LifeSkills Training Aims to Boost Self-image, Bust Substance Abuse

VALPARAISO | Helping early teens stay away from dangerous substances and make healthy life choices is the focus of a new program kicked off Monday at Thomas Jefferson Middle School.

Natalie Muskin-Press, a chemical dependency and addiction therapist with Porter-Starke Services, had sixth-grade students trace their hands, then jot down positive words to describe themselves along each finger.

In the palm, students then listed two or three things about themselves they’d like to improve.

Discussion during the activity was about self-image. We act like the person we think we are, Muskin-Press said, but sometimes it’s easier to listen to the negatives than to the positives.

While the primary focus is early prevention of substance abuse, the program also is meant to help students with situations such as depression and anxiety, said Elliott Miller, Porter-Starke program director.

The program uses a national curriculum — studies of which have shown up to an 87 percent reduction in substance abuse among targeted students, Miller said.

SOURCE: nwi.com

Helping Students Take the Next Step

The Botvin LifeSkills Training Transitions program is a highly interactive, skills-based curriculum designed to promote positive health and personal development. This program helps adolescents navigate the transition from high school into the workforce and higher education. LST Transitions helps students in achieve competency in the skills that have been found to reduce and prevent substance use and violence.

The LifeSkills Training Transitions program uses a developmentally appropriate integrated approach designed to strengthen student abilities in the following areas:

• Personal Self-Management Skills
  Provides students with strategies for decision-making and managing stress.
• General Social Skills
  Enables students to strengthen their communication skills and build healthy relationships.
• Drug Resistance Skills
  Empowers students to understand the consequences of substance use and risk-taking.

 Program Structure

• Grades 11-12
• Consists of 6 class sessions
• Approximately 40-45 minutes each session
• Taught either as an intensive mini-series or on a more extended schedule
• Can be used alone or in combination with the LifeSkills Training High School program

Teens who drink with parents may still develop alcohol problems

Despite the research on the negative effects of alcohol use on young people, many parents still believe that teen drinking is a right of passage. Many take the approach of trying to teach responsible drinking by letting their teenagers have alcohol at home. However, a new study published in the latest issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, shows that this approach is ineffective.

In a study of 428 Dutch families, researchers found that the more teenagers were allowed to drink at home, the more they drank outside of home as well. What’s more, teens who drank under their parents’ watch or on their own had an elevated risk of developing alcohol-related problems. Drinking problems included trouble with school work, missed school days and getting into fights with other people, among other issues.

The findings, say the researchers, put into question the advice of some experts who recommend that parents drink with their teenage children to teach them how to drink responsibly — with the aim of limiting their drinking outside of the home.

SOURCE: CADCA

OSDFS Hosting a Webinar on Grant Opportunities for 2010

On Tuesday, February 2nd, 2:00 to 3:00 p.m., OSDFS Staff will host a webinar to discuss the grant opportunities available in 2010.   Each OSDFS Discretionary Grant Program Manager will provide details about their program and information about how to apply for each grant.

 The following OSDFS 2010 Discretionary grant opportunities will be included in the webinar:

• Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS)
• Higher Education Institutions for Emergency Management Plans
• Elementary and Secondary School Counselors
• Grants for the Integration of Schools and Mental Health Systems
• Building State Capacity for Preventing Youth Substance Use and Violence
• Grant Competition to Reduce Alcohol Abuse
• Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention Models on College Campuses
• Cooperative Civic Education and Economic Education Exchange Program
• Carol M. White Physical Education Program

There is no pre-registration for this event.  On the day of the webinar, call-in participation will be limited to the first 500 callers. 

The webinar power point presentation will be available at:

http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osdfs/resources.html

Webinar information:

Topic: OSDFS DISCRETIONARY GRANT OPPORTUNITIES
Date: Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Time: 2:00 pm, Eastern Standard Time (New York, GMT-05:00) 
To join the online meeting (Now from iPhones and other Smartphones too!)

Meeting Number: 741 038 130
1. Go to https://educate.webex.com/educate/j.php?ED=103026377&UID=0&PW=NZTlkZjlmY2Mz&RT=MiMxMQ%3D%3D
2. Enter your name and email address.
3. Enter the meeting password: jan2010
4. Click “Join Now”.

Funding Opportunity: Grant Announcement

Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth Request for Proposals

One Year Program Grants for Tobacco Use Prevention & Cessation Programs with Youth in Virginia

Term of Grant Awards:   July 1, 2010 – June 30, 2011

This is an online application process. No hard copies of the RFP will be available. All organizations considering responding to this RFP MUST attend one of four MANDATORY OFFEROR’S CONFERENCES. Visit Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth’s website for more information: http://www.healthyyouthva.org/funding.asp

Completed proposals are due by March 29, 2010 by 11:59 p.m.

E-mail Donna Gassie if you have any questions.

Preparing grant applications can be a bit challenging.  Botvin LifeSkills Training offers several grant application tools to help you in applying for local, state, and federal funding.

http://www.lifeskillstraining.com/grant_writing.php

ONDCP in Partneship with SAMHSA Announces 2010 Drug Free Communities Program RFA’s are Now Available

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), announced that the 2010 DFC Request for Applications (RFA) is now available at http://www.samhsa.gov/Grants/2010/SP-10-005.aspx 

The Drug Free Communities (DFC) Program funds community coalitions addressing youth substance use. Any coalition, that meets the statutory eligibility requirements may apply for DFC funding.  

If you have questions related to the content of the RFA, please call the hotline at 240-276-1270 or email your questions to dfcnew2010@samhsa.hhs.gov. If you have financial or grants management questions, please call Barbara Orlando at 240-276-1422 or email her at Barbara.orlando@samhsa.hhs.gov.

The deadline for applying is Friday, March 19, 2010.

Preparing grant applications can be a bit challenging.  Botvin LifeSkills Training offers several grant application tools to help you in applying for local, state, and federal funding.

http://www.lifeskillstraining.com/grant_writing.php

Anti-drug Education Methods Adapt to Times

Schools in Longview, TX have discontinued the DARE program in favor of evidence-based programs such as LST.

Drug and alcohol abuse educators these days have a more scientific approach based on results. Longview schools discontinued programs such as Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) and have begun using research-based government funded programs. With that transition, drug education curriculum also has changed.

“To truly be effective in altering the behavior of young people (a program) must be factual and it must provide them with tools they can use for their life,” said Susan Erwin Morgan, executive director of East Texas Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (ETCADA).

Educating children at every age is critical, Morgan said. ETCADA offers three programs for students — LifeSkills Training for elementary students, Youth Connection for middle school students and Project Toward No Drug Abuse, an intervention program for alternative school students and juvenile detention centers.

Click here to read the full article

Tobacco Companies Will Soon Provide Detailed Ingredients to FDA

In June, tobacco companies must tell the FDA their formulas for the first time, just as drugmakers have for decades. Manufacturers also will have to turn over any studies they’ve done on the effects of the ingredients.

Companies have long acknowledged using cocoa, coffee, menthol and other additives to make tobacco taste better. The new information will help the FDA determine which ingredients might also make tobacco more harmful or addictive. It will also use the data to develop standards for tobacco products and could ban some ingredients or combinations.

While the FDA must keep much of the data confidential under trade-secret laws, it will publish a list of harmful and potentially harmful ingredients by June 2011. Under the law, it must be listed by quantity in each brand.

SOURCE: Associated Press

Funding Opportunity: Grant Announcement

Smoke Free RFP Announcement: Paso del Norte Health Foundation is pleased to invite eligible agencies to submit proposals for funding of tobacco control programs through A Smoke Free Paso del Norte Initiative’s (SFI) competitive process. Successful applicants will provide evidence-based programs in support of Foundation efforts to eliminate tobacco use among adolescents within the Paso del Norte region.

For more information, contact Enrique Mata, Senior Program Officer at 915-544-7636 or emata@pdnhf.org

Click here to download the Smoke Free Paso del Norte Request for Proposals.

Preparing grant applications can be a bit challenging.  Botvin LifeSkills Training offers several grant application tools to help you in applying for local, state, and federal funding.

http://www.lifeskillstraining.com/grant_writing.php

2010 LST Training Schedule Now Available Online

LifeSkills Provider Training Workshops prepare teachers, school counselors, prevention specialists, community youth educators, and other program providers to effectively implement the state-of-the-art prevention education activities and teaching strategies found in the Botvin LifeSkills Training program with confidence and fidelity.

Each LifeSkills Provider Training Workshop plays an important role in enhancing the confidence and skill capacity of participants, resulting in optimal implementation of the Botvin LifeSkills Training program.

Click here for a listing of our 2010 workshops for the year. You can choose a training location and register online, or call 1-800-293-4969 to speak with our Training Department. If you do not find a scheduled workshop in your area, please click on Request a Training

Top 5 Tips for Parents from the Botvin LifeSkills Training Program

1. Make a point of talking with your children every day. Find time for both family and one-on-one talks. Plan your day so conversations can happen regularly, such as while eating family meals together.  When your child wants to discuss something, make sure you listen carefully.  If you can, stop whatever else you are doing so your child knows you are really listening.

2. Keep in mind that your habits influence your child. Research tell us that as they grow up, children tend to develop the same smoking, drinking, or drug use habits as their parents.

3. Have rules that spell out your expectations for your child. As much as possible, use “Do’s” rather than “Don’ts.”

4. Tell kids about the bad things that can happen now. Always let kids know that there are immediate and short-term risks to using substances.  Adolescents are more likely to be concerned with things that can affect their lives now, rather than the distnat future (for example, say that smoking can affect one’s performance on a sports team, rather than that smoking may eventually cause cancer).

5. Be a good listener. Ask questions to encourage your child to talk. Ask their opinion about things. Show that you are willing to listen. You do not have to agree with everything your kids say, but listen irst and give your opinion second. This way your kids will know they can talk with you about anything, including drugs and other problems.

Find us on Facebook!

Come find us on Facebook to become a fan and stay connected with Botvin LifeSkills Training!

We’ll be updating the page regularly with new posts, funding opportunities, prevention news and details of all the upcoming events we’ll be attending.

This continues our commitment to bring evidence-based prevention programs to schools, families, and communities just like yours! We strive to keep you informed of all the latest information and provide you with yet another way to give us feedback and stay connected.

Click the “Find Us on Facebook” button on the right and check out our page! Become a fan, and let us know what other content you’d like us to provide.

SAMHSA Announces the Winners of the 2008 Science and Service Awards

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recently announced the winners of its prestigious 2008 Science and Service Awards, which recognizes exemplary implementation of evidence-based programs by community organizations and coalitions nationwide.

Botvin LifeSkills Training (LST) is an integral component of several recipients in the Substance Abuse Prevention category. NY’s Broom County Mental Health Department and Ohio’s Wood County Educational Service Center have been implementing LST to prevent substance abuse and promote healthy choices among their youth. Administrators say these award winners are “blazing the trail” to show how it can be done.

Comprehensive tests and evaluations show increased knowledge about decision-making amongst youth, a reduction in risk factors and an increase in protective factors.

Cost-benefit Assesment of Delinquency Prevention in Pennsylvania

    Over the last 10 years, the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) funded evidence-based prevention programs which were implemented in over 120 communities. 

The Prevention Center at Penn State examined the return on investment of seven of these research-based programs supported by the PCCD. They determinded that not only did these prevention programs pay for themselves, but actually represented a potential $317 million return to the Commonwealth in terms of reduced corrections costs, welfare and social services burden, drug and mental health treatments, and increased employment and tax revenue.

Botvin LifeSkills Training showed the highest per dollar return yielding more the $25 for every dollar invested. An estimated 20,000 Pennsylvania middle school students currently receive the Botvin LifeSkills Training program at approximately 100 sites statewide.

Federal funding for prevention has declined dramatically over the past few years and schools are finding it more and more difficult to fund prevention programs. All the more reason for communities and schools to use their prevention funds wisely. During these difficult economic times, it is important to choose programs that have the potential to pay for themselves through crucial cost savings.

Youth Smoking Rates Drop in Virginia with LifeSkills Training

Youth smoking rates in Virginia have plummeted to the lowest point in a decade according to the latest survey conducted by the Virginia Tobacco Settlement Foundation. VTSF funds model prevention programs such as Botvin LifeSkills Training to increase youth’s knowledge of the consequences of tobacco and substance use. The implementation of the program is part of a statewide effort to reduce and prevent tobacco use among children and teenagers.

The Botvin LifeSkills Training Program addresses the following Myths and Realities of Smoking:

Myth: Cigarette smoking is not as dangerous as some people say.

Reality: Most health experts agree that cigarette smoking is one of the most serious causes of death and disability in this country.

Myth: It’s easy to quit smoking.

Reality: Most people are unsuccessful at quitting smoking, even though 1/2 of all smokers have tried to quit at least once.

Myth: Smoking is not something I will have to worry about until I’m old.

Reality: Smoking is something that hurts you now. It hurts you physically by decreasing your ability to perform strenuous activities, elevating carbon monoxide levels and decreasing endurance, staining teeth and fingers, affecting your sense of taste, causing you to smell like smoke and costing over $1,000 a year.

Myth: Most people smoke cigarettes.

Reality: Relatively few people smoke cigarettes and even fewer are likely to smoke in the future.

Myth: Smoking is cool and sophisticated.

Reality: Smoking has become socially unacceptable in most places.

Effective Communication Skills from Botvin LifeSkills Training

 

-as taken from the Botvin LifeSkills Training High School program

Effective communication is the respectful exchange of thoughts, feelings, and beliefs between a speaker and a listener in such a way that the listener interprets the message the same way the speaker intended it.

 

 Non-Verbal

Speaker and Listener 

• Maintain Eye Contact.
• Facial Expressions, such as smiling and nodding should show interest. 
• Your body language and gestures should be confident but inviting.   
• Find a physical distance that has you near enough to talk to each other easily but not so close that you feel crowded.

Verbal

Speaker   

• Your words should match your body language.  
• Ask both specific and open-ended questions.    
• Don’t monopolize the conversation.      
• Keep your tone of voice clear and respectful.                               

Listener      

• Use Active and passive listening.                                                                                                                                  
• Let the other person finish sentences; don’t interrupt.
• Summarize what you have heard and check for understanding.
• Keep your tone of voice clear and respectful.                                                                                                

ONDCP Letter Warns Parents About Teen Abuse of OTC Medicine

Many parents have no idea that teens today need only look to their local supermarket, pharmacy, or home medicine cabinet to get high using over-the-counter (OTC) cough and cold remedies.  To help warn parents of this risk, ONDCP’s National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign has developed a new customizable Open Letter that you can use in your community to educate parents and encourage them to both monitor their teens and look for signs of abuse.

Although overall teen drug use has declined over the last several years, parents are often unaware of this latest threat.  Many of these medications contain Dextromethorphan (DXM), a cough suppressant, which when taken in excessive amounts can cause delusions, loss of consciousness, and even death.  Even more startling is that some teens consume these drugs along with alcohol, making the effects even more dangerous.

But parents can help stop the abuse by safeguarding OTC drugs (and showing extra vigilance during cold and flu season), properly concealing and disposing of old or unused medications, and setting clear rules for teens about all drug and alcohol use. 

NOTE:  The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy selected Botvin LifeSkills Training  for excellence as a Model Evidence-Based Substance Abuse Prevention Program.

Funding Opportunities: New Grant Announcements

Below is a listing of NEW funding opportunities that may be applicable for the Botvin LifeSkills Training program.

CDC Youth Violence Prevention Grants

The National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will award a pair of $500,000 grants to assess the efficacy of community policy, economic and environmental changes aimed at reducing youth violence. For more information see the Youth Violence Prevention though Economic, Environmental Policy and Change grant announcement on the CDC website.

Non-profit and public agencies are eligible to apply. Letters of intent due 1/26/09; applications due 2/23/09.

Ed Dept. Grants Help to Curb Substance Abuse, Violence on Campus

The Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools has announced applications for its Grant Competition to Prevent High-Risk Drinking or Violent Behavior Among College Students.

Awards are are given for those who develop or enhance, implement, and evaluate campus-and/or community based strategies to prevent high risk behavior among students.

Click here to view full grant announcement and requirements.

Deadline for transmittal of applications is 1/30/09.

Botvin LifeSkills Training Now On TeacherTube.com!

In an effort to provide you with the most up-to-date information regarding all things LifeSkills, LST can now be seen on TeacherTube.com!

TeacherTube is an educationally focused online community for sharing instructional videos.  As well, it is a site where teachers can post videos designed for students to view in order to learn a concept or skill.

Click on the TeacherTube logo to view LST’s videos and check back regularly as updates are always being made!

Take the next step in becoming part of the TeacherTube education community and sign up to become a member. As a member, you can become a friend of Botvin LifeSkills, rate educational videos, leave comments, and upload videos to the site.

Funding Opportunities: New Grant Announcements

Below is a updated list of  NEW funding opportunities that may be applicable for the Botvin LifeSkills Training program.

The Partnerships in Character Education Program

The Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools has announced proposals for their Partnerships in Character Education Project Program.

Program Description: An eligible entity may apply for a grant to design and implement a character education program that will be:

(1) integrated into classroom instruction and is consistent with state academic content standards and
(2) carried out in conjunction with other education reform efforts.

Click here for more information and to view the official announcement.

Captain Planet Foundation Healthy Environment Grants

The Captain Planet Foundation’s Healthy Environment Grants focus on hands-on involvement to build a healthy environment and promote an understanding of environmental issues.

The Kids Fund directs its grant-making to four general areas:

(1) encouraging and strengthening positive development of children and families through constructive learning and recreational activities;

(2) assisting children and families dealing with challenges such as alcohol or drug abuse and mental illness;

(3) helping families meet the needs of children with disabilities; and

(4) supporting families, children, and youth by bringing services and activities to local neighborhoods and communities

Click here for more information and to view the full announcement.

Sprint Foundation Character Education Grant Program

The Sprint Foundation will award grants to school districts and individual schools to fund the purchase of resource materials, supplies, equipment and software that facilitates and encourages character education among K-12 students.  With a national reach, the program is open to all US public schools (K-12) and US public school districts.

