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Published on 06/01/1998 All articles from this issue

MV gang prevention program receives recognition

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Special to the Town Crier

Dreams and Futures, a gang prevention program sponsored by the Mountain View Police Department, recently received the 1998 Honorable Mention for Outstanding Youth Programs Award from the Greater Santa Clara Valley Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration.

The police department began the summer program in 1996 to reach middle-school-aged children who are at-risk for gang involvement and to help them imagine a brighter future through improving their self-esteem.

The program offers selected fourth- through seventh-graders an opportunity to improve their academic skills and to practice athletic skills in an organized sports camp setting. The program also gets the students involved in ongoing community service projects.

Since its inception, the summer program has become a community-wide effort involving Foothill College, the Mountain View and Whisman school districts and more than 24 Los Altos and Mountain View businesses in addition to the 25 Mountain View police officers who donate their time to operate the program.

Organizers say more than 120 students have successfully participated in the program and have had no further involvement in gangs.

For more information, call 903-6387.