NORTH BRUNSWICK — The township Police Department has made a SMART suggestion on how to target at-risk students.
In collaboration with the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the statewide Heroes & Cool Kids program and the township’s Gang Resistance Education And Training (GREAT) program will sponsor a SMART Connection, or Student Mentoring And Reinforced Training, to combat school violence and status offenses that result from poor academics and low self-esteem.
SMART will provide academic training and tutoring by high school upperclassmen to assist middle school students in their schoolwork and daily issues.
Police Detective Michael Campbell is spearheading the initiative, which he said is necessary because young teenagers can be “naive” about social issues and can learn from the experiences of their peers.
“With this program, we will heighten their awareness,” he said. “Our thing is to have it trickle down so once they are taught, they can use their knowledge to benefit kids in different ways.”
Starting this month, the 60 chosen high schoolers will begin their training to help over 400 Linwood students during an extended homeroom and after school program by the end of the marking period. Campbell said his hope is for the students to speak freely with fellow students, whereas with other adults or police officers they may be hesitant for fear of the consequences when talking about their issues.
“Having the high schoolers will help them a lot, because they know they will open up to them and they know they will help them out,” Campbell said.
“With kids, you can’t just instruct them with a book — you have to give them reallife scenarios and guidance. If you just go by a book, they understand to a degree to complete an assignment and take a test, but when they hear someone speak, they will understand the experience,” he continued.
The high school students will be trained through the Heroes & Cool Kids program by March, which partners past and present professional athletes and businesspeople with students. The leaders will address bullying, civility, sportsmanship and substance abuse through the use of problem-solving scenarios, drawing upon their own personal experiences.
Although the exact guest speakers are unknown at this time, Campbell said tapping into this sector of the population lends itself to the students, who usually pursue the fields of professional sports, medicine, business or law. He said when you have people speak directly from the industry, it trickles all the way down to the middle school level.
In addition to the mentoring aspect, Campbell said another benefit of having the program run during school is that some parents cannot afford to pay for after-school tutors or summer school programs, and that this provides an outlet for students once the school day ends instead of exposing them to trouble in the streets.
“It is important that the Police Department is a go-between because the stigma we have is negative … so if we bring about this program with tutoring and mentoring, maybe [minors] will have a better perception and maybe parents will have a better perception, too,” Campbell said.
Campbell’s other upcoming initiatives include implementing the SMART program as part of the curriculum, coordinating more dances and social events for teens, and hopefully raising enough money to establish a teen center in town to combine recreational activities with academics since he said “kids complain there is nothing to do, there is nowhere to go.”
“There are no outlets in North Brunswick,” he said. “If we want to get kids off the street and do away with burglaries and criminal mischief, then let’s do something about it.”
Campbell said that donations are also important. The Bureau of Justice has provided a $4,500 grant for the Heroes & Cool Kids training, but the Police Department is seeking further assistance and/or merchandise that will be used throughout the school year, as well as for the department’s summertime Junior Police Academy. He said he would like to be able to fund transportation costs, guest speaker assemblies and on-site activities in the community.
For more information, contact Campbell at 732-247-0922, ext. 314.
Contact Jennifer Amato at