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Abstract
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The Ponce Playa Project, officially known as the Centro Sister Isolina Ferré, is a community-based project originally designed for the prevention and correction of juvenile delinquency. It is also perceived as a successful grass-roots project that has effectively limited violence through the revitalization of the Ponce Playa community. The project is based on the principle that a community made aware of its own resources, with a confidence in its capacity to use these resources for its own fulfillment, will come alive and create a life more human and more satisfying for itself and the development of its children. Educational alternatives and job training have helped in the development of a sense of self-worth; youth and family advocacy and community health programs have resulted in a new vision of a people in control of their lives; an awareness of their capacity for mutual assistance has reawakened a sense of confidence. They have created in Ponce Playa an environment conducive to achievement rather than delinquency or violence.
VioLit summary:
OBJECTIVE:
The aim of this paper by FerrÈ was to provide a theoretical basis for violence prevention programs and to examine a number of strategies involved in a program to decrease juvenile violence in a small community in Puerto Rico.
METHODOLOGY:
This study was a non-experimental exploration and examination of one perspective in the area of violence prevention. The author based her perspective on the notion that juvenile violence had a strong relationship to family, community and employment. From this line of thought emerged three strategies for dealing with the problem of youth violence: 1) to awaken within the individual a sense of self-worth; 2) to create a strong sense of community; and 3) to initiate a process of revitalization within the community. The author's work began in 1968 in the small town of La Playa de Ponce in Puerto Rico, a town of 16,000 people that had been neglected by government and private agencies alike.
FINDINGS/DISCUSSION:
The first strategy, of creating a sense of self-worth, was envisioned as a way for people to become increasingly aware of their own and others' dignity and worth. By respecting others, a dynamic emerged in the form of interpersonal relationships, which allowed for the development of bonds that could act as important resources within the community. The second strategy, of creating a sense of community, was achieved with programs such as those to teach parents of handicapped children to come together with other parents in the same situation, and to better care for their offspring. By bringing individuals together, a vision of community was created in which people were made aware of their ability to create change, and in which a large network of family, friends and neighbors was established. The community became aware of its capacities to take action, to take control of its present and of its future, and to become a real part of its peoples' lives. In order to fulfill the third strategy, to revitalize the community through common responsibilities and mutual assistance, the author developed a program of advocacy, whereby young people would act as advocates for juveniles who had been in trouble with the police or who had come before the courts. The advocate would become a part of the youth's daily life, as well as introducing and involving the youth in tutoring, recreation or job-training programs that the author's center, the Centro Sister Isolina Ferre, had established. Through this program of youth advocacy, the community of Ponce Playa became aware of some of its resources, leaders began to emerge and a common sense of purpose and confidence was growing. Other components of the strategy to build community solidarity included: a community health program; the introduction of educational alternatives so that everyone, no matter what age or level of ability, could gain an education; a program of family advocacy and foster grandparenting to encourage mutual assistance and common responsibility amongst families; and an increase in employment opportunities within the community.
AUTHOR'S RECOMMENDATIONS:
The author made strong recommendations regarding the development of public policy. She stressed the importance of providing people in poor communities with a strong sense of dignity and of their own importance and capabilities, as well as helping them make the most of the resources that exist within their communities. As well as this, the author noted the need for meaningful employment, not only for people to support their families, but also as a way for them to establish a sense of pride and dignity. According to the author, within this type of community environment juvenile violence simply cannot exist - feelings of self-worth and community identity would preclude such disruptive and destructive behavior. The author concludes that a public policy which makes use of the strengths of the community would be far preferable to one that relies upon the power and force of armed law enforcement and prisons.
EVALUATION:
This report provides an interesting and valuable insight into some possible methods of violence prevention. However, the generalizability of the findings is limited - the strategies espoused were successful in a small, rural community in Puerto Rico, but they may not be transferable either to communities in other countries, or to larger communities. The dynamics of this particular town may have provided fertile ground for such prevention programs, but it is difficult to know whether these same strategies could have the same effects in other situations and contexts. Despite this limitation, the paper examines a strategy for violence prevention that should act to inform future policy and prevention programs. (CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado)
N1 - Call Number: F-55, AB-55
KW - Puerto Rico
KW - Theory
KW - Community Based
KW - Juvenile Violence
KW - Juvenile Offender
KW - Prevention Program
KW - Juvenile Self-Esteem
KW - Self-Esteem Development
KW - Juvenile Development
KW - Youth Development
KW - Offender Self-Esteem
KW - Violence Prevention
KW - Hispanic Juvenile
KW - Hispanic Offender
KW - Hispanic Violence
KW - Community Environment
KW - Community Building
Language: en |