Overview Of The Adults In The Making Program
Adults in the Making (AIM) is a family-centered preventive measure to ensure that the kids in the family stay away from drugs or alcohol. Among those who participated there has been a positive outlook on the program and the families have responded really well. This program focuses on teenagers that are located in rural communities that had high poverty and high unemployment rates among African American students. The study was effective and it focused on a before the program studied, during the program study, and post program study.
From what I understand of the program only one race was considered for the program, this in and of itself created an unforeseen biased from any or all evidence that suggested this program worked. I believe that, that was the programs greatest weakness. Its strength however showed in getting this program to work as a family. When a student has parents involved they are less likely to get into trouble or do things like take drugs or drink. Not only was the program working on a family-oriented basis but it also paid its participants which gave juveniles the motivation they needed to continue with the program. All field researchers were given over twelve hours of training and all had backgrounds in either social work or education. This program had a domino effect on many other programs because they took this model and crafted it to fit a different group of people.
Although this program was small it had a long-term Protective Stabilizing effects on alcohol use and substance use problems for rural African American emerging adults. Juveniles were recruited from six different rural counties in Georgia. Schools in the areas provided lists of students in the age range. Families were called in random order to ask about participation. 740 families were called and screened, 560 were eligible. Approximately 350 families agreed to take part in the program. All the juveniles were between the ages of 14-16. Though there were no legal changes due to this program it did change 350 family's lives. This program relied heavily or reports from the family based on fights with each other, alcohol use, drug use, trouble both in school and at home. Before and after the participants 21st birthday and extremely important times to be participation in AIM. The program after all was designed to help and guide emerging adults to deal with the challenges that come with the removal of legal barriers to alcohol use, increased freedom, peer pressure from friends and romantic partners, and little to no parental control.
I think that above all this program shaped these juveniles to become responsible adults in a rough background. This program is no longer running but I think that it should come back on a larger scale. Not only going to rural areas but in cities and expand the race factor. This program taught responsibility and taking accountability for your actions and the consequences that came along with those actions.