The Sprint Character Education Grant program will accept applications for Character Education programs that promote youth leadership, youth volunteerism, school pride and a positive school culture.

Click here for more information and to view the official announcement.

LST Helps Kids Make the Right Decisions

As reported by:

Thanks to the Botvin LifeSkills Training program, which is currently taking place at all five Comal ISD middle schools in Texas, students are developing the necessary skills to resist the peer pressure to smoke, drink and use drugs. 

The program, purchased through a $6 million Keystone grant awarded to the Comal Independent School District, has students in grades six through eight meet with their LifeSkills Training teacher once a week. Sixth-grade students meet for 18 weeks, seventh graders 12 weeks and eighth graders for seven weeks during the school year.

“I have had more than one student come up and tell me how they used the decision-making skills they learned in the LifeSkills Trainingto make a good choice,” said Church Hill Middle School LST Trainer Rosie Rodriguez. “That lets me know we’re getting through to them and as a teacher, that always makes me feel good.”

CASA Report Identifies Characteristics of “Problem Parents”

According to a report by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA), although virtually all parents are concerned about the challenges of raising kids in today’s world, many fail to take essential actions to prevent their kids from smoking, drinking or using drugs. The report Identifies 4 characteristics of ”Problem Parents:”

 

Failure to Monitor School Night Socializing

•Nearly one-half (46%) of teens say that they typically go out with friends on school nights, while only 14% of parents say that their teens do so.

•Once out, 53% of teens come home between 8:00 and 10:00 p.m. and 15% come home later.

•The later teens stay out, the more likely they are to use alcohol or other drugs-even among older teens. Nearly one-third (29%) of those who come home between 8:00 and 10:00 p.m. and 50% of those who come home after 10:00 p.m. say there’s alcohol or drug use among the kids they are with.

 

Failure to Safeguard Prescription Drugs

•One-third of teens who know someone who abuses prescription drugs say that person gets the drugs from parents, home, or medicine cabinets.

 

Failure to Address Drugs in School

•One-third of parents think that the presence of drugs in school does not make it more likely that their child will use drugs. Yet previous CASA surveys have found that teens attending schools where drugs are used, kept, or sold are 5 times more likely to use marijuana, 15 times more likely to use prescription drugs, and 16 times more likely to use an illegal drug (other than marijuana or prescription drugs).

 

Failure to Set a Good Example

•One-fourth of all teens know a parent of a classmate or friend who uses marijuana-and 10% say that this parent smokes with people the teens’ age.

 

The Botvin LifeSkills Training Parent Program  can help!  The program is designed to help parents strengthen communication with their children and prevent them from using drugs. This powerful prevention tool contains materials and exercises that help parents keep their kids away from threats of tobacco, drugs, and violence. These tools help parents prepare their children for a successful transition from adolescence to early adulthood.

Funding Opportunities: New Grant Announcements

Below is a updated list of  NEW funding opportunities that may be applicable for the Botvin LifeSkills Training program.

Gang Prevention Coordination Assistance Program

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is currently taking applications for the 2009 Gang Prevention Coordination Assistance Program.

The program provides funding for localities to enhance coordination of Federal, state, and local resources in support of community partnerships implementing the following antigang strategies: primary prevention, secondary prevention, gang intervention, and targeted gang enforcement.

Click here for more information and to view the official announcement.

Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools Initative

The Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools is accepting applications for it’s Safe Schools-Healthy Students Initiative.

The program supports the implementation and enhancement of integrated, comprehensive community-wide plans that create safe and drug-free schools and promote healthy childhood development.

Click here for more information and to read the official announcement.

New Provider Training Schedule for 2009

LifeSkills Provider Training Workshops prepare teachers, school counselors, prevention specialists, community youth educators, and other program providers to effectively implement the state-of-the-art prevention education activities and teaching strategies found in the Botvin LifeSkills Training program with confidence and fidelity.

Each LifeSkills Provider Training Workshop plays an important role in enhancing the confidence and skill capacity of participants, resulting in optimal implementation of the LifeSkills Training program.

LifeSkills Provider Training workshops are designed to:

1. Review the background theory, research and rationale behind the LifeSkills Training program
2. Familiarize participants with the LifeSkills curriculum
3. Teach participants the skills needed to successfully conduct the LifeSkills Training program
4. Discuss practical implementation issues
5. Provide an opportunity to practice teaching selected portions of the LifeSkills curriculum.

LifeSkills Provider Training workshops can be delivered on-site or through open training workshops sponsored by NHPA.  Click here to learn more about training opportunities in your area.

NASADAD Urges Congress to Include Block Grant in Stimulus Package

As reported by:

The economic stimulus package being considered by Congress should include an increase of at least $100 million for the federal Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) Block Grant as well as more funding for addiction services under the Medicaid program, according to a letter sent to Congressional leaders by the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD).

The letter, sent on Dec. 18 to the House and Senate leadership as well as members of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, noted that states are facing major fiscal challenges and said that investing in the block grant and Medicaid treatment would foster economic growth.

NASADAD reported that nearly 70 percent of state substance-abuse agencies are facing either a hiring freeze or laying off staff, about half have cut services, and 42 percent expect budget cuts in the future.

“An investment in the SAPT Block Grant ensures that resources will reach all states and territories in an effective and efficient manner,” said Rob Morrison, interim executive director of NASADAD. “[I]ndividuals receiving services from SAPT Block Grant funded programs demonstrated high abstinence rates at discharge from both illegal drug (68.3 percent) and alcohol (73.7 percent) use. The SAPT Block Grant also ensures accountability given that providers, counties and States work together to report how services affect people’s lives — including the impact services have on alcohol and other drug use; employment; criminal justice activity; housing; and more. Thus, strong investments in federal-State programs, like the SAPT Block Grant, are a valuable way to foster economic growth and help those most in need of services.”

Botvin LifeSkills Training offers several grant application tools to help you in applying for local, state, and federal funding.  Check out the website for more funding opportunities as they become available.

LifeSkills Tips for Middle Schoolers

Tips from the Botvin LifeSkills Training Middle School Level 1 Program

• Sometimes people develop low self-esteem because they think they cannot do anything. However, many people take what they can do for granted. Taking time to reflect and think about what you can do can help you feel better about yourself.
• It’s important to learn what kinds of situations cause us stress, because being aware of those situations is the first step in learning to cope with them.
• Even though we may not be able to prevent all stress from affecting us, relaxation techniques can help us to calm down if we do get “stressed out.”
• Assertiveness means being able to stand up for yourself calmly and firmly. Part of the trouble that children have when they are growing up is that they do not feel comfortable telling their friends they do not want to do something.

The Botvin LifeSkills Training Middle School Program is a groundbreaking substance abuse prevention program based on more than 25 years of rigorous scientific research and is one of the most effective evidence-based programs used in schools today. In addition to helping kids resist drug, alcohol, and tobacco use, the LifeSkills Training Middle School program also effectively helps to reduce violence and other high-risk behaviors.

Today is Thank Your Mentor Day

As a highlight of National Mentoring Month 2009, Thank Your Mentor Day (1/22) is when many Americans reach out to thank or honor those individuals who encouraged and guided them, and had a lasting impact on their lives. Thank Your Mentor Day promotes “Four Ways to Honor Your Mentor”:

1) contact your mentor directly to express your appreciation

2) pass on what you received by becoming a mentor to a young person in your community

3) make a financial contribution to a local mentoring program

4) write a tribute to your mentor for posting on www.WhoMentoredYou.org.

By focusing national attention on the need for mentors, individuals, businesses, government agencies, schools, faith communities and nonprofits  can work together to increase the number of mentors and assure brighter futures for today’s youth.

Research has shown that programs that rely on volunteer mentors can play a powerful role in reducing drug abuse and youth violence while greatly enhancing a young person’s prospects for leading a healthy and productive life.

Connecticut Cracks Down on Teen Smoking

Under a new law that went into effect this month, it is now unlawful for anyone in CT under the age of 18 to use, smoke or possess smoking products in a public place, including chewing tobacco. The violation carries a fine of $50 for the first offense and a $100 fine for further offenses. Minors who purchase or misrepresent their age to purchase tobacco can be fined $50 for the first offense and $100 for further offenses.

According to the Connecticut Department of Public Health and the American Lung Association (ALA), almost 90 percent of adult smokers start before age 18. It’s crucial to reach potential smokers in grade school and middle and high school with stricter laws and prevention programs.

Substance Abuse Prevention and the New Administration

The Obama Administration has made an effort to ensure that the public has the ability to provide input as it develops its policies.  Community coalitions can post comments on the Citizen´s Briefing Book to help ensure that substance abuse prevention issues are at the top of the Administration’s list.

The Citizen’s Briefing Book allows users to share their ideas on the issues facing the new administration. Over 125,000 users submitted over 44,000 ideas and cast over 1.4 million votes. The best rated ideas are being gathered into a book and delivered to President Obama.  

CADCA formally submitted white papers to the Presidential Transition Team regarding the Drug Free Communities program, the State Grants portion of the Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities program, and the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. Information contained in these papers can be used to help coalitions develop their comments for the Citizen’s Briefing Book.

Help ensure the new Administration understands the need to enhance substance abuse prevention funding and programs. Check out the website and leave your comments.

Funding Opportunity: New Grant Announcement

Below is a funding opportunity that may be applicable for the Botvin LifeSkills Training program. 

Friday is the last day to apply for substance-abuse-prevention grants through the 24-Hour Relay Grant Committee.

Funds will come from September’s 24-Hour Relay Challenge and the 2008 Independence Hop & Heritage Festival.

They are administered through the Community Fund of the Monmouth-Independence Community Foundation of Oregon.

The 24-Hour Relay Challenge’s mission is to encourage a drug- and alcohol-free lifestyle for youths in the Monmouth-Independence community in Oregon. Grant preferences will be given to groups and activities that share the principles of the 24-Hour Relay Challenge mission.

Qualifications include programs, projects or activities that address the problem of drug and alcohol use among youths and/or promote positive choices. Some programs benefit select groups, but others will benefit the community as a whole. Both types of projects are welcome, but preference is given to those that benefit more people.

Application deadline: Friday, 1/30/09

For information, contact:

 Bob Archer or Marilyn Morton

24-Hour Relay Committee

194 S Main St., P.O. Box 535

Independence, OR 97351

 e-mail farreacher@minetfiber.com or mortons@minetfiber.com

Funding Opportunity: New Grant Announcement

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) will award $10 million to enable national organizations to provide mentoring services to special high-risk youth populations.

The goal of the program is to reduce juvenile delinquency, drug abuse, truancy, and other problem and high-risk behaviors.

Funding priority will go to groups that have mentoring programs ready for implementation. Only national programs may apply.

Deadline is February 25, 2009

Click here to for more information and to view the full grant announcement.

Middle School Hosts LST Awards Ceremony

On Thursday, Demopolis Middle School located in Marengo County, Alabama hosted its first awards ceremony for their students who participated in the Botvin LifeSkills Training program.

 

Almost 200 students took part in the LST Middle School program which promotes healthy alternatives to risky behavior through activities designed to teach students how to resist peer pressures, develop greater self-esteem and cope with anxiety. Throughout the program, students learned a series of skills such as decision making, assertiveness and effective communication to help them make healthy choices and avoid risks.

 

While the program is now in its second year in Demopolis, this is the first year that all sixth-graders took part in the program, which will soon be brought to John Essex School and the Linden City Schools system.

 

The Botvin LifeSkills Training program is a part of the Tombigbee Healthcare Authority’s GROWestAL program that is available through the $25,000 grant provided by the Alabama Department of Public Health in October.

Funding Prevention Makes Economic Sense, Researchers Say

 

As reported by

 

 

Every dollar invested in substance-abuse prevention yields $10 in savings, according to researchers from Iowa State University who recently presented their findings to the United Nations.

Researchers Richard Spoth, director of the Partnerships in Prevention Science Institute at Iowa State, and colleague Max Guyll told attendees at the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime/World Health Organization meeting in December that studies of PPSI’s Iowa Strengthening Families Program (ISFP) and Life Skills Training Program (LST) demonstrated significant cost benefits.

The research estimated how many cases of drug use each intervention prevented, then compared the cost of each successful intervention to the cost savings to the community. Spoth and Guyll said that ISFP yielded a $9.60 return for each $1 invested in preventing alcohol disorders, while LST has a $9.98 return on investment in terms of preventing methamphetamine use.

The International Narcotics Control Board has asked Spoth to help develop a report on the state of the art of prevention. The reports on ISFP and LST are available online.

Funding Opportunity: Grant Announcement

Effective July 1, 2009, the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control will award grants up to $100,000 to local law enforcement agencies. These grants will enable the selected agencies to expand their present efforts in addressing alcohol-related problems through a comprehensive ABC program that will encompass a wide range of strategies.

If your agency is selected, your sworn officers assigned to the project will work closely with ABC investigators and receive training in ABC law, alcohol enforcement strategies, and community resources.

Click here for more information and to read the official grant announcement.

New Bill Aims to Prevent Underage Drinking

Recently, Congresswomen Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA) and Mary Bono Mack (R-CA) introduced the Support 21 Act of 2009, a bill that would strengthen local and national efforts to prevent underage drinking. Rep. Roybal-Allard announced the bill during CADCA´s 19th annual National Leadership Forum, the nation´s largest conference for community alcohol and drug prevention advocates and substance abuse professionals.

The Support 21 Act of 2009 (HR 1028) authorizes a new highly visible media campaign to educate the public about underage drinking laws and build support for their enforcement. It asks the National Academy of Sciences to provide a report to Congress about the influence of drinking alcohol on the development of the adolescent brain. The bill also authorizes supplemental grant funds to current and former Drug Free Community grantees to work with pediatric health care providers and parents to reduce underage drinking. Additional grants would also be provided to assist pediatric medical organizations in educating providers on best practices for screening their adolescent patients, doing brief interventions, and making appropriate referrals. Finally, the bill will establish a new focus in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on underage drinking surveillance and prevention.

Find Information About Applying for Grants

The U.S. Department of Education’s Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives is a great place to find information and resources to help faith-based and community organizations navigate the application process for federal grants. While there are no special grant programs dedicated solely to faith-based or community organizations, the center describes the grant programs open to them and updates information on grant announcements, workshops, and partnership ideas.  Check the center’s materials and their guide to funding. 

These funding opportunities may be applicable to the Botvin LifeSkills Training program, an evidence-based substance abuse and violence prevention program with over 25 years of peer-reviewed research behind it. 

While preparing grant applications can sometimes be a bit challenging,  LifeSkills Training offers several grant application tools to help you in applying for local, state, and federal funding.

ONDCP Will Award $17 Million in Drug Prevention Grants

The White House Office of National Drug Control (ONDCP), and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recently announced the availability of new, Drug Free Communities (DFC) Support Program funds. ONDCP expects to award approximately $17 million – 130 new grants – to community drug prevention coalitions throughout the United States. The grant awards are subject to the availability of funds. The deadline to submit DFC grantee applications is Friday, March 20, 2009.

The DFC support program is a collaborative Federal program sponsored by ONDCP, and administered in partnership with SAMHSA. The program aims to establish and strengthen communities to prevent, reduce, and eliminate youth substance use and abuse. The DFC program was created in 1997 under the Drug Free Communities Act, and was reauthorized in 2001, and again in 2006. The latest reauthorization extends the DFC program for an additional five years, until 2012.

Applications for the Drug Free Communities (DFC) Support Program (No. SP-09-002) are available by calling SAMHSA’s Health Information Network at 1-877-SAMHSA7 or by downloading http://www.samhsa.gov/grants/2009/fy2009.aspx or www.grants.gov.

For Botvin LifeSkills Training Grant Writing Tools and Templates, visit us our website at www.lifeskillstraining.com.

Funding Opportunity: Grant Announcement

CA Dept of Education Funding

 

Funding Name: Tobacco-Use Prevention: Grades Six through Twelve

 

Eligible Applicants: local educational agencies

 

Tobacco-Use Prevention Education (TUPE) funds support health education efforts aimed at the prevention and reduction of tobacco use. TUPE in grades six through twelve is funded through a competitive application process. Funds are awarded to local educational agencies that propose to replicate scientifically research-proven, effective programs.

Local educational agencies must be certified tobacco-free by July 1, 2008. Funding is available to districts, charter schools, consortium leads, and county offices of education that serve students in grades six through twelve.

Botvin LifeSkills Training is a California Healthy Kids Resource Center Research-Validated Program for grades 3-10.

Click here for more information.

Funding Opportunity: Grant Announcement

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) – Youth Program Grant

The ESA Foundation supports positive programs and opportunities that make a difference in the quality of life, health and welfare of America’s youth. The Foundation strives to use the collective power of the interactive entertainment industry as a means of creating positive social impact in communities. The Foundation is currently accepting applications from organizations that provide youth programs in one or more of the following areas:

• skills and personal development
• general health and welfare
• risk behavior prevention
• education and/or multimedia arts/technology related or applied

Eligible applicants include non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations that have
or will have projects/programs in two or more states in the US and serves youth between the ages of 7 and 18.

Contact The ESA Foundation for more grant- and program-specific details: http://www.theesa.com/foundation/application.asp

Deadline is April 15, 2009

New Director of ONDCP Announced Today

The White House formally announced today that Seattle police chief Gil Kerlikowske has been nominated as the new director of the ONDCP.  While the position, more commonly known as the “drug czar” is no longer a part of the Cabinet, it still requires Senate confirmation.

The White House Release:

Gil Kerlikowske has been the Chief of Police for Seattle for 9 years where he has been credited publicly with bringing down crime rates to record lows.  He is the current president of the Major City Chiefs Association, which is composed of the 56 of the largest enforcement agencies in the United States.  He also served as Police Commissioner for the City of Buffalo, where he served until 1998, when he left to become the Deputy Director of the COPS program for the Department of Justice.

Funding Opportunity: Grant Announcement

 The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), in partnership with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), announced the availability of up to $1.2 million for new Drug-Free Communities Support Mentoring Program (DFC Mentoring) grants.

An estimated 16 new Mentoring grants will be awarded (approximating $75,000 per grant for up to two years) to drug and alcohol prevention community coalitions representing a cross-section of rural, urban, suburban, and tribal communities. The actual award amount may vary, depending upon the availability of funds and the progress achieved by the awardees.

