Programs Being Implemented
The CCGC selected the following evidence-based programs to address these priority risk and protective factors, problem behavior, and mental health concerns. Our target age group is early childhood trough seventh grade, or ages 3 - 13, for program implementation.
Al's Pals ~ Life Skills Training ~ Project MAGIC ~ QPR ~ School Assistance Program ~ Strengthening Families ~ Social Norms
Al's Pals ~ Life Skills Training ~ Project MAGIC ~ QPR ~ School Assistance Program ~ Strengthening Families ~ Social Norms
Al's Pals
Al's Pals: Kids Making Healthy Choices is a school-based prevention program that seeks to develop social-emotional skills such as self- control, problem-solving, and healthy decision making in children ages 3-8 in preschool, kindergarten, and first grade.
The program fosters both the personal traits of resilience and the nurturing environments children need to overcome difficulties and fully develop their talents and capabilities. Through fun lessons, engaging puppets, original music and materials, and appropriate teaching approaches, the Al's Pals curriculum helps young children regulate their own feelings and behavior; creates and maintains a classroom environment of caring, cooperation, respect, and responsibility; teaches conflict resolution and peaceful problem-solving; promotes appreciation of differences and positive social relationships; prevents and addresses bullying behavior; conveys clear messages about the harms of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs; and builds children's abilities to make healthy choices and cope with life's difficulties.
The program consists of a year-long, 46- session interactive curriculum delivered by trained classroom teachers who use Al's Pals teaching approaches to infuse the concepts into daily interactions with the children. Ongoing communication with parents is also part of Al's Pals. Teachers regularly send parents letters to update them about the skills the children are learning, suggest home activities to reinforce these concepts, and inform parents about their child's progress.
The program fosters both the personal traits of resilience and the nurturing environments children need to overcome difficulties and fully develop their talents and capabilities. Through fun lessons, engaging puppets, original music and materials, and appropriate teaching approaches, the Al's Pals curriculum helps young children regulate their own feelings and behavior; creates and maintains a classroom environment of caring, cooperation, respect, and responsibility; teaches conflict resolution and peaceful problem-solving; promotes appreciation of differences and positive social relationships; prevents and addresses bullying behavior; conveys clear messages about the harms of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs; and builds children's abilities to make healthy choices and cope with life's difficulties.
The program consists of a year-long, 46- session interactive curriculum delivered by trained classroom teachers who use Al's Pals teaching approaches to infuse the concepts into daily interactions with the children. Ongoing communication with parents is also part of Al's Pals. Teachers regularly send parents letters to update them about the skills the children are learning, suggest home activities to reinforce these concepts, and inform parents about their child's progress.
Life Skills Training
Life Skills Training (LST) is a school-based program that aims to prevent alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use and violence by targeting the major social and psychological factors that promote the initiation of substance use and other risky behaviors.
LST is based on both the social influence and competence enhancement models of prevention. Consistent with this theoretical framework, LST addresses multiple risk and protective factors and teaches personal and social skills that build resilience and help youth navigate developmental tasks, including the skills necessary to understand and resist pro-drug influences. LST is designed to provide information relevant to the important life transitions adolescents and young teens face, using culturally sensitive and developmentally and age-appropriate language and content.
Facilitated discussion, structured small group activities, and role-playing scenarios are used to stimulate participation and promote the acquisition of skills. Separate LST programs are offered for elementary school (grades 3-6), middle school (grades 6-9), and high school (grades 9-12); the research studies and outcomes reviewed for this summary involved middle school students.
LST is based on both the social influence and competence enhancement models of prevention. Consistent with this theoretical framework, LST addresses multiple risk and protective factors and teaches personal and social skills that build resilience and help youth navigate developmental tasks, including the skills necessary to understand and resist pro-drug influences. LST is designed to provide information relevant to the important life transitions adolescents and young teens face, using culturally sensitive and developmentally and age-appropriate language and content.
Facilitated discussion, structured small group activities, and role-playing scenarios are used to stimulate participation and promote the acquisition of skills. Separate LST programs are offered for elementary school (grades 3-6), middle school (grades 6-9), and high school (grades 9-12); the research studies and outcomes reviewed for this summary involved middle school students.
