Blueprint Philosophy
Shortly after the tragedy at Columbine High School in 1999, the City of Littleton’s Mayor, Susan Thornton, and the Littleton City Council, adopted a philosophy of prevention to support greater Littleton youth. Aided by research from the GLYI, the council approved the allocation of $100,000 from the City’s Annual General Fund to the Greater Littleton Youth Initiative’s programs. The GLYI, in turn, has used its resources over the years to introduce, sustain, and grow “Blueprint Programs” in our community. Blueprints are prevention and intervention programs that meet a strict scientific standard of effectiveness. Littleton City Council’s funding of the Blueprint programs remains in place today.
Littleton is investing in the future of our youth through prevention.
What is a Blueprint Program?
In 1996, the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence (CSPV), at the University of Colorado at Boulder designed and launched a national violence prevention initiative to identify violence prevention programs that are effective.
The project, called Blueprints for Violence Prevention, has identified 11 prevention and intervention programs that meet a strict scientific standard of program effectiveness. The 11 model programs, called Blueprints, have been effective in reducing adolescent violent crime, aggression, delinquency, and substance abuse. Another 18 programs have been identified as promising programs.
To date, more than 600 programs have been reviewed, and the Center continues to look for programs which meet the selection criteria. Below is a list of the six Blueprint programs being used in Littleton. Littleton uses four more than any community in the United States.
Big Brothers Big Sisters
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is the oldest and best known mentoring program in the United States. The program serves 6-18 year old disadvantaged youth from single-parent households. The goal is to develop a caring relationship between a matched youth and an adult mentor.
Bully Proofing
The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program has as its major goal the reduction of victim/bully problems among primary and secondary school children. It aims to increase awareness of the problem, to achieve active involvement on the part of teachers and parents, to develop clear rules against bullying behavior, and to provide support and protection for the victims of bullying.
Functional Family Therapy
Functional Family Therapy is a short-term therapeutic program for at-risk youth. The program involves phases and techniqes designed to engage and motivate youth and families; change youth and family communication, interaction and problem solving; and help families better deal with and utilize outside system resources.
The Incredible Years
The Incredible Years is a comprehensive set of curricula designed to promote social competence and to prevent, reduce, and treat conduct problems in children ages 2 to 8. There are three program components: parent training, teacher training, and child training. In all three programs, trained facilitators use videotape scenes to encourage group discussion, problem-solving and sharing of ideas.
LifeSkills Training
Life Skills Training is a drug use prevention program that provides general life skills training and social resistance skills training to junior high/middle school students. The curriculum is taught in school by regular classroom teachers.
Nurse-Family Partnership
This program sends nurses to the homes of prgnant women who are predisposed to infant health and developmental problems in order to improve parent and child outcomes. Home visiting also promotes the cognitive and social-emotional development of the children, and provides general support and parenting skills to the parent.