The purpose of the DFC Mentoring Program is to provide grant funds to effective current DFC grantees (mentors) to facilitate the development and/or expansion of new community drug prevention coalitions (mentees) which seek to prevent substance abuse amoung youth. By building the capacity of drug free community groups to assess the unique challenges facing their communities and assisting in the organization of a coalition-based response to those challenges, the mentoring system better prepares mentee groups to implement effective prevention strategies.

To be eligible for a DFC Mentoring grant, interested drug prevention community coalitions must have been in existence for five years; be a current DFC grantee or grantee applicant; have achieved measurable results in youth drug and alcohol prevention; have dedicated staff, volunteers, or members to assist the mentee coalitions; and must demonstrate consensus and community support from local key sectors and stakeholders, including youth, parents, businesses, media, law enforcement, government, and religious and civic organizations, among others.

To review the grant application or its requirements, or to learn more about the Drug Free Communities Support Program, click here. Mentoring grants are awarded through a competitive peer review process.

Application deadline is April 24, 2009

Funding Opportunity: Grant Announcement

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) in the U.S. Justice Department will award funds from the 2009 Recovery Act to support local youth mentoring programs.

The OJJDP FY 09 Recovery Act Local Youth Mentoring Initiative is currently accepting applications from nonprofits, government entities, schools and others for the program. Grants will support “local organizations that develop, implement, or expand local mentoring programs leading to measurable, positive outcomes for at-risk youth.”

Application deadline and funding amount have not yet been determined.

For more information, contact Kerri Strug, Program Manager, at (202) 305-0702 or Kerri.Strug@usdoj.gov or Gwendolyn Williams, Program Manager, at (202) 616-1611 or Gwendolyn.Williams@usdoj.gov.

Dr. Gilbert J. Botvin Presents at Conference Addressing Substance Abuse among Military Personnel

Dr. Gilbert J. Botvin, developer of the highly acclaimed Botvin LifeSkills Training substance abuse and violence prevention program, was an invited speaker at a scientific meeting sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) in collaboration with the U.S. Army and other national organizations. The two-day meeting, titled “Addressing Substance Abuse and Co-morbidities Among Military Personnel, Veterans and Their Families:  A Research Agenda,” was held in Bethesda, MD, on January 6 – 7, 2009.  Dr. Botvin described the LifeSkills Training program, summarized the 25 years of research supporting its effectiveness, and discussed the potential application of the LST approach for military personnel and their family.

 

The meeting focused on understanding the intervention needs of military personnel, veterans, and their families regarding substance abuse, as well as the potential of current prevention and treatment approaches for the military. Recent reports indicate that military personnel returning from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq experience serious challenges including traumatic brain injury (TBI), post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, and alcohol abuse. “The stress that these service members and their families are under can unfortunately lead to substance abuse problems,” Dr. Botvin noted. “This conference was an extremely important first step in applying the advances in prevention and treatment to this population,” he continued. The LST approach offers considerable potential. In addition to the school-based LST program, similar approaches have been developed for families and young adults in the workplace. Application of the LST model to the military would be an important new adaptation of this successful prevention model.

 

Participants reviewed existing prevention interventions to understand how to successfully conduct research in military and veteran settings. In a recent study of soldiers who had returned from Iraq, those screened several months after their return reported more mental health concerns and were referred at significantly higher rates for treatment than those at the initial post-deployment screening. Alcohol problems were frequently reported, but very few personnel were referred to alcohol treatment. Military operations have been described as particularly difficult for those in the reserve and National Guard. Deployed reserve and National Guard personnel with reported combat exposures are at increased risk of new-onset heavy weekly drinking, binge drinking, and alcohol-related problems. The National Institute on Drug Abuse plans on developing a new grant initiative to address the problem of substance abuse and related co-morbidities in the military.

Funding Opportunity: Grant Announcement

The Build-A-Bear Workshop Bear Hugs Foundation is a direct funding supporter for children in the areas of health and wellness such as childhood disease research foundations, child safety organizations, and organizations that serve children with special needs.

The type of grants funded are:

• Individual Project grants – These grants are generally for one-time purchases or to fulfill a short-term need, such as the purchase of materials or equipment.
• Organization Program grants – These grants fund start-up or operational costs for ongoing programs. Examples include funds for research, health and wellness educational programs, or financial assistance for children and families in-need.

Grants will be a one-time contribution and generally range from $1,000 USD to $10,000 USD, but the average grant is $1,500. Grant requests should be in line with an organization’s overall budget.

Grants are reviewed several times during the year. The application deadlines for 2009 are at the end of April, July, and October, and January 31, 2010.

Click here for more information.

Funding Opportunity: Grant Announcement

The Nationwide Foundation is dedicated to making strategic philanthropic investments to meet the critical needs of communities.

The Foundation seeks applications from organizations that address emergency and basic needs (food banks, disaster relief, and emergency), stabilization needs (rehabilitation programs and organizations that provide safety programs), individual development needs (youth mentoring) and community enrichment needs (higher education, civic improvement, arts and culture).

Ineligible applicants include organizations that are not 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, fundraising events, individuals, athletic teams, research, public/private primary/secondary schools, or lobbying activities. The Nationwide Foundation generally supports organizations located in areas with Nationwide associate populations.

Please contact The Nationwide Foundation directly for program and grant specific information: http://www.nationwide.com/about-us/apply-now.jsp

Deadline is: 9/1/2009

Funding Opportunity: Grant Announcement

The Tiger Woods Foundation strives to help young women and men reach their full potential by supporting community and family development efforts.

The Foundation is seeking grant applicants that focus on providing opportunities to underserved youth, ages 5-17, with the average grant range between $2,500 and $25,000. The Foundation is particularly interested in programs that enhance the learning process for youth, enhance youth development, and that focus on youth in urban American cities.

Eligible applicants include 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations that have been in place for at least one year and non-salary programmatic support for year round programs are eligible to receive this grant.

Please contact the Tiger Woods Foundation for more program and grant information:http://www.tigerwoodsfoundation.org/grant_requirements.php

Application deadline is: 5/1/2009

$1 Spent on Prevention Saves $10, Study Says

As reported by:

 

 

Investing in addiction prevention programs yields a 10-1 return for society, according to researchers from Iowa State University (ISU) who studied the Iowa Strengthening Families Program and the LifeSkills Training Program.

Researchers Richard Spoth, Ph.D., and Max Guyll, Ph.D. detailed findings from the “Prevention’s Cost Effectiveness: Illustrative Economic Benefits of General Population Interventions” and “Prevention of Substance-related Problems: Effectiveness of Family-focused Prevention” studies for a conference sponsored by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the World Health Organization.

“Effective and efficient prevention promises to save possibly billions of dollars per year, provided we can learn how to effectively implement it on a larger scale,” said Spoth, director of ISU’s Partnerships in Prevention Science Institute (PPSI).

Discussing Drugs with Your Children

According to a recent study from the 2008 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study (PATS), the majority of teens reported that their parents had discussed the risks of alcohol or marijuana with them. However, significantly less teens reported speaking with their parents about inhalants or prescription drug abuse.

 

Need help opening up the lines of communications with your children? The

Botvin LifeSkills Training Parent Program is designed to help parents strengthen communication with their children and prevent them from using drugs. This powerful prevention tool is ideal for parenting workshops or individual use at home. The comprehensive guide and DVD included in this program contain materials and exercises that help parents keep their kids away from threats of tobacco, drugs, and violence. These tools help parents prepare their children for a successful transition from adolescence to early adulthood.

Click here for a sample lesson.

April is Alcohol Awareness Month

Alcohol Awareness Month (AAM) began in 1987 and encourages the public to focus on alcohol-related issues. Evidence-based programs can help schools, families and communities prevent and reduce underage drinking.

The results of over 20 studies published in major scientific journals such as the Journal of the American Medical Association consistently show that the Botvin LifeSkills Training program dramatically reduces alcohol use among other substances. These studies further show that the program works with a diverse range of adolescents, produces results that are long-lasting, and is effective when taught by teachers, peer leaders, or health professionals.

Click here to view a list of all studies for the LST program.
 

Funding Opportunity: Grant Announcement

The National Institute on Drug Abuse seeks partnerships to implement and evaluate proposed systems-level changes to facilitate the dissemination, adoption, implementation, and sustainability of proven, innovative drug abuse prevention, treatment, and business policies and practices.

The goal of this initiative is to enhance the quality of drug abuse prevention and treatment services through the implementation of evidence-based practices in ways that are likely to have replicable, sustainable, systemic impacts.

Click here to read the full grant announcement and view the multiple deadline dates

How to let the Media Know about Your School’s Prevention Efforts

 

 

 

Are you implementing the substance abuse and violence prevention program Botvin LifeSkills Training in your schools? Then spread the word about you organization’s efforts to keep kids drug-free! Local media are always looking for success stories in the community.

 

Not sure how to get the word out?

Let your local news organizations, PTAs or government officials know about your dedication to substance abuse and violence prevention by sending them a press release.

It’s easy!  Simply click here for a customizable press release that you can send via email or fax. Just upload your school’s logo, fill out your information and send.

 

 

  

Funding Opportunity: Grant Announcement

The city of Kannapolis, NC  is seeking applications from nonprofits with programs that would qualify for its 2009-2010 Community Development Block Grant fund allocation.

Funds are designated for activities that benefit low- and moderate-income residents in the city. These typically include programs that provide housing, child care, employment services, health services, drug-abuse prevention, mental-health services and education programs.

“We use these funds to help support nonprofits that provide services that fit within the city’s and HUD’s mission,” said Irene Sacks, director of business and community affairs. “These groups provide important services, from delivering hot meals to homebound residents to providing housing assistance to helping battle literacy issues in our community.”

Applications will be reviewed by the Community Development Commission and by city staff. The maximum grant amount is $5,000.

For more information or to request an application, contact Sherry Jones, the city’s community development program administrator, at sjones@ci. kannapolis.nc.us or 704-920-4332. Applications are also available to download from www.cityofkannapolis.com.

Funding Opportunity: Grant Announcement

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention is accepting applications to fund Partnerships for Success: State and Community Prevention Performance Grant (short title: Partnerships for Success).

This grant program is designed to provide eligible States and U.S. Territories with grant funds to achieve a quantifiable decline in State-wide substance abuse rates, incorporating a strong incentive to grantees that have met or exceeded their prevention performance targets by the end of Year 3.

Grant awards will be made to applicants with the established infrastructure and demonstrated capacity to reduce substance abuse problems and achieve specific program outcomes, as outlined in the RFA.

SAMHSA/CSAP intends to offer a performance incentive of $500,000.

Click here for more information and to view the official announcement

39th Anniversary of Ban on Cigarette Advertising

On this day in 1970, President Richard Nixon signed the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act which banned cigarette ads on TV and radio. It was one of the major bills passed by the U.S. Congress in response to the Surgeon General’s report that found cigarette smoking caused lung cancer and bronchitis.

The tobacco industry uses a variety of other marketing tools and strategies to influence people and attract new customers.  The Botvin LifeSkills Training program addresses media influences and offers students techniques to identify, analyze and resist these influences. Here are some tips from the middle school program on how to resist media influence.

When you see or hear an ad that makes you want to go out and buy the product, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Did the ad convince me that I would be a better or happier person or improve myself in some way by using that product?

2. Do I feel that I would be more attractive if I followed the ad’s advice?

3. Do I feel that if I ignore the ad I will lose status with my friends or that something bad will happen?

Funding Opportunity:Grant Announcement

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention is accepting applications for fiscal year 2009 for Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking Act (STOP Act) grants.

The purpose of this program is to prevent and reduce alcohol use among youth in communities throughout the United States. It was created to:

• strengthen collaboration among communities, the Federal Government, and State, local and tribal governments
• to enhance intergovernmental cooperation and coordination on the issue of alcohol use among youth
• to serve as a catalyst for increased citizen participation and greater collaboration among all sectors and organizations of a community that first demonstrates a long-term commitment to reducing alcohol use among youth
• to disseminate to communities timely information regarding state-of-the-art practices and initiatives that have proven to be effective in preventing and reducing alcohol use among youth.

Up to $50,000 award per year.

Click here for more information, eligibility requirements, and to view the full announcement.

Deadline is May 26, 2009

Funding Opportunity: Grant Announcement

Fifteen grants of up to $1,000 each will be awarded to service-learning projects focused on underage drinking prevention and vehicle safety, via a partnership between the State Farm insurance company and Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

Grants will go to teachers, school service-learning coordinators and community-based organizations that facilitate projects involving youths ages 5-25.

Applications for the Good Decisions program are due April 20, 2009.

For more information, see the Protecting You/Protecting Me website, a joint project of State Farm and MADD.

Funding Opportunity: Grant Announcement

The Office of Juvenille Delinquency Prevention has announced grants as part of their Tribal Youth Program.

OJJDP’s TYP supports and enhances tribal efforts to prevent and control delinquency and strengthen the juvenile justice system for American Indian/Alaska Native youth.

Since  1999, OJJDP has awarded 314 TYP grants to tribes throughout the country to develop and implement culturally sensitive delinquency prevention programs, interventions for court involved youth, improvements to the juvenile justice system, alcohol and substance abuse prevention programs, and mental health program services.

Award amount up to $450,000 each.

Click here to view the full grant announcement.

Funding Opportunity: Grant Announcement

The Office Depot Foundation focuses on making a difference in children’s lives by supporting activities that serve, teach and inspire children, youth and families. The Foundation strives to enhance communities by supporting civic organizations and activities that address community needs.

Selected applicants will receive a minimum of $50 and a maximum of $10,000. The average award grant is apporximately $1,000. Eligible applicants include schools, libraries, government agencies or established 501(c)(3) organizations whose efforts make a differnce in children’s lives and/or build communities.

Please contact The Office Depot Foundation for specific grant information and application material: http://www.officedepotfoundation.com/funding.asp

Deadline is April 30, 2009

Funding Opportunity: Grant Announcement

The Intel Corporation is committed to maintaining and enhancing the quality of life in the U.S. communities where the company has a major presence, through grants, donations, sponsorship, and other forms of philanthropy and giving.

Education Grants:

• Intel has a strong interest in supporting K-12 and higher education, and community programs that deliver the kind of educational opportunities that all students will need to prepare themselves to succeed in the 21st century.

Community Site Grants:

• Intel will provide grants, donations, and philanthropic support to additional programs that improve the quality of life in its site communities. Each request will be evaluated on the basis of the services offered and the program’s impact on the community, its focus on diversity and multiculturalism, its impact on the youth of our community, the cost-effectiveness of the program and its ability to be effectively measured and replicated, and the potential for Intel employee involvement.

Deadline: Rolling

Click here for more information on all Intel Grant opportunities.

Plymouth, Indiana Schools Use LST to Battle Meth

In an effort to fight the meth epidemic in Plymouth, Indiana, the Bowen Center is implementing the Botvin LifeSkills Training program. Throughout the school year, students in 13 elementary, middle and junior high schools will receive four to eight LST sessions which teach personal self management skills, general social skills and drug resistance skills. Rather than merely teaching information about the dangers of drug abuse, Botvin LifeSkills Training promotes healthy alternatives to risky behavior. Studies testing its effectiveness show that LST cuts methamphetamine use by 68%.   

While the program is initially being implemented in elementary and middle school, the program has the potential to continue into high school and there is even a Parent Program which is designed to help parent and guardians strengthen communication with their children and prevent them from using drugs.

Funding Opportunity: Grant Announcement

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) will award R34 research grants to support projects that facilitate the implementation of evidence-based practices in addiction treatment and prevention.

The Building System Capacity for Implementing Evidence-Based Practices in Substance Abuse Treatment and Prevention grants provide “resources to facilitate research on the adoption, implementation, and sustainability of evidence-based clinical treatment practices, prevention approaches, and business practices in community-based service delivery settings,”.

NIDA is especially interested in projects that “advance the field of implementation science while simultaneously building the capacity of systems and service providers to conduct process improvement research.”

Nonprofits, for-profit entities, schools, government agencies, and others may apply.

Application deadline is May 7, 2012.

Click here to view the full grant announcement.

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Funding Opportunity-Grant Announcement

Through the Community Grants Program, Best Buy seeks to support non-profit organizations that provide opportunities to young teens related to education, life skills, leadership skills or relationship development.

Special consideration will be given to programs that are high quality and serve a diverse population, build social, academic, leadership and/or life skills in early adolescents (primarily ages 13-18), show positive results against a community need and reach at-risk children in working families.

This year, Best Buy Children’s Foundation will give $1 million through the Community Grants Program. Administered grants will average $5,000-$7,000. Eligible applicants include non-profit organizations that are located within 50 miles of a Best Buy store or Distribution Center.

Please contact the Best Buy Children’s Foundation for more specific grant information: http://www.bestbuyinc.com/community_relations/local_donations_rfp.htm

Deadline is June 15, 2009

LST Earns Top NREPP Ratings

The Botvin LifeSkills Training (LST) program has been awarded top ratings from the National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP).

Out of a perfect score of 4.0, LST received a near-perfect score of 3.9 for Quality of Research (the quality of the research evidence supporting the effectiveness of LST) and a perfect 4.0 for Readiness for Dissemination (the quality of the LST curriculum materials, web site, training, technical assistance, and overall support infrastructure).    

NREPP is part of SAMHSA’s efforts to help community organizations and state and local officials make informed decisions about evidence-based interventions for the prevention and treatment of mental and substance use disorders.

Funding Opportunity: Grant Announcement

Community-based nonprofits can tap into an extra $1 billion in funding for the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) — part of the funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The money is intended to be used to boost the economy by reducing poverty, revitalizing low-income communities, and helping families become self-sufficient. Funds can be used to address needs like housing, education, employment, nutrition, and emergency services.

For more information, see the CSBG website or the state-by-state breakdown of CSBG Recovery Act funding.

Funding Opportunity: Grant Announcement

The Justice Department’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) will award grants of up to $500,000 under its 2009 Enforcing the Underage Drinking Laws Discretionary Program: Initiative to Reduce Underage Drinking.