Project MAGIC
Project MAGIC (Making A Group and Individual Commitment): is an alternative to juvenile detention for first-time offenders between the ages of 12 and 18. The program's goals include helping youths achieve academic success; modifying attitudes about alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs; and enhancing life skills development and internal locus of control. Project MAGIC is based on the ecological model, involving individual, family, school, and community domains.
Over the 2-month course of the program, separate interventions are provided to the youths and their parents, who are trained to better monitor their children's behavior:
• The youth component consists of a 20-session skills-building curriculum offered to groups of 8-10 youths. The curriculum addresses substance abuse education, anger management, conflict management, problem solving/decision making, communication, personal responsibility, values, stress reduction, and community service, which the youths are required to participate in as part of the program. The sessions (1.5 hours each) are held three times per week over 2 months and are conducted by a trained facilitator.
• Parents participate in four 2.5-hour parent education meetings, during which parents and their children read and respond to preprinted activities designed to increase communication and family management. The meetings also offer an opportunity for parents to discuss mutual concerns regarding parenting, enhance their awareness of substance abuse issues, improve communication skills, and develop skills for monitoring their children's behavior. In the studies reviewed for this summary, the intervention also included a take-home component for parents who could not attend all four meetings because of work schedules; parents could complete lesson plans at home at their own pace.
Youth and families will be referred to the program through the juvenile prosecutor’s office. This program will be piloted to work with youth between the ages of twelve and fourteen. Gibson County will be using Project MAGIC is a deferral program for first time offenders. If the youth and their parents complete the program satisfactorily this may keep them from going before the juvenile judge, thus keeping their infraction off their records.
Facilitators collaborate with local agencies and other resources in the community to enhance a reciprocal investment by both the youth/parents and the community. The facilitators are usually members of the community where the program is going to be implemented and have at least a bachelor's degree as well as a background in teaching or experience working with at-risk youths.
Over the 2-month course of the program, separate interventions are provided to the youths and their parents, who are trained to better monitor their children's behavior:
• The youth component consists of a 20-session skills-building curriculum offered to groups of 8-10 youths. The curriculum addresses substance abuse education, anger management, conflict management, problem solving/decision making, communication, personal responsibility, values, stress reduction, and community service, which the youths are required to participate in as part of the program. The sessions (1.5 hours each) are held three times per week over 2 months and are conducted by a trained facilitator.
• Parents participate in four 2.5-hour parent education meetings, during which parents and their children read and respond to preprinted activities designed to increase communication and family management. The meetings also offer an opportunity for parents to discuss mutual concerns regarding parenting, enhance their awareness of substance abuse issues, improve communication skills, and develop skills for monitoring their children's behavior. In the studies reviewed for this summary, the intervention also included a take-home component for parents who could not attend all four meetings because of work schedules; parents could complete lesson plans at home at their own pace.
Youth and families will be referred to the program through the juvenile prosecutor’s office. This program will be piloted to work with youth between the ages of twelve and fourteen. Gibson County will be using Project MAGIC is a deferral program for first time offenders. If the youth and their parents complete the program satisfactorily this may keep them from going before the juvenile judge, thus keeping their infraction off their records.
Facilitators collaborate with local agencies and other resources in the community to enhance a reciprocal investment by both the youth/parents and the community. The facilitators are usually members of the community where the program is going to be implemented and have at least a bachelor's degree as well as a background in teaching or experience working with at-risk youths.
Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) Gatekeeper Training for Suicide Prevention
Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) Gatekeeper Training for Suicide Prevention: QPR is an evidence-based, SPRC/AFSP registered “best practice” program taught in classrooms by more than 5,000 Certified Instructors throughout the US and abroad. QPR is an emergency response to someone in crisis and can save lives. QPR is the most widely taught gatekeeper training program in the United States.
School Assistance Program
Youth First, Inc. has the mission of strengthening youth and families through evidence-based programs that prevent substance abuse, promote healthy behaviors, and maximize student success. Youth First Social Workers are accessible to school-aged youth within their own school environment.
School Social Workers can provide help to youth by addressing a broad array of mental health concerns that may be risk factors for substance abuse or occur with substance use and abuse. Common reasons for social work referral include: school behavior, anger management, peer conflicts, depression, alcohol or drug use, and family conflict.
