Together We Light The Way project

Together We Light The Way project PDF Version (824 KB)

ISBN: PS4-42/9-2007

Table of contents

The Together We Light The Way project was a school-based prevention model implemented in the Durham District School Board Region to respond to the specific needs of children who may engage in anti-social behaviours.

It focused on children aged 4 to 14 who were at risk of school failure and anti-social behaviour. It was implemented in four school communities. The project aimed to build resiliency and responsibility in young children by addressing risk factors associated with crime, such as poor social skills, low self-esteem, weak school attachment, poverty, unstable family environments and negative peer influences.

There were six program components:

Project assessment

A process and outcome evaluation was conducted. Data was collected from all four pilot schools once or twice a year over a three-year period.

The target population for the evaluation included the entire school population that totaled approximately 1,995 students. Interviews were conducted with school principals, staff and parents and the evaluation included pre and post testing of students through a series of standardized instruments.

The students and parents were a highly mobile population, resulting in a high attrition rate from the first to third year of the project. In addition, the evaluation design did not include control or comparison groups, making it difficult to attribute changes directly to the project.

Key findings

The process evaluation revealed:

The outcome evaluation indicated:

Lessons learned

A number of valuable lessons were learned in the project:

Conclusion

It is well known that there are significant links between youth and adult offending behaviour. This knowledge justifies using interventions to target the specific risk factors associated with crime and anti-social behaviour in young children.

Together We Light the Way is a promising model to prevent crime and anti-social behaviours among young children in schools.

Models such as the Together We Light the Way are more successful when they combine a variety of partners and approaches and simultaneously target multiple risk factors associated with crime.

For more information or to receive a copy of the final evaluation report please contact the National Crime Prevention Centre at 1-800-830-3118.

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