The program “seeks to reduce the availability of alcoholic beverages to and the consumption of alcoholic beverages by persons serving in the U.S. Air Force who are younger than 21 years old,” according to the grant announcement. “The initiative will provide funds to local civilian communities to implement research-based and promising practices to enforce underage drinking laws and prevent underage service personnel from consuming alcohol in collaboration with active duty bases implementing the underage component of the Air Force’s Culture of Responsible Choices program.”

Application deadline is May 21. Only state agencies that administer the Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws block grant may apply; a list of eligible agencies is posted online.

For more details, see the full grant announcement.

Funding Opportunity: Grant Announcement

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is seeking to partner with local grantmakers to fund projects that reduce violence in specific racial, ethnic, tribal, gender or sexually based, or rural/frontier communities.

The Local Funding Partnerships Program to Reducing Exposure to Violence, part of the foundation’s Vulnerable Populations program, is seeking “new, community-based, and culturally appropriate” programs “reflecting how language skills, significant cultural differences, education, income, and discrimination affect health outcomes.”

Applicants must be nominated by a “diversity-focused funder that is principally concerned with the population to be served.” A dollar-for-dollar matching grant is required, although 25 percent may come in the form of in-kind services.

Up to $1 million in grants is available in the 2009 grant cycle. Up to eight matching grants of between $50,000 to $200,000 each will be awarded.

Proposals may be submitted at any time throughout 2009 for consideration on May 1, 2009; September 1, 2009; and January 5, 2010.

For more details, see the complete call for proposals on the RWJF website.

LifeSkills Training Workshops

To achieve optimal results, the Botvin LifeSkills Training program must be implemented carefully and completely. Just as important as what is taught is how the program is taught. The teaching techniques of facilitation and feedback, coaching of cognitive and behavioral skills, and behavioral rehearsal ensure that students fully understand and can demonstrate the key skills taught in the curriculum.

LifeSkills Provider Training Workshops prepare teachers, school counselors, prevention specialists, community youth educators, and other program providers to effectively implement the state-of-the-art prevention education activities and teaching strategies found in the Botvin LifeSkills Training program with confidence and fidelity.

Each LifeSkills Provider Training Workshop plays an important role in enhancing the confidence and skill capacity of participants, resulting in optimal implementation of the Botvin LifeSkills Training program.

Call 800-29304969 to find out more about training workshops or to request a training.

 click here for a list of scheduled trainings in your area

Funding Opportunity: Grant Announcement

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) has announced a Field Initiated Demonstration Program.

The purpose of the program is to foster innovations and advancements in juvenile justice-related practice at the local, state, and tribal government levels. The program’s goal is to demonstrate the practical implications for policy and practice of innovative programs that enhance juvenile justice and delinquency prevention.

Click here to view the full grant announcement

The deadline to register on OJP’s Grants Management System and to apply for funding under this announcement is May 26, 2009.

Non-Profit Receives CADA Award Nomination for Implementing LST

Healing Hearts for Community Development (HHCD), a non-profit organization in New Orleans was nominated by the Governor’s Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities to receive the Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse (CADA) Annual Excellence in Prevention Award. HHCD was recognized for providing Botvin LifeSkills Training classes at Clark High School and Lafayette School in Orleans Parish, as well as at the Hume Child Development Center and Building Better Communities.

HHCD is also actively involved in the Prevention Systems Committee of the Louisiana Drug Policy Board and the New Orleans Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition. The organization works to transform communities in New Orleans by providing help, hope and healing to individuals and families so they can live healthy, productive and contributing lives.

Fairfield, CA Launches LifeSkills Parent Program

The City of Fairfield, CA put on a special Botvin LifeSkills Training workshop for parents who want to keep their kids out of trouble and away from controlled substances.

The workshop consists of three sessions from the LifeSkills Training Parent Program. In addition to a short orientation, sessions also cover family communication, parental monitoring and being a good role model.

“The sessions that we do in the parent project, we talk about what parents need to raise children and what support they need,” said Heather Sanderson, a program coordinator for the city.

The workshop, held at City Church in Fairfield, was advertised with a Mother’s Day theme, however it was open to mothers, fathers and adults of all ages who want to make a difference to children. The workshop included lessons on communicating effectively with kids, including techniques for non-verbal communication “and how to avoid misunderstandings and assumptions,” Sanderson said.

It is a spin-off of the Botvin LifeSkills Training program that the city holds for area kids. The traditional LifeSkills program incorporates science-based teaching to give kids the skills to resist using alcohol, tobacco and other drugs (ATOD). Sanderson said between 600 and 700 kids graduated from the most recent LifeSkills program.

CADCA’S 2009 GOT OUTCOMES! Coalition of Excellence Awards

CADCA’s GOT OUTCOMES! Coalition of Excellence Awards are for coalitions that are effective change agents in their community – they have contributed to community-wide declines in their substance abuse problems.  These model coalitions have undergone a comprehensive community assessment, used these data to develop a community-wide plan, implemented a truly comprehensive response to their local substance abuse problems, and as a result, can document the community changes they have helped bring about and their contributions to population-level substance abuse outcomes.  If you think your coalition has what it takes, apply for the GOT OUTCOMES! Coalition of Excellence Award. 

 Awards will be given out in the following categories:

 Milestones Award (community-level changes in intermediate outcomes)

This award is for newer coalitions (in existence for less than 5 years) that can demonstrate they are making progress toward long-term outcomes as indicated by measurable, population-level changes in intermediate outcomes (i.e., community risk and protective factors).  Coalitions in this category have not yet achieved reductions in their long-term outcomes but can show that they are on the right path to success.  Coalitions must demonstrate that their community plan is feasible and that the dominoes are falling down (e.g., reduction in perceived availability of marijuana as an intermediate outcome linked to the long-term outcome of reduction of 30-day marijuana use). 

 Coalition in Focus Award (multiple strategies toward reducing use for a single substance)

This category is for coalitions that have successfully focused in on addressing a SINGLE substance abuse problem.  These coalitions can show how they have contributed to community-wide declines for a specific substance.  Applicants may be coalitions with a single focus (e.g., underage drinking coalition or a meth coalition) OR coalitions focused on addressing multiple substances but have had particular success at addressing a specific substance.  Coalitions must show how they have implemented multiple strategies to address the targeted substance or substance-related problem (e.g., reduced teen drunk driving accidents by conducting server stings using youth, implementing a conditional use permit ordinance, implementing an evidence-based alcohol education program in the schools, and “stepping up” enforcement of underage drinking policies).

 Coalition of the Year Award (multiple strategies toward multiple aims)

This is the premier award for anti-drug coalitions.  This category is for advanced coalitions that can demonstrate their contribution toward population-level reductions in substance abuse rates for multiple substances (e.g., underage drinking, meth use, prescription drug abuse, etc).  These coalitions are targeting multiple substances and/or substance-abuse related problems in their community and have developed community-wide plans to address each of the targeted problems.  Coalitions have implemented a comprehensive set of evidence-based strategies that include program, practice and policy changes and can show measurable community-wide declines in targeted substance abuse problems over time.

For questions, contact Evelyn Yang, Acting Deputy Director for Evaluation and Research at CADCA’s National Coalition Institute, at 1-800-54-CADCA (1-800-542-2322), ext. 243, or e-mail eyang@cadca.org.

Funding Opportunity: Grant Announcement

The federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) will award grants of up to $500,000 to support family drug court programs.

The OJJDP FY 09 Family Drug Courts Program supports efforts to “build the capacity of states, state and local courts, units of local government, and federally recognized Indian tribal governments to develop and establish drug courts for substance-abusing adults involved with the family dependency court as a result of child abuse and neglect issues.”

The program must provide services to the children of the parents in the program as well as to the parents.

States, state and local courts, units of local government, and federally-recognized tribal governments acting directly or through agreement with other public or private entities may apply for funding.

Click here to view the full grant announcement

Botvin LifeSkills Training Congratulates New Drug Czar

WHITE PLAINS, NY – Top-rated substance abuse and violence prevention program Botvin LifeSkills Training congratulates new drug czar Gil Kerlikowske on his position as Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).

The Senate voted 91-1 to approve Kerlikowske’s nomination as director of the ONDCP. During his confirmation hearing, Kerlikowske promised a balanced, science-based approach to fighting illicit-drug use and faced few difficult questions from lawmakers.

“We are very optimistic that Director Kerlikowske will support President Obama’s prevention efforts as a way to combat not only drug abuse but also unemployment and crime,” said Dr. Gilbert J. Botvin, an internationally known expert on drug abuse prevention and developer of the highly effective LifeSkills Training prevention programs. “Now more than ever, it is imperative that we focus our efforts on science-based prevention, which has been proven to reduce drug use and offers the potential for significant cost savings over time.”

Kerlikowske will not serve as a member of the presidential Cabinet but rather, he will have a strong ally in Vice President Joseph Biden, who helped shape federal drug policy while in the Senate. Kerlikowske who was the Chief of Police for Seattle for 9 years, supports combating drug use and crime with enforcement, prevention and treatment.

Historically the ONDCP has focused its prevention efforts on comprehensive drug policies and activities that include evidence-based prevention and early intervention programs.  These programs have resulted in fewer first-time illicit drug users, significant reductions in youth drug use, and an increased perception of the adverse health and social consequences associated with drug use.  Recently, the ONDCP announced plans to award $17 million in grants to community drug prevention coalitions across the country.

Cutting Prevention Funds Could Prove Too Costly

For more than a decade, the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency has helped communities implement evidence-based initiatives, such as Botvin LifeSkills Training, to encourage healthy youth development.

Now,  as a result of a budget bill passed by the Pennsylvania Senate that would slash state funding, these programs could be in danger.  The state Senate budget bill, would cut $4.7 million for evidence-based prevention and intervention programs, $3 million for research-based violence prevention programs, and $3.13 million in state support for Weed and Seed.

This action could mean fewer support services for at-risk youth and their families, an alarming increase in problem and risk behaviors among youth, and ultimately, more youth entering an already stressed criminal justice system.

Citizens are encourage to contact their local member of the House of Representatives and vote ”no” on Senate Bill 850.

Help Restore the State Grants Portion of the Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities Program

Action Alert from CADCA- 

“Last week CADCA sent a legislative alert encouraging you to fax letters to your members of Congress to ask them to make a minimum funding level of $294.8 million for the Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities (SDFSC) program, which is the FY 2009 enacted level, a top appropriations priority. If you have not already responded to this alert, please click here to use CADCA’s Capwiz system and fax your legislators.

In his fiscal year 2010 budget request, President Obama recommended eliminating the entire State Grants portion of the SDFSC program. His budget also proposes adding $100 million to the National Programs portion of SDFSC for competitive grants to LEAs. This new program would result in a limited number of Local Education Agencies (LEAs) being funded.

If Congress implements this draconian cut, the current school based prevention infrastructures would be decimated in almost every LEA in the nation. Eliminating this program also has major implications for the field at large, because it serves as the portal into schools for other substance abuse prevention programs, as well as helping LEA data collection efforts through student surveys.

Our field cannot afford to see the SDFSC program zeroed out or cut below the current funding level of $294.8 million. Although we have faced similar cuts in the past, if this program is going to survive, we cannot be complacent. Without sustained and aggressive advocacy from the field, this program could be lost forever. Both Congress and the Administration must hear from the field en masse if we have any hope of restoring the program.

As the appropriations process moves forward, CADCA will send out legislative alerts at key points to have the maximum influence. No two alerts will be the same, so it is critical that the field responds to every alert.”

Funding Opportunity: Grant Announcement

The U.S. Department of Justice will award competitive grants of up to $150,000 to Weed and Seed Communities to support efforts to fight crime, drugs and gangs.

The Justice Department’s Community Capacity Development Office’s FY 10 Weed and Seed Communities Competitive Program provides discretionary grant funding to nonprofits and government agencies in communities that were not previously approved Weed and Seed sites but have been so designated by Congress.

Weed and Seed communities must “work to reduce crime and improve the quality of life for residents in a community primarily through the redeployment of existing public and private resources, addressing both crime and social related problems that without proper intervention often lead to violent crime, drug abuse, and gang activity,” according to the Justice Department.

Click here to view the full announcement

Deadline is December 1, 2009

Funding Opportunity: Grant Announcement

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) announces the availability of supplemental funds to support the expansion of methamphetamine prevention services and grant activities.

The purpose of this program is to allow the current 12 Prevention of Methamphetamine Abuse grantees to continue working and building on their previous activities and programs funded in announcement SP-06-005.

Eligibility for this funding opportunity is limited to the 12 methamphetamine prevention grantee funded under the FY 2006 Prevention of Methamphetamine Abuse RFA.

Click here to view the full grant announcement.

Applications are due by June 18, 2009

Office Of Safe and Drug Free Schools 2009 National Conference

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools (OSDFS) hosts “The Power of Change,” a conference to address issues related to civic and character education, crisis planning, mental and physical health, substance abuse, violence prevention, and more. There is no registration fee for the Aug. 3-5 conference in Maryland, so register early as space is limited.

Register for a LifeSkills Training Workshop

LifeSkills Provider Training Workshops prepare teachers, school counselors, prevention specialists, community youth educators, and other program providers to effectively implement the state-of-the-art prevention education activities and teaching strategies found in the Botvin LifeSkills Training program with confidence and fidelity.

Each LifeSkills Provider Training Workshop plays an important role in enhancing the confidence and skill capacity of participants, resulting in optimal implementation of the Botvin LifeSkills Training program.

Enhance your ability to effectively implement the Botvin LifeSkills Training Middle School Program by attending our next workshop:

June 2, 2009
Hampton Inn Philadelphia Airport
8600 Bartram Avenue
Philadelphia PA 19153

• Review the theory and research behind the LST Middle School Program

• Practice teaching strategies using lessons from the curriculum

• Learn instructional and classroom management strategies for successful program implementation

• Enhance your skill capacity to teach the LST curriculum with program fidelity.

Training certificates awarded. Breakfast and lunch provided. Seats are reserved on a first come, first served basis. For information on cost, materials and accommodations, click here.

Space is limited! Register before May 28!

Funding Opportunity:Grant Announcement

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) seeks exploratory/developmental grant applications to develop collaborations integrating developmental neuroscience and adolescent drug abuse treatment.

The primary goal of this funding opportunity is to facilitate translational research that ultimately integrates findings from research on brain development, cognition and neuroscience into the development of innovative and effective, developmentally sensitive drug abuse treatments for adolescents.

$1.5 million is available to support multiple awards up to $200,000.

Click here to view the full grant announcement.

Application deadline is September 1, 2009.

Funding Opportunity: Grant Announcement

RARITAN TWP. — County middle schools are invited to apply for a grant-funded prevention program that teaches skills to reduce the use of alcohol, tobacco, illicit drugs and violence.

Botvin LifeSkills Training will be available in the fall for grades 6-8. Students will learn and practice skills such as decision making, assertiveness and effective communication.

LST is an evidence-based substance abuse and violence prevention program with more than 25 years of peer-reviewed research. It was developed by Gilbert J. Botvin, professor of Public Health and Psychiatry at Cornell University’s Weill Medical College and director of Cornell’s Institute for Prevention Research.

Click here to view the announcement.

Senate Passes FDA Tobacco Regulation Bill

Yesterday the Senate passed a bill that will empower the government to regulate cigarettes and other forms of tobacco.  The legislation empowers the FDA to regulate the tobacco industry. The bill will go to President Obama for signing. 

Under this new law, the FDA has the power to order removal of hazardous ingredients, restrict the marketing and distribution of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco, clamp down on sales to young people, require stronger warning labels and stop use of characterizations such as ‘light’ or ‘low tar’ that give people the impression of lower health risks.

In addition the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act will regulate the following:

• Immediately, tobacco makers can no longer make claims that their products pose fewer health risks.

• Cigarettes marketed as “light,” “low” tar or “mild” will be banned within a year.

 • Within nine months, the FDA must publish marketing restrictions that will take effect six months later.

 • Within 12 months, new warning labels will be placed on smokeless tobacco products.

 • Within 15 months, tobacco companies must disclose the ingredients in their products.

• Within two years, the FDA must issue rules on graphic warnings for cigarettes that will cover half the pack. The labels will take effect 15 months later.

NASADAD Call for Applications: 2009 Exemplary Award

The National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD) and the National Prevention Network (NPN) have issued a call for applications for the 2009 National Exemplary Award for Innovative Substance Abuse Prevention Programs, Practices, and Policies (2009 Exemplary Awards).

Recipients of the award will be recognized at NPN’s annual Research Conference on September 17 in Anaheim, California.

To qualify for an Exemplary Award, applicants must meet the following criteria. You must be:

• A prevention program, practice, or policy;
• Able to document success in a logical, quantifiable manner; and
• Nominated by a national organization that is familiar with your work

Click here for more information and to view the application packet.

Register for a LifeSkills Training Workshop

LifeSkills Provider Training Workshops prepare teachers, school counselors, prevention specialists, community youth educators, and other program providers to effectively implement the state-of-the-art prevention education activities and teaching strategies found in the Botvin LifeSkills Training program with confidence and fidelity.

Each LifeSkills Provider Training Workshop plays an important role in enhancing the confidence and skill capacity of participants, resulting in optimal implementation of the Botvin LifeSkills Training program.

Enhance your ability to effectively implement the Botvin LifeSkills Training Program by attending our next workshop:

July 21 – 23, 2009
National Health Promotion Associates, Inc.
711 Westchester Ave. 3rd Floor
White Plains, NY 10604

• Review the theory and research behind the LST Middle School, High School and/or Parent Program

• Practice teaching strategies using lessons from the curriculum

• Learn instructional and classroom management strategies for successful program implementation

• Enhance your skill capacity to teach the LST curriculum with program fidelity.

Training certificates awarded. Breakfast and lunch provided. Seats are reserved on a first come, first served basis. For information on cost, materials and accommodations, click here.

Space is limited! Register before July 13th!

Funding Opportunity: Grant Announcement

The grant application deadline is fast approaching for the Strengthening Communities Fund, which will award $50 million in grants to nonprofit organizations as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 — the Obama administration’s bailout legislation.

