AT EACH STAGE THE PARTICIPANT IS ENCOURAGED TO ACHIEVE GOALS WHICH, ON THE SURFACE, WOULD APPEAR TO BE BEYOND HIS CAPACITY. THE INTENT OF THE PROGRAM IS TO HELP YOUTH DEVELOP A SENSE OF PURPOSE, ENHANCED SELF-ESTEEM AND A STRONGER DESIRE FOR ACHIEVEMENT. THESE AIMS ARE SUPPOSEDLY ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH THE PARTICIPANT'S REALIZATION OF HIS OWN QUALITIES. THE PARTICIPANTS IN PROJECT DARE (PORTAGE LAKE) WERE MOSTLY RETURNEES TO TRAINING SCHOOL WHO WERE AT LEAST 15 YEARS OLD. THIS REPORT, THE FIRST IN A SERIES DEALING WITH THE ACTIVITIES OF OLDER BOYS WHO HAVE BEEN RETURNED TO TRAINING SCHOOL, ANALYZES THE POST-RELEASE OUTCOME OF 100 BOYS THROUGH INTERVIEWS AT LEAST THREE MONTHS AFTER THEIR LATEST GRADUATION. OUTCOME WAS DETERMINED ON THE BASIS OF WORK OR SCHOOL EXPERIENCE AS WELL AS RENEWED DELINQUENT ACTIVITIES. FOLLOW-UP INTERVIEWS BASED ON THE SELF-REPORTS OF THE WARDS INDICATED NO DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE BOYS WHO COMPLETED DARE AND THOSE WHO DID NOT GO TO DARE, IN TERMS OF OUTCOME OR ANY OTHER VARIABLE. WHAT THESE BOYS WERE DOING AT LEAST THREE MONTHS AFTER LEAVING THE TRAINING SCHOOL DEPENDED MORE ON THE BOY'S INDIVIDIUAL PREPAREDNESS TO COPE IN THE COMMUNITY THAN ON THE TYPE OF TRAINING SCHOOL PROGRAM EXPERIENCED. THE APPENDIX CONTAINS DATA ON THE PRE-STUDY CHARACTERISTICS OF THE INTERVIEWED WARDS. FOR THE OTHER TWO REPORTS IN THIS SERIES, SEE NCJ-40605 AND 40606....ELW