Broader Urban Involvement and Leadership Development (BUILD) seeks to redirect the behavior of gang-affiliated youth and potential gang recruits in order to improve their chances of leading fulfilling lives and to increase the stability and safety of the communities in which they reside. BUILD staff provide counseling, community education, and work-readiness training through four major approaches:
An earlier version of this program consisted of an anti-gang curriculum that was taught to eighth-grade students in Chicago middle schools located in lower- and lower-middle class areas with high levels of gang activity. Following completion of the curriculum component, youth from the classrooms considered to be at high risk for joining a gang were invited to participate in an after-school program. It provided recreational activities, job skills training workshops, educational assistance programs, and social activities. At-risk youth were identified by teachers and project staff using gang rosters compiled by detached street-gang workers on the basis of interviews with gang members. An evaluation showed that experimental youth were less likely to join a gang than comparison youth, but the difference was only marginally statistically significant. The evaluation was limited by the short-term follow-up period and the relatively small sample size.
National Gang Center and OJJDP Model Programs Guide: Promising program
BUILD
1223 North Milwaukee Avenue
Chicago, IL 60622
Phone: (312) 227-2880
Fax: (312) 227-3012
E-mail: info@buildchicago.org
Web site: http://www.buildchicago.org
Lurigio, A. J.; Bensinger, G. D.; and Thompson, S. R. (2000). A Process and Outcome Evaluation of Project BUILD: Years Five and Six. Chicago, IL: Department of Criminal Justice, Loyola University of Chicago.
Thompson, D. W., and Jason, L. A. (1988). “Street Gangs and Preventive Interventions.” Criminal Justice Behavior, 15:323–333.