Assessment and Referral Services: The Youth First Social Worker can meet with students to help assess their needs and make appropriate referrals. Students who have needs beyond what the Youth First Social Worker can provide will be referred to appropriate agencies. Psychiatric care, psychological services, divorce mediation, and court appearances are beyond the scope of Youth First school-based services.
Psycho-education: Educational content will address emotional health issues including but not limited to: anger and mood management, communication skills, coping with peer pressure, as well as the consequences of substance abuse.
The Youth First Social Worker will work together with the school, student, parents and community organizations in a collaborative effort. Progress is monitored to insure greater success in meeting the individual goals of the student.
School Social Workers can provide help to youth by addressing a broad array of mental health concerns that may be risk factors for substance abuse or occur with substance use and abuse. Common reasons for social work referral include: school behavior, anger management, peer conflicts, depression, alcohol or drug use, and family conflict.
Assessment and Referral Services: The Youth First Social Worker can meet with students to help assess their needs and make appropriate referrals. Students who have needs beyond what the Youth First Social Worker can provide will be referred to appropriate agencies. Psychiatric care, psychological services, divorce mediation, and court appearances are beyond the scope of Youth First school-based services.
Psycho-education: Educational content will address emotional health issues including but not limited to: anger and mood management, communication skills, coping with peer pressure, as well as the consequences of substance abuse.
The Youth First Social Worker will work together with the school, student, parents and community organizations in a collaborative effort. Progress is monitored to insure greater success in meeting the individual goals of the student.
Strengthening Families
Strengthening Families Program (SFP) is a family skills training program designed to increase resilience and reduce risk factors for behavioral, emotional, academic, and social problems in children 3-14 years old. This program is a universal prevention program, meaning it is appropriate for all families to participate in. SFP comprises three life-skills courses delivered in 10 weekly, 2-hour sessions (ages 3-5 and 6-9 program) and 7 weekly, 2 hour sessions (ages 10 – 14).
Families are typically recruited through the schools. Youth First will provide the program coordination (meaning – coordinators observe programs to maintain fidelity, budgetary tracking, facilitate surveys to track participation data and provide on-going technical assistance) and recruitment and retention is a large part of that. We will ask school administrators, teachers, school counselors, social workers to help identify families that would benefit from the program.
- The Parenting Skills sessions are designed to help parents learn to increase desired behaviors in children by using attention and rewards, clear communication, effective discipline, substance use education, problem solving, and limit setting.
- The Children's Life Skills sessions are designed to help children learn effective communication, understand their feelings, improve social and problem-solving skills, resist peer pressure, understand the consequences of substance use, and comply with parental rules.
- In the Family Life Skills sessions, families engage in structured family activities, practice therapeutic child play, conduct family meetings, learn communication skills, practice effective discipline, reinforce positive behaviors in each other, and plan family activities together. Participation in ongoing family support groups and booster sessions is encouraged to increase generalization and the use of skills learned.
Families are typically recruited through the schools. Youth First will provide the program coordination (meaning – coordinators observe programs to maintain fidelity, budgetary tracking, facilitate surveys to track participation data and provide on-going technical assistance) and recruitment and retention is a large part of that. We will ask school administrators, teachers, school counselors, social workers to help identify families that would benefit from the program.
Social Norms Marketing
Social norms are the perceived standards of acceptable attitudes and behavior prevalent within a community. Social norms marketing uses commercial marketing techniques in an effort to modify or correct normative beliefs about a certain behavior, and ultimately change behavior in a positive way.
Social norms marketing is based on the central concept of social norms theory – that much of people’s behavior is influenced by their perceptions of what is “normal” or “typical.” The problem is individuals often severely misperceive the typical behaviors or attitudes of their peers. For example, if individuals believe the majority of their peers smoke, then they are more likely to smoke. Using social norms marketing to inform people the majority of their peers do not smoke, can potentially lead them to avoid smoking.
Truth Is... Campaign
Social norms marketing is based on the central concept of social norms theory – that much of people’s behavior is influenced by their perceptions of what is “normal” or “typical.” The problem is individuals often severely misperceive the typical behaviors or attitudes of their peers. For example, if individuals believe the majority of their peers smoke, then they are more likely to smoke. Using social norms marketing to inform people the majority of their peers do not smoke, can potentially lead them to avoid smoking.
Truth Is... Campaign