Pursuing Success in the Field of Prevention: Constructing a Program that Works

Abstract

Imagine a society where gangs and drugs do not infest the inner cities and emerge in the suburbs; where families are not torn apart because of a lack of parenting skills; where a 10 year old is able to walk to school without having to make a decision regarding the use of drugs. In a society such as this, there would not be a need for the field of prevention; however, this is not the society in which we live. Every day, children and adolescents make choices that affect their entire lives, along with the well-being of society. It is for this reason that prevention is a necessity in the world we live, and it is my hope that, one day, prevention programs will be taken seriously by all, and that eventually, this necessity for prevention will no longer exist. As one embarks on this journey into prevention, I ask that one remembers that affecting one child or adolescent positively results in the bettering of society; but I also ask that one imagines what the world would be like if everyone strove for prevention programs that successfully reached everyone involved. The journey into the field of prevention is interesting, enlightening, frustrating, heart-warming, and heart-breaking, but it is a journey that needs to be taken, for far too many are depending on it.