¶ … School Program
In contrast to crime theories that focus on why people engage in deviant behavior, social bond theorists are more interested in what holds a society together. The Bowers Park After-School Program detailed below includes measures geared towards strengthening each of these social bonds.
To ensure that the bond attachment bond is developed, there will be education programs geared towards parents, informing them of the importance of spending time with kids. Parents will be encouraged to devise activities such as bedtime reading at home. If parents recognize the importance of attachment bond, they may exert greater effort in developing attachments with their children.
Children in this after-school program will also participate in working in a community garden, an "urban farm" where vegetables and fruit are cultivated. Parents will be encouraged to participate and spend time with their children, helping develop the attachment bond. If parents are unable to participate, counselors and other volunteers can help fill this role, to further develop the attachment bond with a potential role model.
Children in this program would learn practical skills needed to grow the plants. The food produced could be donated to the area families and to shelters, helping the participants develop the bond of commitment to their community. Furthermore, since gardening demands significant involvement in terms of time, children who participate in the gardening program would have less time to be idle or to participate in criminal activities.
The development of the last bond - belief - is a long-term goal, one that students achieve when they accept social values as their own. It is hoped that by helping to develop the bonds of attachment, commitment and involvement, Bowers Park After-school gardening program will nurture the growth of children who will grow into productive, well-adjusted citizens who develop the bonds of belief.
