Youth Involvement
The Youth Involvement Unit is an element of the Field Operations Division’s Community Relations Section. The Youth Involvement Unit is further subdivided into six divisions, the Do the Right Thing Program, the Drug Awareness Resistance Education (DARE) Program, the Police Athletic League Program, the Police Explorer Program, the School Crossing Guard Detail and the School Resource Officer Detail.
The Miami Police Athletic League (P.A.L.) is a non-for-profit agency that provides an intensive recreational and educational program for youngsters 8-18 to prevent excessive exposure to neighborhood negative influences. P.A.L. encourages inner-city children from elementary through high school graduation to utilize their free time after school and on weekends developing skills in sports and gaining a deep appreciation for stretching their bodies and their minds. The goal of P.A.L. is simple: Filling Playgrounds, Not Prisons. It is a unique opportunity for youth and Miami Police officers to work together in a very positive manner.
Students involved in the P.A.L. program are engaged in sports such as basketball, flag football, double dutch, cheerleading, hockey and tennis. They are strongly encouraged to remain acitve in the program and are rewarded for their commitment. P.A.L.'s diversified activities provide an opportunity for every child in this city regardless of their abilities to particpate and compete.
Additionally, P.A.L. supports after-school homework clubs and tutoring programs, supplemented by substance abuse education and good citizenship activities. Students are also exposed to many of the cultural and sports outlets around South Florida through the many field trips planned especially for them. Police officers and youth counselors accompany participants to professional games, cultural and educational events that give them a broader perspective of their community.
The P.A.L. staff is dedicated to fostering a warm, caring relationship with young people in Miami's diverse ethnic communities where role models are sometimes limited. Children in the P.A.L. program are given another set of adults with whom they can relate and bond.
VISION
To secure every child in our community a doorway to a successful future.
MISSION
The Police Athletic League focuses on the prevention of juvenile delinquincy through the use of sports, and educational programs. Much of the distrust towards police by the juvenile population can be reduced. The programs mission is to develop a better understanding and enhance the relationship between the Miami Police Department and the youth of our community.
PRIMARY GOAL
The primary goal and objective of the Police Athletic League is to recognize and to eliminate delinquency producing influences on the youth of this community through the use of recreational and educational programs. P.A.L promotes active participation between our participants and City of Miami police officers; emulates a positive image for P.A.L. participants and strives to secure an optimistic future for the P.A.L. participants of our community.
SAFETY TRAINING FOR YOUNGSTERS
The City of Miami Police Department Police Athletic League is presenting the radKIDS Program this Spring and Summer. The radKIDS Program is a comprehensive safety training program for youngsters ages 5 through 11. The program presents a realistic solution to ending the cycle of violence in our children's lives. The program is designed to educate our children in violence resistance, school safety, internet safety, and deceptive approaches utilized by potential abductors and predators. An additional goal of the program is to further enhance a child's self esteem and contribute further to the youngster's character building process. The program includes formal classes on school violence, juvenile crime victimization and child abduction.
For additional information call the Miami Police Department Community Relations Section at (305) 579-6184
Additional information will be available soon.
Click on the following link to access Do the Right Thing Program (DTRT);
Do the Right Thing Program
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