Project Sankofa

Target Audience: Youths Aged 14-19
Subject Matter: Adolescent Violence Prevention
Project Content: 27-Hour Training Program for Adolescents, 4-Hour Training Program for Parents, Multilevel Training for Youth Workers

The aim of this research-validated program is to reduce the incidence of interpersonal violence among adolescents. Key to this project is innovative villance prevention training curricula, which have been specifically designed for adolescents and their parents/guardians. The program has proven both beneficial and appealing to multicultural participants.

The adolescent training program consists of 24 one-hour modules and three hour-long follow-up sessions, all employing a variety of interactive approaches. Program objectives include:

*Instilling in youths a clear sense of personal values and life goals
*Increasing awareness of the relationship between everyday choices and the potential for realizing hopes and dreams for the future
*Promoting a positive sense of belonging and connection
*Enhancing confidence in choosing constructive alternatives to fighting and other forms of
violence
*Developing skills critical to conflict management and avoidance
*Heightening motivation to use positive conflict management and coping strategies

The parent training program consists of four one-hour sessions focused on increasing parental
understanding of violence and related risk facotrs, promoting positive parent/young adult
communications, and helping parents establish clear and consistent expectations of their
children. Also included are guidelines on how parents can encourage adolescent pro-social
behavior and reinforce the skills taught in the adolescent training program.

Additionally, OPSR ofofers a SANKOFA Staff Orientation course and three levels of Group Facilitator Training for staff of community and faith-based organizations, schools and juvenile facilities. The orientation course includes a review of the particular conflict resolution and violence prevention concepts and skills taught in the adolescent curriculum and enhances youth workers' capacity to model positive conflict resolution skills, to reinforce adolescent coping strategies, and to effectively refer youth and parents to Project SANKOFA. Group Facilitator Training is available to staff members of schools and other youth-serving organizations who wish to be trained to facilitate SANKOFA groups at their sites.

The initial funding for the design, field testing, evaluation and dissemination of Project
SANKOFA was provided by the NJ Department of Health & Senior Services.

Office of Prevention Services & Research
Fax: (732) 235-9266 * E-mail: opsr@cmhc.umdnj.edu
1-800-762-2989/732-235-9260