Program funding is intended to build the capacity of nonprofit organizations, whether secular or faith based, to address the broad economic recovery issues present in their communities, including helping low-income individuals secure and retain employment, earn higher wages, obtain better-quality jobs, and gain greater access to state and Federal benefits and tax credits.

SCF funding will include grants of up to $1 million to organizations that provide capacity-building training, technical assistance, and competitive financial assistance to nonprofits.

Click here for more information and to view the program’s website.

Deadline is July 7, 2009

Funding Opportunity:Grant Announcement

The Indian Health Service (IHS) announces competitive grant applications for the Methamphetamine & Suicide Prevention Initiative (MSPI) for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) Urban Program communities.

The purpose of the MSPI-U is to expand community-level access to effective, Urban AI/AN methamphetamine and/or suicide prevention and treatment programs. Resources will enhance evidence-based or practice-based methamphetamine and/or suicide prevention or treatment programs and/or community mobilization programs.

Click here for more information and to view the official grant announcement.

Deadline is July 31, 2009

Funding Opportunity:Grant Announcement

SDFSC Programs for Native Hawaiians awards grants to organizations primarily serving and representing Native Hawaiians to plan, conduct, and administer programs to prevent or reduce violence, the use, possession and distribution of illegal drugs, or delinquency.

Eligible applicants are those organizations primarily serving and representing  Native Hawaiians for the benefit of Native Hawaiians.

Click here for more information and to view the full grant announcement.

Application deadline is July 30, 2009.

Only a Few Days Left to Register: LST Workshops in NY

Why attend a training? LifeSkills Provider Training Workshops prepare teachers, school counselors, prevention specialists, community youth educators, and other program providers to effectively implement the state-of-the-art prevention education activities and teaching strategies found in the Botvin LifeSkills Training program with confidence and fidelity.

Each LifeSkills Provider Training Workshop plays an important role in enhancing the confidence and skill capacity of participants, resulting in optimal implementation of the Botvin LifeSkills Training program.

Enhance your ability to implement the Botvin LifeSkills Training Program by attending one of our next workshops:

July 21st, 22nd and/or 23rd, 2009
National Health Promotion Associates, Inc.
711 Westchester Ave. 3rd Floor
White Plains, NY 10604

• Review the theory and research behind the LST Middle School, High School and/or Parent Program

• Practice teaching strategies using lessons from the curriculum

• Learn instructional and classroom management strategies for successful program implementation

• Enhance your skill capacity to teach the LST curriculum with program fidelity.

Training certificates awarded. Breakfast and lunch provided. Seats are reserved on a first come, first served basis. For information on cost, materials and accommodations, click here.

Space is limited! Registerbefore July 13th!

New Tobacco Law Aims at Youth Smoking

Now that the FDA can regulate the tobacco industry, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act aims at protecting our children. A few key provisions include:

• Tobacco companies cannot advertise within 1,000 feet of a school or playground area.
• Outdoor tobacco ads and those aimed at teen readers will be limited to black and white with no images
• All flavored cigarettes are banned (except for menthol)
• Tobacco companies cannot distribute free samples and all giveaways/sponsorships are banned from events
• The government will study implications of raising the minimum age to buy tobacco

State Grants Portion of SDFSC Program Eliminated by House Labor, HHS and Education Subcommittee

The House Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Subcommittee has voted to eliminate the State Grants portion of the Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities program.

The bill calling for the elimination of this program still has to be approved by the Full House Appropriations Committee and on the House floor. In addition, the Senate has not yet considered the bill, so there is still time to restore much needed funds.

By using  the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) CapWiz system, you can fax the members of your congressional delegation immediatly.  If you are unaware of the name of your member of Congress, their system can find it.

To send faxes to your legislators, go to http://capwiz.com/cadca/home/.

If you would like to personalize your letter with examples from your community, email dkurosky@cadca.org for a MS Word version of the sample letter.

 

Evidence-Based Prevention is Focus of Military Study

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has announced that a  team of four research institutions, with $50 million in funding from the U.S. Army, will carry out the largest study of suicide and mental health among military personnel ever.

Study investigators hope to quickly identify risk and protective factors for suicide among soldiers and provide a science base for effective and practical interventions to reduce suicide rates and address associated mental health problems.

The study will use several strategies to generate information on risk and protective factors:

• The Army already has a rich archive of data on its personnel. Study investigators will work to consolidate information from different databases and use this resource to identify possible suicide risk and protective factors.
• Investigators will undertake a retrospective case-control study in which individual soldiers who have attempted suicide with or without fatal outcomes (cases) will be matched with individuals with similar demographic characteristics (controls). Comparison of information gathered on cases and controls should provide clues to risk and protective factors.
• A survey for which 90,000 active Army personnel representative of the entire Army will be contacted will provide information on the prevalence of suicide-related behavior and risk and protective factors. When possible, saliva and blood samples will be collected for genetic and neurobiologic studies.
• All 80,000 to 120,000 recruits who enter the Army in each of the first three years of the study will be asked to participate in a survey similar to the all-Army survey above.

Click here for more information

Funding Opportunity: Grant Announcement

The Jostens Foundation is accepting applications for their Community Involvement Grants.

Jostens supports strong communities and healthy children and families. the foundation’s main focus is to fund programs that help youth become healthy and productive adults.

Award amounts ranges from $500 -$10,000. Eligible applicants include tax-exempt organizations under Section 501(c)(3) or agencies that are members of the Federal or any State, County or local Municipal government.

Click here for more information and to apply.

Deadline is August 25, 2009

Funding Opportunity:Grant Announcement

The Charles Lafitte Foundation is seeking applicants for their Healthy Living Grants.

The Charles Lafitte Foundation supports innovative and effective ways for people to help themselves and others around them lead healthy and satisying lives.

The Foundation’s areas of interests are education, youth advocacy, and medical research.

Eligible applicants are nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status.

Deadline: Rolling (Letter of Inquiry)

Click here for more information and to apply.

Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities: YOUR HELP IS NEEDED!

On Friday, July 17^th, the Full House Appropriations Committee voted to eliminate the State Grants portion of the Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities (SDFSC) program. The Senate Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Subcommittee on Appropriations is tentatively scheduled to mark up its version of the bill that contains funding for this program on July 28^th. We can still try to get the funds restored but WE NEED YOUR HELP AGAIN!

Please take five minutes out of your day TODAY to contact the members of your congressional delegation (both senators and your representative). You can reach them by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and asking for your member’s office. (If you don’t know who the members of your congressional delegation are, you can find out by going to http://capwiz.com/cadca/home/ and entering your zip code.)

When connected, please deliver the following message:

 -       I understand that the Full House Appropriations Committee voted to eliminate the State Grants portion of the Safe and Drug Free Schools program

-       The House Report says it would rather concentrate funding on targeted interventions, funded through the national programs portion of the Safe and Drug Free Schools program

-       This is a huge problem and a gigantic mistake because the national programs gives very large grants to a very limited number of local educational agencies who will not be able to sustain these grants when the grant period is over

-       In addition, over 90% of school districts, including mine, DON’T receive money from the national programs and probably never will

 -       Therefore, if the State Grants portion of the Safe and Drug Free Schools program is eliminated and there will be no prevention infrastructure in place in the vast majority of schools in the country, including ours, to provide K-12 students with messages and effective programming to counter emerging and embedded drug trends as well as bullying and violence prevention issues

-       Please tell your boss that it is critical that the funding for the Safe and Drug Free Schools program be maintained and we need their support

Funding Opportunity: Grant Announcement

The Wal-Mart Foundation supports programs and initiatives addressing education, workforce development, economic sustainability, and health and wellness. For health and wellness in particular, the Foundation looks to improve access to healthcare, promote healthy lifestyles and behaviors, and reduce disparities.

Grant awards range from $1,000 to $5,000. Eligible applicants include organizations with tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3), recognized government entities, volunteer Fire Departments, K-12 Public Schools/Districts, Charter Schools, Colleges, Universities, Private Schools with tax-exempt status, and faith-based organizations.

Click here for more information and to apply

Funding Opportunity: Grant Announcement

The Wachovia Foundation provides Community Needs Grants to support organizations working to improve communities with low- to moderate-income. In particular, the Foundation strives to improve education, community development, and environmental health, ensure access to health and human services, and to bolster civic engagement.

Award amounts may vary. Eligible applicants include tax-exempt organizations under Section 501(c)(3), have broad community support, and can demonstrate fiscal and administrative stability.

Click here for more information and to apply.

The True Cost of Substance Abuse

A  new report by National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University shows that over 15% of all state government’s budgets go to substance abuse and addiction and its consequences. If this were its own state budget category, it would rank second behind spending on elementary and secondary education.

Worse, 94% of this spending goes to pay for the enormous hidden burden of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug problems on a wide range of state services like health care and criminal justice — while less than 3% goes toward prevention programs that would help.

Now is your chance to make a difference! Ask your local government to act on this report, and find out how much money your state is spending to “shovel up” the consequences of substance abuse and addiction. Review this sample letter, fill in your information at the right, and click “send this message.”

Senate Subcommittee Zeroes Out SDFSC Program

Yesterday the Senate Labor, HHS and Education Subcommittee on Appropriations voted to eliminate the State Grants portion of the Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities (SDFSC) program. The Full Senate Appropriations Committee is scheduled vote on the bill tomorrow.

Please call your Senators TODAY.You can reach them by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and asking for your member’s office. (If you don’t know who your Senators are, you can find out by going to http://capwiz.com/cadca/home/ and entering your zip code.)

When connected, please deliver the following message:

- I understand that the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Subcommittee on Appropriations voted to eliminate the State Grants portion of the Safe and Drug Free Schools program

- This is a huge problem and a gigantic mistake because is will decimate the substance abuse and violence prevention infrastructure that is currently in place in our state

- This is a major problem, especially since data from the most recent Monitoring the Future survey is already showing that attitudes are softening, and that more 10th graders are smoking marijuana than cigarettes

- If the State Grants portion of the Safe and Drug Free Schools program is eliminated students in grades K-12 will not receive the messages and effective programming to counter emerging and embedded drug trends as well as bullying and violence prevention issues

Funding Opportunity: Grant Announcement

The CIGNA Foundation provides grants to projects that focus their efforts on five priority areas including: 1) the health of women, children and families, 2) obesity awareness and prevention, 3) patient/doctor communications and health literacy, 4) elimination of gender and ethnic disparities with health care, and 5) maintenance of healthy minds and bodies.

The foundation will pay particular attention to projects demonstrating creativity, responsiveness, and that are beneficial and achievable.

Application deadline: Rolling

Click here for more information and to apply

OJJDP Publishes Guide on Children’s Exposure to Violence

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s (OJJDP) Safe Start Center has published “Healing the Invisible Wounds: Children’s Exposure to Violence.”  The guide, which is available in English and Spanish, offers informative tips on how to recognize the signs of children’s exposure to violence and helpful advice on helping children thus exposed. Exposure to violence is a pervasive problem that crosses all ages, and the guide provides specific information pertaining to children of various ages, as well as a list of useful resources. Resources: “Healing the Invisible Wounds: Children’s Exposure to Violence” and related resources, including a Quick Reference Guide, are available at http://www.safestartcenter.org./

Funding Opportunity:Grant Announcement

Ronald McDonald House Charities is accepting applications for its Children’s Health Grant program to support projects that directly improve the health and well-being of children and youth (ages 0-21), address a significant funding gap or critical opportunity, have a potential long-term impact, and produces measurable results.
Award amounts vary. Eligible applicants include 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, non-profit organizations.

Deadline: September 4, 2009

Please contact Ronald McDonald House Charities for specific grant information and to apply: http://rmhc.org/what-we-do/grants/how-to-apply

Register for a LifeSkills Training Workshop

LifeSkills Provider Training Workshops prepare teachers, school counselors, prevention specialists, community youth educators, and other program providers to effectively implement the state-of-the-art prevention education activities and teaching strategies found in the Botvin LifeSkills Training program with confidence and fidelity.

Each LifeSkills Provider Training Workshop plays an important role in enhancing the confidence and skill capacity of participants, resulting in optimal implementation of the Botvin LifeSkills Training program.

Enhance your ability to effectively implement the Botvin LifeSkills Training Program by attending our next workshop.

October 27-28, 2009
Henrico Area Mental Health (East End)
4825 S. Laburnum Avenue
Henrico, VA 23231
(804) 222-2607 

• Review the theory and research behind the LST Elementary School and Middle School Program
• Practice teaching strategies using lessons from the curriculum
• Learn instructional and classroom management strategies for successful program implementation
• Enhance your skill capacity to teach the LST curriculum with program fidelity.

Training certificates awarded. Breakfast and lunch provided. Seats are reserved on a first come, first served basis. For information on cost, materials and accommodations, click here. 

Trainings are subject to cancellation until officially confirmed by the home office. Please do not book your travel until you recieve confirmation from us.

Space is limited! Register before October 19, 2009!

 

ONLINE TRAINING NOW AVAILABLE! For more information, contact Wendy Armstrong at 1-800-293-4969 ext 213 or email warmstrong@nhpamail.com

CADCA Develops a Congressional Recess Guide

As you are likely aware, the full House, as well as the Senate Appropriations Committee have voted to eliminate the State Grants portion of the Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities (SDFSC) program. Although Congress is currently in recess, there is still time to weigh in with the members of your congressional delegation, as most of them will be spending extended periods of time in their home state and district offices. During this time, it is critical that your members hear from you about the importance of restoring funds to this program.

To that end, CADCA has developed a recess guide, designed to help you maximize your opportunities to weigh in with your congressional delegation; either by setting up appointments to meet directly with your members of Congress, or working with your local government to introduce a resolution in support of restoring funding to the State Grants portion of the SDFSC program, and presenting it to your federal representatives. 

Please click here to access the guide: Congressional Recess Guide: Opportunities to Weigh in on Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities , or go to http://www.cadca.org/coalitionresources/pp-documents/SDFSC/SDFSC_Congressiona_Guide_During_August_Recess.doc.

School Districts Transition from DARE, Implementing Top-rated LST Instead

Grapevine-Colleyville is the latest North Texas school district to drop out of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program, and if its exit is any indication, the pioneering anti-drug abuse program for students is not as popular as it once was in the region.

The district elected not to renew its junior-high DARE contract for the 2009-10 school year, district spokeswoman Megan Overman said, opting instead to extend its elementary-level LifeSkills program into the middle schools.

Other local districts have also dropped the DARE program over the past decade. Nationally, DARE’s critics have said the program is ineffective and even counterproductive by quoting high usage figures that make drugs seem like a route to popularity for at-risk kids who are seeking to fit in. Other critics say that it is difficult to authenticate DARE’s results and that its information has sometimes been inaccurate.

Read the full article here

SAMHSA Provides New Information on How Grant Program Allotments are Calculated

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Office Of Applied Studies (OAS) is issuing a new guide providing updated information on the procedures used by that office to calculate allocations for some of the key block  and formula grants the agency administers.  The grant programs addressed in this new guide entitled Block Grants and Formula Grants: A Guide for Allotment Calculations include:

• The Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant
• The Mental Health Services Block Grant
• Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness Formula Grant
• Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness Formula Grant

The guide provides a non-technical overview of the new calculation procedures, detailed descriptions of the four sets of formulas, and the data used in the process. Flow charts and other background information are also provided to give a clearer overall understanding of the calculation procedures and how they affect these grant programs.

Copies of the guide can be obtained at http://oas.samhsa.gov/BG_documentation_070809_final_psg.pdf.

HHS’s SAMHSA Announces 12 Year Nationwide Drop in Tobacco Sales to Minors

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recently announced that sales of tobacco to underage youth (those younger than age 18) have continued to decline, and have reached historic lows under the Synar Amendment program – a federal and state partnership program aimed at ending illegal tobacco sales to minors.

The Synar Amendment  requires states to have laws and enforcement programs for prohibiting the sale and distribution of tobacco to persons under age 18.

All 50 states and the District of Columbia have for the third year in a row achieved a major Synar program goal – a less than 20 percent non-compliance rate among tobacco product retailers.  This stands in sharp contrast with the situation 12 years ago at the Synar program’s inception when the highest reported non-compliance rate was 75 percent.

Reducing the illegal sales rate of tobacco to minors through enforcement of laws prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to minors is one of the specific tobacco objectives (objective 27-14) in Healthy People 2010, the nation’s disease prevention and health promotion goals and objectives for the decade.  FFY 2008 Annual Synar Reports: State Compliance, which includes compliance rates for each of the States and the District of Columbia, is available at http://prevention.samhsa.gov/tobacco/synarreportfy2008.pdf.

Drug Free Communities Continuation Grantees Announced

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) this week awarded $60 million in Drug Free Communities (DFC) Continuation Grants to 565 DFC coalitions and five DFC Mentor Continuation coalitions. These grants will assist local community coalitions as they work to prevent and reduce youth substance use.

The Drug Free Communities program is directed by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) in partnership with the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The DFC program provides coalition matching grants of up to $625,000 over five years to community organizations that facilitate civic participation in local drug prevention efforts. Coalitions are comprised of community leaders, parents, youth, teachers, religious and fraternal organizations, health care and business professionals, law enforcement, and the media. As DFC continuation grantees, the new awardees are within a five-year cycle, and successfully met the statutory eligibility, programmatic and fiscal requirements necessary to receive continuation funding.

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy will be announcing the awarding of the new Drug Free Communities grantees in late August. For more information on the DFC Program, visit: www.ondcp.gov/dfc.

More dates added for Online Provider Training

LifeSkills Online Provider Trainings prepare you to effectively implement the education activities and teaching strategies found in the Botvin LifeSkills Training (LST) Middle School Program. Click here to view the schedule or to reserve your spot!

Why Train Online?

• Flexibility- This web-based application can be reached from home or any other Internet-accessible computer anytime.
• Convenience- Training online means you can learn without leaving the workplace; you can fit training around your workload.
• Cost- Online training is cost effective because it does away with any travel, lodging, and incidental expenses.

For more information, contact Wendy Armstrong at 1-800-293-4969 ext. 213 or email warmstrong@nhpamail.com

The Leader in Quality Prevention Education Training

Funding Opportunity:Grant Announcement

The Middletown Substance Abuse Prevention Council, co-chaired by the city’s Youth Services Bureau and the Rushford Center, will offer a mini-grant program for drug prevention initiatives.

