Lafourche Parish, Louisiana - Rochelle St. Marie, Lafourche Parish District Prevention Coordinator for the past fifteen years, gets very excited when she talks about Ripple Effect's behavior training software application, Ripple Effects for Teens.

"This is the most exciting tool I've ever seen, a stand-alone product in the area of prevention and youth development," she explains. "If I had to put all my money in one thing, this is where I'd put it." Rochelle's district includes 100,000 people, 35 schools, and a range of ethnicities and communities. "Our district is experiencing a tremendous growth change. Because we are located fifty miles from New Orleans, we inherit many of the problems associated with large cities. Like most communities throughout the nation our young people are facing increasingly more complex issues than ever before and are considering drugs, alcohol, suicide and other destructive behaviors as viable solutions to these problems."Ripple Effects for Teens is an interactive, multimedia life skills program that brings best practices from education, psychology and prevention to the desktop. It includes more than 600 problem-related topics, including criminal behavior like stealing, assault and rape, as well as issues around child abuse, substance abuse, social background, depression, self concept and learning issues. It appeals to all kinds of kids. Students can learn in whatever mode they find most appealing, from traditional objective presentations, to true stories, to interactive games. "It's presented in a way that kids can accept and understand."

"This is something youth workers and educators can use in any situation, discipline or curriculum area," she adds. "I think many adults really don't understand kids. Young people need the skills and information to deal with today's issues, but they don't have them.

"Adults need to realize that if we don't address all issues honestly, young people will go elsewhere and, in all probability, receive misinformation," she adds. "This is why the kids like RippleEffects -- because it's true, real, and honest. Kids know the difference between scripted material and real talk. This is real talk. Most computer based prevention programs deliver basic information in a textbook format that does nothing to stimulate critical thinking. Ripple Effects for Teens is a leap ahead of everything else. It is sophisticated, fast paced, and kid driven."

Ripple Effects software meets all the top down requirements for violence prevention, substance abuse, and character education. Rochelle goes on to say, "As a preventionist, I find it difficult to sell educators on multiple curricula to meet state and federal mandates requiring violence and substance abuse prevention and character education, but Ripple Effects addresses everything in one tool."

Currently over 800 kids are using the program in a variety of settings in Rochelle's district, and this year, all middle and high schools will be using Ripple Effects for Teens.

Ripple Effects software is a powerful and effective tool. School suspension sites and after-school detention centers use it for positive discipline. When kids get into trouble the disciplinarian or teacher has an alternative to nonproductive discipline tactics such as writing lines or marking time. Students are directed to the particular issue that got them into trouble and spend their time learning cause and effect, alternatives to their negative behaviors, and strategies for future interaction. Adults can then talk to the children about what they've learned."

"It also saves time for the teacher or disciplinarian because the behavior retraining becomes the task of the student and not the adult. Students are more likely to buy into the program because they direct it. It helps to develop a stronger locus of control. Young people learn how their actions led to the situation, what consequences can result from their actions, and what positive choices they can take if the situation occurs again."

In one alternative school, every teacher uses Ripple Effects program. Kids work either individually or in groups of 4-5, alternating between the prevention program where they focus on the seven key skills; and the "cell phone" that allows them to explore specific problem areas. The kids look forward to working with it. As one youngster says: "I don't get into nearly as much trouble anymore because I go to the computer and find out what I have to do."

Other school sites include school counseling centers. Students can use the program on their own or as part of the counseling session. Ripple Effects software is also installed in the computer lab, where individual classes rotate in and make use of it; and in the school libraries as a reference for interested kids. Rochelle says they are planning to use it with Juvenile Justice Detention Center; and she personally is hoping to see it used in Language Arts classes for character development and journaling.

"This is the best thing I've seen in a long, long time in terms of prevention. It gets to kids in a simple way - and changes the way they behave."