PARENTS AGAINST CRIME COALITION PANEL (PACC)

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Parents Against Crime Coalition Panel (PACC) focuses on brainstorming and discussing issues related to crime prevention, parental involvement, and community collaboration. We expect these discussions and brainstorming to play a vital role in helping affect change in our society.​

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Founder Bettie Beard and board members established the organization to involve parents and families in the process of addressing critical areas of needs which impact crime in the Waco community and beyond. Some of the focus areas that will be addressed are poverty, discrimination, unstable homes, single parent homes, addiction and drug use, behavior problems at home and at school, coping with stress, domestic violence and abuse, educational resources for children, training needs for parents and families, and unusually high number of minority youth referred to alternative schools and in school suspension.

 

In order to ensure that PACC will successfully contribute to crime reduction in community, we will use a holistic approach as we develop and implement programs serving parents, youth, and families in the community. One of the first programs will be PACC Village Life-skills Program which will focus on assessing participants, teaching parents and families problem solving skills, goal setting, interpersonal communication skills, conflict management skills, how to advocate for their children, themselves and their families, parenting responsibilities and skills for strengthening families, and the importance of strong parental involvement in schools and in the community.Parents and families will have mentors called PACC Villagers assigned for the duration of their participation in program.

 

Parents will have access to various resources through partnerships and in resources available through PACC which will help them in various ways including job search, information to address needs, and upgrading their skills. They will be monitored and assessed every six months for progress and after two years they will be invited to take part in helping to train other parents through the mentorship component of program known as PACC Support Village.Youth will participate in seminars and regular PACC Family Meet Ups where they will have discussions and training with other youth and sometimes with participating families.

 

Some of the training will be focused on communication skills, respect and etiquette, building appropriate adult youth relationships, avoiding conflict, bullying, taking responsibility for learning, and problem solving. Youth will also be given an opportunity to have input in planning rap sessions and will have special training sessions where they will be able to role play. Consultants will assist youth with some of these special training sessions. One of the focuses during our first year will be on developing a resource center for parents, youth, and other family members. We will have educational software for students, tutors, computer classes for parents, as well as other resources and links to community resources.PACC Support Village meetings will be held monthly and all immediate family members of participants will be invited. This includes any absent or estranged parent as long as there is no court order involved.

 

PACC believes that in order to have success, all immediate family members must understand the importance of working together to build a stronger, crime free foundation for our participating youth and be willing to support the program’s efforts in that regard. They will at all times be reminded of our motto “Empowering parents for healthier communities” and will be expected to understand that by participating fully in the program, they will learn to become empowered parents and family members who can positively effect change and contribute to their children’s success in school and in improving life for all participants as they become strong family members and advocates in the community. In order for PACC to accomplish its goals and objectives, it will need support from various stakeholders in the community.

 

PACC has a Board and an Advisory Committee that is committed to the organization’s Mission and Vision. We will be developing collaborations and seeking individuals, law enforcement agencies, educators, juvenile justice programs, other non profits, schools, agencies working with youth and families, businesses and other entities to join us in helping reduce crime and build stronger families through our organization. We are also looking for Corporations, businesses, and other entities who will become actively involved with PACC through our PACC Alliance. This alliance will serve as a supportive partner and help us by promoting PACC, by contributing direct or indirect assistance through volunteers, goods, space for events, sponsorship of events, resources for PACC Resource component, etc. We also need PACC Alliance partners who can make financial contributions to our program.

 

Our PACC Alliance are significant component of PACC because, as employers, they can play a key role in helping to promote and bring about goodwill for our program due to the fact that they will always be informed about the progress of program participants and can even have input as to ways we might to strengthen program. Our PACC Alliance will be invited to the yearly banquet where they will hear annual report and meet parents and volunteers. With increased parental involvement and the involvement of entire families in Parents Against Crime Coalition with its strong collaborative component, we know that our communities can become healthier and that crime will be reduced. email: pacc@parentsagainstcrime.org