups, and both participants and their parents evaluated the program highly. At a subsequent, informal follow-up session, several participants brought their girlfriends with a view to improving their relationships!

It's wake up Time!!!