Annual Hinckley lecture Feb. 9 to focus on prevention programs

PROVO — J. David Hawkins of the University of Washington will give a presentation on prevention programs at the annual Marjorie Pay Hinckley Lecture Thursday, Feb. 9, at 7 p.m. in the Gordon B. Hinckley Alumni and Visitors Center Assembly Hall. Admission is free, and the public is welcome to attend.

Hawkins, the social work endowed professor of prevention at the University of Washington and the founding director of the Social Development Research Group, will lecture on "Promoting Positive Youth Development: Advances in Community Prevention." He will focus on advances in prevention science that have produced a growing body of tested and effective programs and policies that prevent youth behavioral problems, such as substance abuse and delinquency.

Hawkins earned his doctorate in sociology from Northwestern University in 1975 and has focused his research on understanding and preventing child and adolescent health and behavior problems. He has written numerous articles and several books as well as prevention programs for parents and families, including "Guiding Good Choices, Parents Who Care" and "Supporting School Success."

The Marjorie Pay Hinckley Endowed Chair in Social Work and the Social Sciences honors Sister Hinckley's commitment to strengthening home and family. The chair focuses on women's development, strategies to help in difficult parenting situations and strategies to help children in difficult circumstances. The Marjorie Pay Hinckley Lecture is delivered each year by a prominent social sciences scholar.