The grants provide a max funding level of $1,000 and may be used to support any substance prevention or youth development program in the community.

Additional information is available at www.middletownyouthservices.com or by calling Justin Carbonella, Youth Services coordinator, 860-347-8594, Ext. 4517

Teen Drinkers Often Intend to Get Drunk, Survey Finds

Most teens are not regular drinkers, but those who do drink on a monthly basis are frequently imbibing in order to get drunk, according to a major finding of the 2009 Teen Survey released today from The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University.

About one in three U.S. 12- to 17-year-olds taking part in the National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse XIV said they had previously consumed alcohol, and of these about one in four said they had a drink within the previous 30 days. Among those who had used alcohol in their lifetime, 17 percent said they usually drank to get drunk, compared to 68 percent who said that getting intoxicated was not usually their intent.

However, one-third of teens who were monthly drinkers said that they typically drank to get drunk, and 65 percent said they had gotten drunk at least once during the past month. Further, about one-third of monthly drinkers who didn’t intend to get drunk wound up getting intoxicated, anyway, according to researchers.

Click here to view the full article and to downlad the report.

New Funding Website Launched by SAMHSA

Last week SAMHSA launched a new website dedicated to current information on funding for the treatment, prevention and intervention of substance abuse and mental health issues. The website will also feature archives of funding-related reports, pertinent news and much more information.

The Weekly Financing News Pulse includes a roundup of grant announcements, health funding news, details on Congressional hearings and analysis.

Using blog-style posts, the SAMHSA Financing COE website offers original COE content as well as news, reports, briefs, scholarly article citations, legislation, and data sets regarding the financing of M/SU treatment and prevention. Stay tuned for site updates coming soon.

County Receives Grant; Implements LST

Loudoun County has received a three-year foundation grant to continue its tobacco prevention programs.

The $112,010 will be used to support one part-time instructor to provide tobacco prevention programing to at-risk elementary, middle and high school-age youths.

Prevention and intervention staff will serve 150 at-risk youths ages 8 to 18 in grades 3 to 12. They will use the LifeSkills Training program, which focuses on changing children’s attitudes and norms about drug abuse.

Click here to view the full article

 

Author: LST Needed for British Youth

In response to recent reports showing that Britian has a high rate of binge-drinking and teenage pregnancy, author Sonia Sodha voices her opinion on what needs to be done.

“Rather than more hand-wringing and sensationalist reporting, stated Sodha, we should be actively looking for the right solutions to these problems-and ways to prevent them in the first place.”

Ms. Sodha mentioned using Botvin LifeSkills Training as a strategy. “This has had excellent success rates-reducing alcohol and substance abuse by 50-75%…and every dollar spent on the program saves the state and society $25 in the long run through reductions in crime, antisocial behavior and other problems.”

Click here to view the full article

Funding Opportunity: Grant Announcement

The Verizon Foundation has created a grant program to help schools and community agencies increase their literacy and education success, as well as achieve and sustain health and safety, specifically by teaching students how to avoid becoming abusers or victims of domestic violence.

Proposals will be considered from eligible tax-exempt organizations in certain 501(c)(3) subsections as defined by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Proposals will also be considered from elementary and secondary schools (public and private) that are registered with the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

Awards will be $5,000 to $10,000.

Click here for more information and to view the full announcement.

School District Awarded $53,460 to Implement LST

Caroline County Public Schools has been awarded a $53,460 one-year grant funded by the Virginia Tobacco Settlement Foundation (VTSF) to continue the LifeSkills Training Program at Caroline Middle School during the 2009-2010 school year for the students in grades 6-8. This is the second grant awarded for the LifeSkills Trainng Program from VTSF, a division of the Virginina Foundation for Healthy Youth.

Assistant Superintendent of Instruction, Rebecca Broaddus, stated “We are pleased that the VTSF has funded our grant request for the upcoming school year. This program teaches valuable strategies and skills that our students can apply in their own lives.”

Click here to read the full article.

Youth Program Curbs Risky Behaviors With Help of LST

A new study has found that a community-based prevention program, which targeted schools, families and youth-focused programs, reduced consumption of alcohol, cigarettes, and curbed delinquent behavior.

Students in areas where the Communities That Care (CTC) program was not implemented were 60% more likely to start using alcohol, 79% more likely to start smoking cigarettes, and 134% more likely to start using smokeless tobacco (95% CI 1.34 to 4.09) between 7th and 8th grade, according to an online report in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

The evidence-based substance abuse prevention program, Botvin LifeSkills Training, was one of the programs that was given to the middle schoolers.

Click here to view the full article.

Parents Play Role in Teen’s Smoking Risk

A recent study, which followed 270 teenagers who had become occasional smokers before high school, found that 58 percent made it a daily habit by 12th grade.  According to the study published in the journal Pediatrics, the likelihood of that happening depended partly of friends and parents.

When friends or parents smoked, teens were more likely to become daily smokers. However, when their parents displayed a “positive family management style”- monitoring monitoring their comings and goings, doling out reasonable punishments and rewarding good behavior, teens were less likely to become habitual smokers.

Teens whose parents kept tabs on them and were non-smokers themselves had a 31 percent chance of becoming daily smokers. The odds were 71 percent among teenagers with parents who smoked and were more lax in managing their kids behavior.

Click here to view the full article.

LST Newsletter Now Online!

The Botvin LifeSkills Training Fall Newsletter can now be found online at  http://lifeskillstraining.com/lst_newsletter.php.

The Fall 2009 issue includes information on funding, prevention, and the upcoming Red Ribbon Week and more!

Justice Announces Awards to Support Youth Mentoring

The US Attorney General has announced more than $129 million in Recovery Act and Fiscal Year 2009 have been awarded for mentoring services to help prevent at-risk youth from becoming involved in delinquency.

These grants will help steer young people away from criminal activities by providing them with healthy life alternatives, positive role models and direct contact with caring adults,” stated U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.

Click here for more information.

American Recovery Act: Funding Opportunity

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has created a comprehensive initiative for the $650 million allotted for chronic disease prevention efforts in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The goal of this initiative – Communities Putting Prevention to Work – is to reduce risk factors, prevent/delay chronic disease, promote wellness in children and adults, and provide positive, sustainable health change in communities.

Communities Putting Prevention to Work will address the leading preventable causes of death and disability, namely obesity and tobacco use, by expanding the use of evidence-based strategies and programs, mobilizing local resources at the community-level, and strengthening the capacity of states. As a result of these efforts, powerful models of success are expected to emerge that can be replicated in other states and communities.

The cornerstone of the initiative is the Community Program ($373 million), with cooperative agreements to be awarded to communities through a competitive selection process.

Click here for more information

Botvin LifeSkills Training Helps Educators Provide Teens with Drug Resistance Skills

WHITE PLAINS, NY –Botvin LifeSkills Training delivered an intensive training workshop on the LifeSkills Training High School program at the 3rd Annual Georgia School of Addiction Studies (GSAS): “Keys to Change: Prevention, Treatment & Recovery” conference held in Savannah, Georgia, from  August 31 through September 4, 2009.

The day-long workshop, titled, “LifeSkills Training: Delivering Prevention to Older Adolescents and Young Adults in School and Community Settings” was presented to Savannah-area prevention, treatment, and juvenile justice providers. The training incorporated hands-on, interactive learning activities that explored effective prevention education for older adolescents in the classroom, treatment, or juvenile justice setting.  Those participants who successfully completed the workshop were certified to deliver the Botvin LifeSkillsTraining High School program.

“The LST High School Provider Training program prepares health educators in school and community settings to effectively deliver best practices in substance abuse prevention education to older adolescents,” said Lead Trainer Alayne Macarthur.  ”Participants had a hands-on opportunity to practice and share the teaching techniques that are most effective in engaging high school students to learn health-protective knowledge, skills, and attitudes in competency areas such as setting goals, decision-making, managing stress and anger, media influence, family communication, risk-taking, and building healthy relationships.”

The annual Georgia School of Addiction Studies offers a unique opportunity for professional development, information exchange, and networking. It is designed to address the need for knowledge and skill development through advanced training.

“This was the first year that the Georgia School had a workshop on a federally recognized evidence-based curriculum, and we couldn’t be happier,” said conference organizer and Georgia State Prevention Specialist Christopher Wood. “The LifeSkills Training workshop was completely full and participants who attended expressed a very high level of satisfaction with the workshop.”

Virginia Students Making Healthy Choices With LST

The Western Tidewater Community Services Board is working to instill smart-decision making and healthy lifestyles of  local children.

Students in selected classrooms at J.P. King Middle school in Franklin, Virginia will be participating in the Botvin LifeSkills Training Program for the first time this school year.

Corrine Walker, the educational and training services manager for the WTCSB, stated “LifeSkills Training provides valuable skills to help children learn to lead healthy lifestyles and avoid peer pressure as teens”. Additionally, LST help students to cope with anxiety, communicate better, and build friendships.

Click here to view the full article.

Frequent Family Dinners May Protect Against Teen Drug Use

In a new report from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University, Teenagers who eat dinner with their families five times a week are significantly less at risk of alcohol, tobacco or other drug use compared to teens who sit down for family dinner fewer than three times weekly.

The Importance of Family Dinners V report found that youths who infrequently ate dinner with family members were twice as likely to use alcohol or marijuana and one-and-a-half times more likely to use alcohol. They also were more apt to expect to try using illicit drugs in the future, the survey found.

Click here to view the full article.

Study Finds Teen Drug Use Down Since 2002

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recently released the results of its 2000 National Survey on Drug use and Health (NSDUH).  The findings included some encouraging trends about teen drug use, as well as some key issues to watch.

Among youth aged 12-17, the survey shows the significant decline in overall past-month illicit drug use from 2002 to 2008, from 11.6 percent in 2004 to 9.3 percent in 2008.  Additionally, the number of teens who reported past-month use of prescription-type psychotherapeutic drugs decreased significantly during this time frame, from 4.0 percent in 2002 to 2.9 percent in 2008.

Click here to view the full survey findings

National Bullying Prevention Awareness Week October 4-10, 2009

Join The Movement To End Bullying!

The Fourth Annual National Bullying Prevention Awareness Week, Oct 4-10, 2009 encourages communities nationwide to work together to increase awareness of the prevalence and impact of bullying on all children.

Families, students, schools, organizations and other groups can unite with PACER to prevent bullying in several ways. Activities and materials such as contests, toolkits, and online bullying prevention training are available on to help reduce bullying in schools, recreational programs, and community organizations.

To ensure that your school particpaes in National Bullying Prevention Awareness Week, click here.

FDA Launches Web Site Dedicated to Newly Banned Flavored Tobacco Products

Under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and amended by the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, as of September 22, 2009  it is illegal to sell cigarettes with characterizing fruit, candy and clove flavors.

There is also a new website and hotline for community members and organizations to receive information and report retailers who sell flavored cigarettes.

View the FDA flavored tobacco website here, or visit the main FDA tobacco products Web page at: www.fda.gov/tobaccoproducts.

The site  contains a Letter to Tobacco Controls Groups on Cigarettes Containing Certain Characterizing Flavors. This provides information on how to report violations of the ban.

Altus School District Excited To Start LST

The Jackson County Tobacco Education Committee (JCTEC) in Altus, Oklahoma, had donated the Botvin LifeSkills Training Curriculum  to the Altus Intermediate School and all five elementary schools.

“We are happy to provide this curriculum to Altus Public Schools, in hopes of reducing tobacco use in youth”, stated JCTEC Chair, Wendell Browne. “Our committee goal is to educate youth about the insidious nature of the tobacco industry and arm them with the skills to say NO to tobacco use.

Students in grades 2-6 will use the curriculum. “We are really excited to start the Botvin LifeSkills Training program, said Dr. Nancy Evans, director of curriculum for Altus Schools. “This prevention program is tested and proven effective at reducing unhealthy behaviors amoung our youth.

Click here to view the full article.

Funding Opportunity:Grant Announcement

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that local communities and tribal governments may apply for $373 million in cooperative agreements for the Communities Putting Prevention to Work initiative, shepherded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “This initiative will make disease prevention and health promotion top priorities in states and communities across the country,” said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

Grant recipients will receive funding for two years to change health-related systems and environments, such as implementing bans on indoor smoking. Evidence-based prevention programs for youths and adults will be funded.

Click here for more information and to view the full grant announcement.

Application deadline is December 1, 2009.

Funding Opportunity: Grant Announcement

The purpose of the ESA Foundation is to promote positive programs and opportunities that make a difference in the quality of life, health and welfare of America’s youth. The Foundation is committed to using the power of the interactive entertainment industry to create a positive social impact across the country.

Youth programs must be focused in one of the following areas: skills and personal development; general health and welfare; risk behavior prevention; education and multimedia arts/technology.

To make a grant request, organizations must have  501(c)(3) status, seek funding for a specific project or program that is or will be in two or more states in the United States, and serve youth ages 7-18.

Click here for more information and to view the full grant announcement.

Deadline: Rolling

National PTA CEO Criticizes Funding Cuts

Byron Garrett, CEO of the national PTA, has publicy critisised the nation’s proposed budget cuts to the Safe and Drug Free Schools Program.

Garrett noted the recent beating death of a 16 year old Chicago honor student and how cuts to the program will end up costing communities in the long run. ”We cannot balance the budget for any community, any state or the country on the backs of children who don’t get to vote,” the CEO stated. ”We simply can’t do it. We can think we can, but we will shortchange ourselves and we do it time and time again.”

Click here to view the full article.

Pamela Hyde Nominated for SAMHSA Administrator Post

President Obama has nominated New Mexico Health and Human Services secretary Pamela Hyde to become the next administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

Hyde, who has 30 years of experience in healthcare management and consulting — much in the mental-health arena, has served in a variety of public posts, including as a state mental health director and state human services director.

The Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, stated “Ms. Hyde has worked tirelessly to improve access, quality, and accountability of health and human services programs for the residents of her state.”

Click here to read more about the nomination.

Funding Opportunity: Grant Announcement

The Lawrence Foundation is focused on making grants to support education, health, human services, and other causes, with the opportunity to support other diverse areas on an occasional basis. The foundation is unusual in that it makes both program and operating fund grants.

Any U.S.-based IRS 501(c)(3) qualified charitable organizations, or public schools and libraries, are encouraged to apply.

Click here for more information and to submit an application.

SAMHSA’s Center Of Substance Abuse Prevention Oversees Implementation Of The SYNAR Amendment

The Center For Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) oversees implementation of the Synar Amendment, which requires States to have laws in place prohibiting the sale and distribution of tobacco products to persons under 18 and to enforce those laws effectively. Across the Nation, States have made great strides in reducing retailer violations of the law as required by the Synar Amendment. Here are the  resources available:

The national weighted average rate of tobacco sales to minors (RVR) as reported by States and the District of Columbia in their FFY 2008 Annual Synar Reports is now 9.9 percent – the lowest RVR in Synar’s 12-year history. Visit:  http://prevention.samhsa.gov/tobacco/synarreportfy2008.pdf

Synar Survey Estimation System (SSES)
The Synar Survey Estimation System (SSES) is an optional software tool developed by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) to assist states in estimating and reporting of their annual Synar survey results. Visit: http://prevention.samhsa.gov/tobacco/sses2007.aspx

Fact Sheet
This fact sheet provides an overview of the Synar Amendment and its implementing regulation, including requirements of the regulation, penalties for non-compliance, evaluation results and recent accomplishments. Visit: http://prevention.samhsa.gov/tobacco/fctsheet.aspx

Retail Outlet Guidance Documents
Guidance documents are available for download on: performing inspections of retail tobacco outlets, implementing the Synar Amendment, and training teen inspectors on how to conduct tobacco sales compliance checks.  Visit: http://prevention.samhsa.gov/tobacco/guidance.aspx

State Synar Rate Tables
These State data contain reported and targeted non-compliance rates.Visit: http://prevention.samhsa.gov/tobacco/TobaccoRatesFFY97_08.pdf

CASA National Survey Found Teens Cite Cigarettes and Marijuana As The Easiest Substances For Them To Buy

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University’s (CASA’s) National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse XIV: Teens and Parents, 2009, found that teens are equally likely to say that cigarettes or marijuana are the easiest for them to buy.

Slightly more than one-fourth (26%) of teens said that cigarettes were the easiest for someone their age to buy and the same percentage cited marijuana. The third most prevalent response was prescription drugs (16%), followed by beer (14%). Ten percent of teens reported that they thought all four substances were equally easy to buy.

Click here to view the full survey results

Help Prevent Workplace Drug Use

Research shows that 75 percent of current illegal drug users and 79 percent of heavy alcohol users are employed with many of them admitting to using illegal drugs or alcohol before or during work hours. Join the nationwide effort to prevent workplace drug use by participating in National Drug Free Work Week, held Oct. 19-25, 2009.

Held annually in October, Drug-Free Work Week is a public awareness campaign that highlights the dangers of workplace drug use and the benefits of drug-free workplace programs, and encourages workers with alcohol and drug problems to seek help. Workplace programs such as the Botvin LifeSkills Training Health and Wellness Program help young adults develop the self-management skills they need to succeed. The Botvin LST Health & Wellness program is unique in its approach, focusing on both the work and home life; problems in one area can dramatically impact the other. The program focuses on prevention, helping people before problems develop.

$120 Million in Prevention and Wellness Awards Now Available from CDC

U.S. states and territories may apply for a share of $120 million in prevention and wellness cooperative agreements that will be awarded by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The cooperative agreements are part of the previously announced, $650-million Communities Putting Prevention to Work initiative, which will fund public-health efforts to prevent smoking and fight obesity, as well as improving nutrition and increasing physical activity.

Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said the money “will assist states and territories in the implementation of proven prevention and wellness programs that will save lives and lower health care costs for all Americans.”

Cooperative agreements will be awarded for statewide policy and environmental change, tobacco cessation through quitlines and media campaigns, and special initiatives to create health-promoting policies and environments. For the first two components, money awarded to each state and territory will be based on population size and number of smokers. For the third component, states will apply for special funds through a competitive process based on the potential health impact of the proposed activities.

