Students in Gang Resistance Education and Training programs at schools, including and St. Joseph School in Bradley, enjoy activities at Camp Shaw-waw-nas-see in unincorporated Manteno. Bradley Police officers facilitate the annual GREAT camp.

MANTENO—It appeared to be a regular summer camp for seventh and eighth graders. Along the Kankakee River at Camp Shaw-waw-nas-see in unincorporated Manteno, over 60 campers honed their skills in a variety of outdoor activities, including archery and swimming.

But the Aug. 6-10 event in the forest expanse of northwest Kankakee County was not a run-of-the-mill summer camp. It was conducted by officers from the Bradley Police Department, who facilitate the Gang Resistance Education and Training program at Bradley elementary schools.

This ninth annual GREAT summer camp offered students of Bradley Central School, St. George Elementary School in Bourbonnais and St. Joseph School in Bradley the opportunity to interact with each other outdoors and allowed the officers to expand on the program’s lessons.

A national initiative, the GREAT program helps students develop social skills and equips them with techniques for refusing gang members and others who attempt to lure them into destructive activities.

The summer camp builds on the foundation laid by officers in the classroom, said Phil Trudeau, patrol officer for the Bradley Police Department and GREAT instructor. He helped conduct the summer camp with fellow officers. “It’s nice for the kids to get out of the house and enjoy the outdoors,” he said.

“This camp lets us get out and be active,” agreed Evan Blanchette, a 12-year-old incoming seventh grader at St. Joseph School. “It’s really worth it,” he told the Catholic Explorer after completing a relay during the final day at Camp Shaw-waw-nas-see.

“We’ve talked a lot about decision-making during camp,” said Cara Hennessy, another student from the Bradley Catholic school. “It’s also been a lot of fun,” she said, talking about swimming in the pool and rafting down the river.

Gang influences “are still out there” in music, television, movies and more, Detective Brady Bertrand of the Kankakee County Sheriff’s Police Department told the Explorer last month in an article addressing gang activities across the state. (Explorer, July 27, “Law enforcement, church seek to curb gang activity.”)

A member of St. Joseph Parish in Manteno, Bertrand teaches the GREAT program at schools in several Kankakee-area communities, including St. Anne, Grant Park, Bonfield, Limestone and Herscher.

Bertrand stopped by on the final day of the camp to catch a glimpse of the innovative activities. “This is awesome,” he said as the children participated in a number of outdoor tasks. He said he wants to try to bring the Kankakee County Sheriff’s Police Department’s GREAT officers onboard next year and invite children from the schools where they teach the GREAT curriculum.

Most young people only see police officers carting people away to jail in handcuffs, said Bertrand. This camp lets children interact with cops “on a one-on-one, personal basis.” It helps them understand that they can go to police officers for help when situations arise in their communities, the detective said. “And, the camp is so much fun for them.”

A 14-year-old member of St. George Parish in Bourbonnais, Tony Cotugno attended the weeklong summer camp with others from Bradley Central School. The incoming eighth grader said GREAT officers attempt to shed light on methods for handling peer pressures. Lessons for avoiding drug abuse are part of the program, he said. The trained facilitators explore concepts of the GREAT program through role playing and other interactive activities. “It’s a fun way to learn,” added the youngster.

Also helping conduct the camp was Sergeant Joseph Martino of the Bradley Police Department, a GREAT instructor and member of St. Joseph Parish in Bradley. There is no cost to attend the unique camp, he said, explaining a grant from the Office of Justice Programs of the U.S. Department of Justice covers the expenses of the weeklong camp. The Bradley School District provides round trip bus transportation each day between Camp Shaw-waw-nas-see and Bradley.

The youngsters who attend the camp are referred by their teachers “for many different reasons,” said Martino. Some need help with interpersonal skills. “It’s an opportunity for them to mix together with kids from different schools.” The camp also teaches the students to solve problems by working together.

The mornings are packed with recreational outdoor activities; afternoon sessions of the camp expand on the ideas shared during the academic year by GREAT instructors in the classroom, said Martino, including lessons on when and how to refuse those who want to engage in destructive activities.

“Hopefully they’ll continue to build on these ideas for the rest of their lives,” said Martino. “We’ve seen a lot of good come from the camp,” added the police sergeant.