This case study uses a logic model to plan and evaluate an intervention project targeted to high-risk, middle-school, African-American youth for drug and crime prevention. Project WISE-UP is a comprehensive and innovative program designed to reduce the risk of using drugs and alcohol and becoming involved in criminal activities for thirty-seven high-risk middle-school students in Florida. The project comprises a continuum of integrated, interactive activities which were dominant components of the students' environment, community, school, peer group, and family. The WISE-UP educational module consists of five sub-modules: crime prevention, drug education, leisure education, life skills building (decision making, problem solving, and conflict resolution), and a tutorial program. The logic model is used to provide explanation, justifications for selecting various programmatic components and evaluation measures. It consists of five components: assumptions, program activities, immediate outcomes/evaluative activities, intermediate outcomes/objectives, and final outcomes/goals. Results of preliminary data demonstrated the logical progression of the project's effects and supported the usefulness of the logic model in planning and evaluating a prevention program.

Adolescents' social behaviors remain a mystery to parks and recreation providers. Adolescence is a "high-risk" time for all youth in terms of experimenting with potentially health-compromising behavior, whether alcohol, drugs, or sex. Most of these antisocial behaviors occur during adolescents' leisure time. These inferences gave impetus to this research effort. The study was designed to ascertain information on adolescents' preferences for pleasure: drugs or recreation. Data were collected from a sample of 100 high school students from a medium-sized college town, and 100 students from a rural town in Florida. Findings revealed four statistically significant associations in the motives or pleasures sought in recreation and in drug behaviors: "enhancement of popularity," "provision of a means for self-discovery," "achievement of personal goal," and means to rebel against parents. In reference to the latter motive, findings revealed that neither drugs nor recreation were used to rebel against parents. Findings also provide documentation of the value of recreation in insulating adolescents against many of the stressors of contemporary life.

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