Funded projects will emphasize state-level policy and environmental changes that will help communities and schools support healthy choices, according to the announcement. Grantees will have two years to complete their work. “State health departments are the backbone of the public-health system and are uniquely positioned to support and leverage local efforts for chronic disease prevention and control,” noted CDC director Thomas Frieden, M.D.

Deadlines for additional projects that are part of the Communities Putting Prevention to Work initiative will be announced soon. For more details, see the Grants.gov website.

Application deadline is 11/24/09 

 

New study finds TV shows with the highest percentage of teen viewers had the largest number of alcohol ads

A study published in the October 2009 issue of the American Journal of Public Health  (AJPH) concludes that the most popular cable TV shows to kids seem to have the most alcohol advertising.

The study conducted by UCLA and the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY) researched 600,000 alcohol ads aired on cable between 2001 and 2006 and found that shows with the highest percentage of viewers ages 12 to 20 had the largest number of alcohol ads. Ads for beer, liquor and alcopops increased in connection with the youth audience percentage, but wine ads dwindled.

The article on the study can be found at the below link on the AJPH website:

http://www.ajph.org/cgi/content/abstract/AJPH.2008.146423v1?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&author1=chung&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&sortspec=relevance&resourcetype=HWCIT%20

SOURCE: Underage Drinking Enforcement Training Center Resource Alert Summary – October 2009

Oregon Partnership Pushes Old Navy to Remove T-Shirts Promoting Binge Drinking

It all started with one letter from a prevention specialist in Bend, Oregon. On a recent back-to-school shopping trip, Cameo Chambers found t-shirts promoting binge drinking in her local Old Navy store. The shirts carry messages such as “Beer Pressure – Worth Giving In To!” and “Sloshball Champions – Staggerin Falls, Hi.” She wrote to the company and shared her concern with Oregon Partnership, a statewide organization dedicated to ending substance abuse and suicide. In response, Oregon Partnership has launched a campaign to have the shirts removed from stores. CADCA encourages all coalitions to follow suit and write to Old Navy’s parent company, Gap, Inc, requesting that they remove the shirts from store shelves.

In a letter to Glenn Murphy, CEO of Gap, Inc, Old Navy’s parent company headquartered in San Francisco, Oregon Partnership said the sale of such items to a young customer base is repugnant and goes against the company’s pledge of social responsibility.

“Oregon Partnership and other anti-drug coalitions around the country will not let go of this,” said Pete Schulberg, Oregon Partnership’s Communications Director. “Other retail chains have stopped the sale of these t-shirts because they know that promoting binge drinking to young people is something they don’t want to be a part of.”

In a written reply to OP’s request Chris Wingenfield of Gap Customer Relations said “at Old Navy, we strive to offer merchandise that appeal to a wide range of interests….it is never our intention to offend our customers and we apologize for any concerns related to our product.”

But Oregon Partnership President/CEO Judy Cushing termed Gap’s response “wholly unsatisfying.”

The price of the t-shirts was lowered to $5.00 on the weekend before the start of most public schools in the state. “It is obvious to us that Old Navy is marketing the shirts to the back-to-school crowd, which is irresponsible and hypocritical,” Schulberg said.

During last year’s holiday season, the store prominently displayed t-shirts with a Christmas tree and the words “Let’s Get Lit.” Another showed an elf drinking from a keg.

This is not the first time a popular chain has sold something that glamorizes alcohol or drug use. Other national chains have sold similar items in the past but have discontinued their sale after receiving complaints from coalitions throughout the country.

SOURCE: www.cadca.org

CNN Commentary Weighs In On Decision to Cut Safe and Drug Free Schools Program

During a recent commentary on CNN, forensic clinical psychologist, Dewey Cornell, stated that the recent beating death of a 16-year old in Chicago highlights the critical need for schools to implement evidence-based violence prevention programs. He questions the White House proposal to cut funding for school-based violence and substance abuse prevention.

Cornell explains that school-based prevention programs designed to reduce student violence have been shown to be effective in scientific studies. He notes that when programs were fully implemented and carefully monitored, they reduced aggressive behavior such as fighting by about 50 percent.

Following the Chicago incident, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Attorney General Eric Holder held a conference in Chicago and pledged new federal support to reduce youth violence, a move that Cornell calls ironic considering that the Administration has proposed cutting the Safe and Drug Free Schools program.

To view the full commentary, click here

To learn more about the Safe and Drug Free Schools program and to find out what you can do to help prevent its elimination, see CADCA’s Save Our Safe and Drug Free Schools Program Toolkit.

Funding Opportunity: Grant Announcement

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will award a total of $125 million to states in supplemental funding for the Healthy Communities program, focusing on three priority areas: tobacco control, behavioral risk factor surveillance systems, and diabetes control and prevention. The money comes from the federal Recovery Act of 2008.

Recovery Act funds must be used for obesity, nutrition, physical activity and tobacco control strategies to change systems, develop and implement policies, change the environment in which eating, tobacco use, and physical activity occur, and impact population groups rather than individuals within the two-year timeframe for this award.

For more information and to view the full grant announcement, click here.

Application deadline is November 24, 2009

Institute of Medicine Report Says Seconhand Smoke A Killer

A report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM), shows evidence that secondhand smoke can trigger heart attacks and urges those with heart conditions to avoid exposure to tobacco smoke.

The report, which was requested by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, noted that there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Reasearcher Neal Benowitz stated, “If you have heart disease, you really need to stay away from secondhand smoke. It’s an immediate threat to your life.”

Researchers found “clear and consistent” evidence that smoking bans cut the rate of heart attacks, according to statistician Stephen Feinberg of Carnegie Mellon University, a member of the IOM committee that compiled the report.

Click here to view the full report.

Students, Whose Parents Set Clear Rules, Less Likely To Report Illicit Drug Use

According to data from the 2008-2009 PRIDE Survey, middle and high school students who set clear rules for them are less likely to report using illicit drugs.

Middle and high school students who parents set clear rules for them “a lot” or “often” were less likely to report using illicit drugs in the past year (12% and 21%, respectively) than students whose parents never set clear rules (49%).

Click here for more information and to view the survey data.

Study Finds Evidence For Interaction Between Age at First Drink and Adult Dependency

A Washington University study finds that brain changes caused by drinking before age 15 could predispose adolescents to a lifetime of alcohol dependency.

Arpana Agrawal, Researcher for the Washington University School of Medicine, stated that early drinking “may induce changes in the highly sensitive adolescent brain, which may also modify an individual’s subsequent genetic vulnerability” to addiction.”  Also found in the study was evidence that the age of first alcohol use correlated with a higher number of alcohol dependency symptoms.

Click here for more information and to view the full article.

Using a Scientific Approach To Keeping Kids Off Drugs

A National Institutes of Health sponsored study find that communities, which use science-based approaches, can significantly reduce adolescents’ problem behaviors, including tobacco and alcohol use and delinquent acts, up to 33%.

For the study, 24 small and medium-sized towns in seven states were randomly divided into 12 towns that implemented the “Communities That Care” activity (https://preventionplatform.samhsa.gov/) and 12 similar towns that did not. The CTC work started by targeting children in the fifth grade. By the eighth grade, CTC community children were 32% less likely to have begun using alcohol, 33% less likely to have started smoking or begun using smokeless tobacco, and 25% less likely to have started delinquent behavior, according to their self-reports on surveys.

Click here for more information on the study conducted.

Alexandria Educates About the Dangers of Buying Alcohol for Minors

A survey of the Northern Virginia area shows that many underage youth can obtain alcohol from adults-whether it is from their parents or strangers who agree to buy alcohol for them.

Teams of adults and youth from Northern Virginia have now joined together to launch the first regional Sticker Shock campaign. The Sticker Shock campaign is part of the Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition of Alexandria (SAPCA)’s efforts to educate adults who might be tempted to purchase alcohol legally and provide it to minors.

Groups of youth and adults have visited more than 100 Northern Virginia stores to place “warning” stickers on multi-packs of wine coolers, beer, and other alcohol products. The stickers highlight the penalties for furnishing alcohol to minors.

Click here to learn more about the program.

Funding Opportunity: Grant Announcement

The United States Soccer Foundation’s 2010 Program and Field Grants provides funding, equipment, and services for soccer programs in the U.S., and is particularly interested in funding organizations that incorporate a youth-development elements such as anti-violence, drug prevention, and healthy lifestyles into their programs.

Program grants are available for projects that do not contain a construction element. Eligible expenses include uniforms, player and team equipment, games and practice travel costs, facility rental costs, registration costs, and coach and referee training fees.

Deadline for the 2010 grants is October 30th.

Click here to view the full grant announcement.

Funding Opportunity: Grant Announcement

The Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) announces the availability of federal funds through the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant Fund Program through the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance. Grant Funds are available for new projects only.

This grant solicitation is a two-phase process.

Some of the limitations that apply to these funds include:

• maximum awards will be $75,000, including matching funds;
• federal grant funds may be used to pay no more than 95% of an approved project; the remaining 5% of the approved project costs must be paid by the grant recipient with cash from non-federal sources.

Successful applicants will receive funding for 12 months, beginning July 1, 2010.

Click here for more information, required forms, and submission instructions.

 

Preparing grant applications can be a bit challenging.  LifeSkills Training offers several grant application tools to help you in applying for local, state, and federal funding.

http://www.lifeskillstraining.com/grant_writing.php

Attorney General Holder Addresses Pediatrics Conference on Children’s Exposure to Violence

Attorney General Eric Holder recently commended the American Academy of Pediatrics for their effort in addressing the problem of children and violence.

Noting the recently published findings from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s National Survey of Children Exposed to Violence, Mr. Holder described them as a “wake-up” call that cannot be ignored.

Click here to view Mr. Holder’s full speech.

Youth Award Nominations Deadline Extended Until November 6

Do you know a young person who has done excellent work with your coalition and in your community? Then, nominate them for CADCA’s Outstanding Youth Award. The winner will receive free registration for CADCA’s 20th Annual National Leadership Forum and will be presented with the award on stage during the Award’s Luncheon.

The Outstanding Youth Award recognizes an outstanding young person for service to a coalition and preventing substance abuse.

To be eligible, the nominee must have completed CADCA’s National Youth Leadership Initiative (NYLI).

Click here to submit a nomination now!

For more information, click here to view CADCA’s website

Funding Opportunity: Grant Announcement

The Corporation for National and Community Service has announced that it is accepting applications for the FY2010 AmeriCorps State and National Grants.

Grants will be made in the following categories: State Commission and National Competitive including Professional Corps and Fixed-Amount Grants; State and National EAP; States and Territories without Commissions; and Indian Tribes.

Program priorities for 2010 include addressing unmet needs in the areas of education, housing, veterans, economic opportunity, clean energy and environment, and health (including access to health care, disease prevention and health promotion initiatives, and health literacy).

Click here for more information and to view the full grant announcement.

Deadline is January 26, 2010

Funding Opportunity: Grant Announcement

John Hancock Financial Services will award grants to Massachusetts community-based groups that serve needy youths and families in Boston.

Nonprofit groups may apply. Applications deadline is open.

For more details, see the company website or contact Carol Fulp, 601 Congress Street, Boston, MA 02210; 617-663-4575; cfulp@jhancock.com.

Funding Opportunity: Grant Announcement

The Kaiser Foundation is now accepting nominations for its 2010 National Awards for Excellence, which recognize Canadian addiction and mental-health related programs and advocacy in six distinct categories.

The winner in each category will receive C$10,000 to give to the charity of their choice.

Click here for more information and to view each category.

Nominations are due November 20, 2009

Funding Opportunity:Grant Announcement

The Mary Byron Project created the Celebrating Solutions Awards to showcase and applaud local innovations that demonstrate promise in breaking the cycle of violence.

Programs that  serve as models for the nation, can be offered $10,000 cash awards in recognition of the pioneering efforts.

The program must be part of a non-profit or government agency.

Deadline is November 17, 2009.

Click here for more information and to view the full grant announcement.

 

Preparing grant applications can be a bit challenging.  LifeSkills Training offers several grant application tools to help you in applying for local, state, and federal funding.

http://www.lifeskillstraining.com/grant_writing.php

Funding Opportunity:Grant Announcement

The Corning Inc. Foundation supports youth-related projects and organizations, including community-service programs for students, YMCAs, and youth centers in company locations.

Non-profits in company communities are eligible for funding.

Deadline is open. Click here for more information.

 

Preparing grant applications can be a bit challenging.  LifeSkills Training offers several grant application tools to help you in applying for local, state, and federal funding.

http://www.lifeskillstraining.com/grant_writing.php

Funding Opportunity: Grant Announcement

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation currently partners with diversity focused funders and other local grantmakers to fund projects to reduce violence in specific communities such as those defined by race, ethnicity, tribe, gender, sexual identity or rural/frontier location.

Projects must be new, community-based and culturally appropriate, reflecting how language skills, significant cultural differences, education, income and  discrimination affect health outcomes. Community members should be engaged in planning and leadership.

Application deadline is January 5, 2010

Click here for more information and to view the full grant announcement.

 

Preparing grant applications can be a bit challenging.  LifeSkills Training offers several grant application tools to help you in applying for local, state, and federal funding.

http://www.lifeskillstraining.com/grant_writing.php

Funding Opportunity:Grant Announcement

The RGK Foundation awards grants in the broad areas of Education, Community, and Medicine/Health.

The Foundation’s primary interests within Education include programs that focus on formal K-12 education (particularly mathematics, science and reading), teacher development, literacy, and higher education.

Nonprofits are eligible.

Application deadline is December 4, 2009

Click here for more information and to view the full grant announcement.

Preparing grant applications can be a bit challenging.  LifeSkills Training offers several grant application tools to help you in applying for local, state, and federal funding.

http://www.lifeskillstraining.com/grant_writing.php

Funding Opportunity:Grant Announcement

The Campbell Soup Foundation is providing grants to local champions that inspire positive change in communities throughout the United States where Campbell Soup Company employees live and work.

The Foundation focuses on the areas of hunger relief, wellness, education and community revitalization.

Award amounts vary. The Foundation limits grants to nonprofit organizations which are tax-exempt.

Click here for more information and to apply for funding.

Deadline: Rolling

 

Preparing grant applications can be a bit challenging.  LifeSkills Training offers several grant application tools to help you in applying for local, state, and federal funding.

http://www.lifeskillstraining.com/grant_writing.php

Study Finds Packaging of Cigarettes Can Influence Teen Smoking

The Heath Behavior News Service has reported a study which found that plainer cigarette packages make smoking less appealing to teenagers.

Melanie Wakefield, Ph.D., who co-authored the Australian study, stated “We found that when branding is progressively removed from a cigarette pack, adolescents not only perceive the packs to be less attractive, they associate the brand with people who have less favorable attributes.”

Using three popular Australian cigarette brands, the researchers looked at how adolescents perceived cigarette packs and what their expectations were about cigarette taste. The packs showed a gradual diminishment of brand information on the front and a progressively larger-sized health warning. Researchers randomly assigned each teen to rate one of 15 pack conditions.

Click here for more information and to view the full article.

West Virginia Teachers Receive LST Training

The Regional Education Services Agency (RESA VIII) recently trained teachers in the Botvin LifeSkills Training program. Educators in attendance hailed from Pendleton, Grant, Hardy, Hampshire, Mineral, Berkeley and Jefferson counties.

Teacher feedback was very positive. Comments included: “Using magazine advertisements is a creative way to make students aware of marketing techniques used by companies”; “The LifeSkills curriculum provides a lot of skills needed by adolescents to enhance their ability to make wise decisions”; and “Actually letting the students interact in behavioral rehearsals is a good hands-on way to practice.”

Jane Lynch, Executive Director of RESA VIII,  stated “This program is implemented in the grades where students are most influenced with peer pressure. The LifeSkills program is the only curriculum currently being implemented across the entire state in the field of prevention.

Click here to view the full article.

Funding Opportunity: Grant Announcement

Social-change activists in the U.S. and Canada under age 25 may be nominated for the Do Something Awards, established to honor young “world changers.”

Individuals, not groups, may be nominated. Four winners will be named in 2010, and each will receive $10,000 or $5,000 as an educational scholarship. One grand-prize winner will receive $100,000 for their group or cause.

Click here for more information and to view the grant announcement.

Secondhand Exposure Can Cause Cardiovascular Problems

In a new report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM), there is evidence that secondhand smoke can trigger heart attacks. The report also suggests that those with heart conditions should avoid exposure to tobacco smoke.

Requested by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the report stated there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke, and that people with cardiovascular disease could risk heart attack with less than an hour’s exposure to environmental tobacco smoke.

“If you have heart disease, you really need to stay away from secondhand smoke. It’s an immediate threat to your life,” said researcher Neal Benowitz of the University of California at San Francisco. Benowitz added that everyone, in fact, should avoid secondhand smoke, since many people who have heart disease are not aware of the problem if they have never had a heart attack.

Click here to view the report.

 

Researchers: Ban Alcohol Sports Sponsorships

According to researchers, governments should outlaw alcoholic-beverage firms from sponsoring sporting events and sports teams.

Researchers, from Australia’s Newcastle University and The University of Manchester in Great Britain, stated that the alcohol industry has ignored their 2008 report showing a link between alcohol sponsorship of sports and high-risk drinking among participants.

Researcher, Kerry O’Brien, states “Sport administrators are sending mixed messages to participants and fans when, on the one hand, they embrace and peddle alcohol via their sport, while on the other they punish individual sport stars and fans when they display loutish behavior while intoxicated”.

Click here to view the full article.

ISU Drug Prevention Program to Go National

Recent grants totaling more than $7.9 million will allow an Iowa State University youth drug prevention program to expand to help youngsters and families across the United States.

The Partnerships in Prevention Science Institute at ISU is the home of PROSPER, a program developed by scientists at ISU and Penn State to create evidence-based prevention programs in Iowa and Pennsylvania. PROSPER is short for Promoting School-Community-University Partnerships to Enhance Resilience.

Richard Spoth, director of the Partnerships in Prevention Science Institute, said what makes PROSPER unique is that all of the programs it implements are based on scientific results.

