Sistematización de la experiencia piloto de PROPONTE

The program is based on the family systems secondary prevention model, which was implemented in Los Angeles, California, utilizing the YSET (Youth Services Eligibility Tool), a diagnostic instrument developed by the University of Southern California (USC), in collaboration with the Office of Gang Reduction and Youth Development (GRYD) of the City of Los Angeles. The secondary prevention model is comprised of two interrelated components: 1) the YSET risk assessment, and 2) the intervention component, which is made up of family, peer, and individual level interventions that are carried out in seven phases. The YSET identifies nine empirically-derived risk factors, including anti-social tendencies, inadequate supervision, critical life events, and family gang influence. The intervention component is based on the premise that by changing the relational sequencing in which behaviors are developed within a family, risk factors and behaviors associated with these factors will be reduced. The PROPONTE pilot program was implemented in five urban communities from the Central District of Tegucigalpa, which are characterized by having particularly high levels of violence. A total of 300 youth between the ages of 10-15 were referred to the program by schools and community organizations, and were evaluated utilizing the YSET. Of these 300 youth, 108 youth were found eligible to receive secondary prevention services according to the number of risk factors identified by the YSET. 81 of these youth formed part of the intervention component of the pilot, and 27 formed part of the control group. The key findings of the PROPONTE pilot program are as follows: the two most common risk factors found in participating youth were inadequate supervision (89.14%) and critical life events (82.72%), followed by impulsive risk taking (53.08%) and neutralization of guilt (50.62%). The program reflects how family structures in the targeted communities have been weakened and how this fragmentation has led to youth looking for alternative ways of coexisting. The application of the family systems model also revealed the lack of authority many of the adult caretakers had over their children, but how once they were provided with parenting coaching by the program, they became empowered in their roles. The empowerment of parents/caretakers resulted in higher levels of family cohesion. This increase in the level of empowerment on the part of parents or caretakers was not only highly valued by their children, but they also produced positive changes within the parents themselves – reflected in the results of the YSET, which showed that all of the risk factors were reduced after the intervention, albeit in different proportions. The average level of risk at the beginning of the intervention was 46.3%, and by the end of the first cycle of the intervention, it was reduced to 24.1%, and after the second cycle it continued to decline to 21.03%. The risk factor which was reduced the most was neutralization of guilt, which was reduced by 75%. Antisocial tendencies were reduced by 47%, inadequate supervision by 45%, and impulsive risk taking by 57%. When comparing the risk levels between the treatment and control groups, both were reduced over time, but the reduction levels in the treatment group were significantly higher for inadequate supervision, critical life events, impulsive risk taking, and neutralization of guilt. The recovery of family roles and the promotion of behavior that is focused on coexistence, respect, and the desire to build a better future, was the largest impact this pilot program had among participating youth and their families. For the adults, believing in their children, and for the youth to believe in their families and in themselves, were the most significant changes caused by the program, and those which can contribute to building a better society. The positive influence a family can have by meeting its roles demonstrates the important protective effect it can have on its members.