SMART Leaders
Grades: 9th - 12th
Contact: Tena L. St. Pierre
Pennsylvania State University
Institute for Policy Research and Evaluation
In collaboration with Boys & Girls Clubs of America
1230 West Peachtree Street, NW
Atlanta, GA 30309-3447
Phone: 404/487-5766
Fax: 404/487-5789
www.bgca.org
SMART Leaders is a curriculum-based program that uses role-playing,
group activities, and discussion to promote social and decision-making skills in
racially diverse 14- to 17-year-olds. This program is a 2-year booster program
for youth who have completed "Stay SMART," a component of Boys & Girls Clubs of
America's SMART Moves program. It reinforces the substance abuse prevention
skills and knowledge of the first program, with sessions on self-concept, coping
with stress, and resisting media pressures. As participants advance in the program
, they are involved in educational discussions on alcohol, tobacco, and drugs and
have the opportunity to recruit other youth for the program and assist with
sessions offered to younger boys and girls. Evaluation results show the
effectiveness of this multiyear approach in promoting refusal skills and creating
drug-free peer leaders. The SMART Leaders program, with other SMART Moves
components, can be implemented in community-based youth organizations, recreation
centers, and schools, in collaboration with all local Boys & Girls Clubs. All the
demonstration projects were implemented in Boys & Girls Clubs, a number of which
are in or adjacent to public housing projects.
Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, Effective Program, 2003