CTC works by empowering communities to gather at the grass-roots level in order to reduce problem behaviors among adolescents such as delinquency or drug use by identifying and reducing the risk factors
that are shown to lead to those problem behaviors.
Risk Factor:Something That Increases the Likelihood That Youth Will Experience One or More Problem Behaviors.
Protective Factors:Things That Exist in Communities That Buffer Youth Against Risk Factors
(To see a list of all Risk Factors and the Problem Behaviors they effect, click here.)
Protective Factors are essentially:
Healthy Beliefs and Clear Standards
Bonding – Attachment & Commitment
Opportunities, Skills & Recognition
Individual Characteristics
Using the Pennsylvania Youth Survey (PAYS) and archival data, BBCP in it's March 2006 Risk & Resource Assessment, identified the following Risk Factors are primary in Bristol Borough:
#1 School Domain: Academic Failure in Late Elementary School
#2 Community Domain: Community Disorganization and Low Neighborhood Attachment
The Data & Evaluation Committee is analyzed the data contained in the 2005 PAYS report and collected by the committee. Findings were presented to the Executive Committee and general membership in a report dated January 31, 2007 and the following Risk Factors were determined as the new priorities for the reasons noted:
a)Community Disorganization/Low Neighborhood Attachment (combined, since the PAYS reports states that “Low Neighborhood Attachment scale was developed to measure a component of the risk factor Low Neighborhood Attachment and Community Disorganization.” -This is far and away the highest ranked risk factor in the PAYS report and probably affects many of the others in terms of attitude.
b)Family Antisocial Behavior and Parental Attitudes Favorable toward Antisocial Behavior(combined) were chosen as the second priority, not only because the numbers were high, but the Board discussed the impact of parents on the attitudes and behavior of youth. The Board agreed to direct programming over the next couple of years toward parents, as a way of impacting youth.
c)For the third priority, the Board chose to try and improve/increaseProtective Factors: Community Rewards for Pro-Social Behavior and School Rewards for Pro-Social Behavior. The PAYS report seems to indicate that, although there are Opportunities for pro-social behavior in the Borough, the Rewards for engaging in them apparently aren’t sufficient either in school or in the community. The Board feels that we may be able to have an impact in this area.
Work has begun on a Resource Assessment. Particularly, the committee will discover and report what Resources are in place in the community and what Protective Factors can be put in place to reduce the Risk Factors. This report will be combined with the January 31st findings to form a new Risk & Resource Assessment. It is anticipated this will be completed over the Summer of 2007.
Anyone interested in joining the work of theData & Evaluation Committee Co-Chairs, can contact
Gary Bodenschatz or Bill Batty. See the "Contact Us" page for phone numbers and email addresses.