Click here to read the entire article.

Botvin LifeSkills Training Proves To Be A Value

Evidence-based prevention programs, such as Botvin LifeSkills Training, have shown the greatest success in the reduction of negative youth behaviors, such as delinquency, violence and substance abuse. In addition, such programs reduce financial burdens on taxpayers, such as prison, drug treatment and social service costs.

The Botvin LifeSkills Training Program is recognized on the Cochrane and Campbell Collaborations review of prevention programs as well as the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence Blueprints Model and Promising Programs.

Click here to learn more about the criteria used to judge model programs.

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Funding Opportunity:Grant Announcement

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has released the final application for more than $4 billion from the Race to the Top Fund, which will reward states that have raised student performance in the past and have the capacity to accelerate achievement gains with innovative reforms.

To qualify, states must have no legal barriers to linking student growth and achievement data to teachers and principals for the purposes of evaluation. They also must have the department’s approval for their plans for both phases of the Recovery Act’s State Fiscal Stabilization Fund prior to being awarded a grant.

Click here for more information and to view the official grant announcement.

Application deadline is June 1, 2010

Ensure Healthcare Reform Includes Substance Abuse Prevention and Substance Use Disorders

Members of Congress continue to work at a fast and furious pace to come to an agreement on healthcare reform legislation, but we need your help now if we want to get substance abuse prevention included in this critical legislation. If you haven’t already, click here to respond to CADCA’s current legislative alert.

Responding to this legislative alert will ensure that the final version of healthcare reform includes language that:

1) explicitly includes substance abuse prevention in the definition of community based prevention; and
2) explicitly includes substance use disorders as part of the definition of chronic disease, condition or illness.

Please respond to CADCA’s legislative alert as soon as possible to ask members of Congress to explicitly include substance abuse prevention in the definition of community based prevention, and substance use disorder in the definition of chronic disease, condition or illness.

For additional information, please contact Kelly Lieupo, Director of Public Policy, at 703-706-0560 ext. 241, or via e-mail at klieupo@cadca.org.

New HHS’ SAMHSA Report Shows Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative Can Reduce Violence And Promote Safer Schools

In the wake of several recent highly-publicized stories about violence among school-aged children, a new report shows that school districts participating in the Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative substantially improved the safety of their students.  According to the report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), over a three-year period, school districts participating in the Safe Schools/Healthy Students grant program reported fewer students involved in violent incidents, decreased levels of experienced and witnessed violence, and improvements in overall school safety and violence prevention.

Key findings from the Safe Schools/Healthy Students National Evaluation include:

• A 15 percent decrease in the number of students involved in violent incidents during the grant period (from 17, 800 in year 1 to 15,163 in year 3).
• A 12 percent decrease in the number of students reporting that they had experienced or witnessed violence from year 1 of the grant period to year 3.
• Most staff at grantee schools reported that the Initiative had made their schools safer. By year 3 of the grant, 84 percent said the Initiative had improved school safety, 77 percent said it had reduced violence on campus, and 75 percent said it had reduced violence in the community.

For more information on the Safe Schools/Healthy Students visit: http://www.sshs.samhsa.gov/apply/default.aspx

Funding Opportunity:Grant Announcement

Grants of up to $150,000 are available for initiatives that use Health Impact Assessment (HIA) techniques to help policymakers assess proposed projects and programs in terms of their impact on health consequences and costs.

The Health Impact Project — a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Pew Charitable Trusts — will award grants of $25,000 to $150,000 to demonstrate the effectiveness of HIAs and promote their use in policymaking at all levels of government. Certain applications for grants of more than $150,000 also may be considered on an exceptional basis. Programs must be completed within 24 months.

Application deadline is open. For full details, see the RWJF website.

 

Preparing grant applications can be a bit challenging.  LifeSkills Training offers several grant application tools to help you in applying for local, state, and federal funding.

http://www.lifeskillstraining.com/grant_writing.php

Pamela Hyde confirmed as new SAMHSA Administrator

The United State Senate unanimously confirmed Pamela Hyde as Administrator for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

“Pamela Hyde has worked tirelessly on behalf of the people of New Mexico to expand access to health and human services programs and improve their quality,” said Secretary Sebelius. “With over 30 years of experience in both the private and public sectors, Pamela’s health policy expertise and management experience will be invaluable to our Department. She will be an outstanding leader at SAMHSA, and I look forward to working with her in this new role.”

Valparaiso To Fight City Drug Problem With Help of LST

Valparaiso, Indiana Mayor Jon Costas has announced new initiatives to help fight the city’s continuing drug problem.

One of the main programs to be used is Botvin LifeSkills Training, which will be first presented to students as young as 8 years old at the Valparaiso Parks Department, Valparaiso Family YMCA and the Boys & Girls Club. It will also be taught to all Valparaiso middle school students.

Rocco Schiralli, Executive Director of Porter-Starke Services, praised the program saying that unlike many other drug prevention and education prgrams, LifeSkills had 30 published studies showing that it works.

Click here to view the full article

Ohio Healthcare Providers Receive Grants to Implement LST

The Ohio Department of Health and the Healthy Ohio initiative recently awarded six area health care providers with a cooperative 2010 Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation Grant.

We are exceptionally pleased to have been awarded this grant and to have the opportunity to reach the area’s school-aged children with prevention measures, as well as cessation programming for individuals who are currently smoking,” said David Pollick, Health Commissioner, Sandusky County Health Department.

The health departments will focus on youth prevention, while the hospitals are focusing on tobacco cessation programs. The Botvin LifeSkills Training Program will be presented to schools

“The program is free to schools and will address alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, and other skills necessary for making healthy decisions,” Tim Hollinger, Health Commissioner for the Huron County General Health District, said.

Your Voice Is Needed: Advocate for Substance Abuse Prevention in Healthcare Reform

The substance abuse prevention field has a historic opportunity to weigh in with Congress to help ensure the prevention field is eligible to compete for billions of dollars from the funds contained in the healthcare reform bills currently being debated.

Both the House and Senate versions of healthcare refornm contain several funds, which authorize billions of dollars for various prevention funding.

However, unless the final healthcare reform bill contains language that:

1) explicitly includes substance abuse prevention in the definition of community based prevention; and

2)explicitly includes substance use disorders as part of the definition of chronic disease  condition or illness, our field will not be ebligible to compete for these funds.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Fax the members of your congressional delegation. CADCA’s fax system allows you to automatically fax CADCA’s sample letter on this issue to your legislator’s from its website.

To send faxes to your legislators, go to http://capqwiz.com/cadca/home/

Click here for additional information

Alcohol Ads More Likely to Be in Popular Youth Magazines

Recent findings by researchers at Boston University School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Virtual Media Resources,  show that alcoholic beverages popular among youths are more likely to be advertised in magazines with high youth readership.

“Alcohol companies are deceiving us,” said Dr. Michael Siegel, professor of community health sciences at Boston University School of Public Health and a co-author of the study. “Contrary to their public statements, they are targeting youths through their advertising. They are saying one thing, but doing another.”

The study compared alcohol advertisement placements in 118 magazines from 2002 to 2006, specifically looking at the relationship between a magazine’s youth readership and the probability of youth alcoholic beverage types — defined as those consumed by a large proportion of youth — being advertised in each magazine.

The researchers found that in magazines with the highest levels of youth readership, youth alcoholic beverage types (e.g., premium beer, low calorie beer, rum, vodka, and flavored alcohol beverages) were more than four times more likely to be advertised than non-youth types (e.g., gin, brandy, whiskey, and scotch). As youth readership increased in a magazine, so did the number of youth alcoholic beverage advertisements.

Funding Opportunity:Grant Announcement

The Peyback Foundation was established by professional football player Peyton Manning in 1999 to promote the future success of disadvantaged youth (ages 6 to 18) by assisting programs that provide leadership growth and opportunities for children at risk.

Grants will range from $1,500 to $10,000 each. Requests for grants are accepted only from agencies and organizations actively working to advance the welfare of disadvantaged children in Indiana, Tennessee, and New Orleans metropolitan areas.

Deadline is February 1, 2010

Click here for more information and to apply for funding.

Preparing grant applications can be a bit challenging.
Botvin LifeSkills Training offers several grant application tools to help you in applying for local, state, and federal funding.

http://www.lifeskillstraining.com/grant_writing.php

World Health Organization: Smoking Kills 5 Million a Year

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently stated that tobacco use kills at least 5 million people every year. WHO anticipates the number to rise if countries don’t take stronger measures to fight smoking.

The new report on tobacco use and control stated that nearly 95% of the global population is unprotected by laws that ban smoking. 600,000 people die every year from secondhand smoke.

The finding also describe countries’ various strategies to curb smoking, including protecting people from smoke, enforcing bans on tobacco advertising, and raising taxes on tobacco products. These were included in a package of six strategies WHO unveiled last year, but less than 10 percent of the world’s population is covered by any single measure.

Click here to view the full article.

Report: Progress on Prevention Lags

According to the annual America’s Health Rankings report, the U.S. healthcare system does not put forth the effort in preventing illnesses caused by smoking and other unhealthy behaviors.

According to the findings, smoking, poor dietary habits and lack of exercise are costing the U.S. billions of dollars in health care costs.

Reed Tuckson, M.D., the executive vice president and chief of medical affairs at UnitedHealth Group, stated “Over the past 20 years, our national health care system has helped extend the length of life, but not the quality of life. Making progress against smoking and obesity is a critical step to successfully tackling the health reform our nation wants to achieve.”

TEEN Center Uses Grant to Implement LST

The Mobile County Health Department’s TEEN Center was recently awarded a youth tobacco-prevention mini-grant from the Alabama Department of Public Health.

The TEEN Center has chosen to use the funds to implement the Botvin LifeSkills Training curriculum.

Study On Teen Drug Use Calls For Prevention

Gil Kerlikowske, Director of National Drug Control Policy, announced today the results of a new national study of teenagers substance abuse and their attitudes toward drugs and drug use.

The annual Monitoring the Future (MTF) study of 8th, 10th, and 12th graders shows decreases in some grades in the use of cocaine, methamphetamine, and hallucinogens, there is a prevalence of teens abusing prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Additionally there are issues with young people’s perceptions of the harms associated with smoking marijuana, using Ecstasy, drinking alcohol, and using smokeless tobacco.

“Considering the troublesome data from other national and local surveys, these latest data confirm that we must redouble our efforts to implement a comprehensive, evidence-based approach to preventing and treating drug use”, stated Kerlikowske.

Click here to view the full article.

BE HEARD: OJJDP Invites Comments on Proposed FY 2010 Program Plan

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) has published a Notice of its Proposed Plan for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 in the December 1, 2009, Federal Register. The Proposed Plan describes discretionary program activities that OJJDP proposes to carry out during FY 2010.

Taking into consideration comments received and its final FY 2010 appropriation, OJJDP will develop a Final Plan describing program activities that the Office intends to fund during FY 2010.

Comments on the Proposed Plan must be received by January 15, 2010, and may be submitted online or mailed to OJJDP. As security protocols can significantly delay OJJDP’s receipt of mail, online submission of comments is recommended to ensure their consideration.

To view OJJDP’s Proposed Plan and detailed guidance on submitting comments, visit ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/funding/FY10OJJDPProposedPlan.pdf.

Comments may be submitted online at www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/home.html#documentDetail?R=0900006480a61626.

Funding Opportunity:Grant Announcement

The Sprint Character Education Grant Program accepts applications for funding of programs promoting leadership, youth volunteerism, character education, and school pride.

Grants will fund the purchase of resource materials, supplies, teacher training, and equipment that facilitates character education for K-12 students, such as the Second Step or Steps to Respect programs.

Public schools may apply for individual school grants up to $5,000, and public school districts can apply for district-wide grants up to $25,000.

The grant application period begins January 4 and ends February 5, 2010.

Click here for more information.

Preparing grant applications can be a bit challenging.
LifeSkills Training offers several grant application tools to help you in applying for local, state, and federal funding.

http://www.lifeskillstraining.com/grant_writing.php

Funding Opportunity: Grant Announcement

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is seeking local community-based organizations to conduct demonstration programs to demonstrate the feasibility and effect of pairing two complementary strategies for reducing teenagers’ access to alcohol: Social Norming and High Visibility Enforcement. Social Norming is the process of flooding a target population with information designed to correct their misperceptions about the frequency and acceptability of specific activities. High Visibility Enforcement (HVE) pairs extensive publicity of concentrated enforcement with police activity focused on violators of certain laws.

PerformTech, Inc., is providing logistical and technical support to NHTSA in this effort. PerformTech will award two 29-month, $200,000 contracts for conducting these demonstration programs. To view the announcement and obtain details about how to receive the RFP go to:

www.performtech.com/hve
user name: hverfp
password: hve2009

Preparing grant applications can be a bit challenging. LifeSkills Training offers several grant application tools to help you in applying for local, state, and federal funding.

http://www.lifeskillstraining.com/grant_writing.php

Study: Casual Smoking Increases Risk Of Breast Cancer

Researcher Ivana T. Croghan of the Mayo Clinic Nicotine Research Program and colleagues have found out that women who smoke more than 100 cigarettes in their lifetime, are at increased risk of developing breast cancer. However, women can still improve their odds if they quit smoking.

The research compared 1,225 women with breast cancer to 6,872 who did not have the disease, looking at smoking history and other known risk factors for cancer. These findings sharply contradict past studies that found no link between smoking and breast cancer.

Read more about the published study in the September/October 2009 issue of the Breast Journal.

Funding Opportunity:Grant Announcement

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is offering partial funding for public-health conferences in the areas of health promotion and disease prevention, education programs, and applied research.

The CDC will award $100,000 in Public Health Conference Support Program  grants to support up to 8 conferences. Eligible applicants include nonprofits, schools, government entities, tribes, faith-based groups, community groups, and others.

Application deadline is January 29, 2010.

Click here for more details and to apply.

Preparing grant applications can be a bit challenging. 

LifeSkills Training offers several grant application tools to help you in applying for local, state, and federal funding.

http://www.lifeskillstraining.com/grant_writing.php

Funding Opportunity: Grant Announcement

The Wells Fargo Foundation provides support to nonprofit organizations focusing on education and health and human services, with special emphasis on the elimination of the “achievement gap”; increasing access to higher education for underrepresented groups; and ensuring access to both health education programs and quality healthcare for individuals and families.

Please contact the Wells Fargo Foundation for more information and to apply for this funding: https://www.wellsfargo.com/about/charitable/

Deadline: Rolling

Preparing grant applications can be a bit challenging.  LifeSkills Training offers several grant application tools to help you in applying for local, state, and federal funding.

http://www.lifeskillstraining.com/grant_writing.php

Funding Opportunity:Grant Announcement

The RGK Foundation supports nonprofit organizations that provide services in the areas of Community, Education and Medicine/Health. Specific areas of focus include: children and family services, early childhood development, parenting education, after-school educational enrichment programs, promotion of the health and well-being of children, and programs that promote access to health services.

Grants range from $10,000 to $25,000. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations with 501(3)(3) status. Organizations are invited to submit an electronic letter of inquiry that will be reviewed on a rolling basis. After review, organizations may be invited to submit a formal proposal.

Deadline: Rolling

Please contact the RGK Foundation for more information and to apply for this funding opportunity: http://www.rgkfoundation.org/public/guidelines#programs

Preparing grant applications can be a bit challenging.  LifeSkills Training offers several grant application tools to help you in applying for local, state, and federal funding.

http://www.lifeskillstraining.com/grant_writing.php

Kids See Smoking as Riskier Than Alcohol or Drug Use

According to research from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), about 70 percent of 12-14 year olds see a great risk in smoking a pack of cigarettes or more daily, compared to 40 percent who saw a risk in binge drinking and about 24 percent who perceived smoking marijuana monthly as a great risk.

The report, drawn from findings in the annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health, also found that roughly half of adolescents believed that using cocaine monthly or trying LSD once or twice was very risky.

“We are on the right track with cigarette smoking and need to keep raising awareness among teens about the dangers of other substances,” said SAMHSA administrator Pamela S. Hyde. ”Understanding that perception of harm is a strong predictor of potential substance use among young people can help guide the development of substance prevention messages.”

U.S. DOJ Releases FY 2010 Program Plan

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP) has released its Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 Program Plan (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ProgramPlan/index.htm).

The Plan is divided into 10 thematically organized sections, each of which cuts across OJP’s bureaus and offices and represents a challenge identified by the criminal and juvenile justice fields.

Click here to access the full plan

Funding Opportunity:Grant Announcement

The George Gund Foundation provides funding for nonprofits in the following categories:

• Arts
• Economic Development
• Education
• Environment
• Human Services
• Special Projects
• Green Building Policy

Click here for more information and to apply for funding.

Preparing grant applications can be a bit challenging.  Botvin LifeSkills Training offers several grant application tools to help you in applying for local, state, and federal funding.

http://www.lifeskillstraining.com/grant_writing.php

Funding Opportunity:Grant Announcement

The Boston Foundation supplies funding for non-profit organizations in the Greater Boston area that focus on:

• Improving outcomes for Boston residents across the education pipeline
• Increase the health and well being of Greater Boston residents

Click here for more information and to apply for funding.

Deadline: Rolling

Preparing grant applications can be a bit challenging.  Botvin LifeSkills Training offers several grant application tools to help you in applying for local, state, and federal funding.

http://www.lifeskillstraining.com/grant_writing.php

Funding Opportunity:Grant Announcement

The William Penn Foundation offers funding for non-profit organizations in the metro Philadelphia area that focus on:

• School Readiness
• Public Education
• Youth Development

Click here for more information and to view eligibility guidelines.

Deadline: Rolling

Preparing grant applications can be a bit challenging.  Botvin LifeSkills Training offers several grant application tools to help you in applying for local, state, and federal funding.

http://www.lifeskillstraining.com/grant_writing.php

Funding Opportunity:Grant Announcement

The Starbucks Shared Planet Youth Action Grants are designed to help young people realize their natural potential to reinvent their local communities. The Starbucks Foundation accepts applications from organizations that provide young people (ages 6 to 24) with a continuum of service opportunities in social entrepreneurship.

Grants will range from $10,000 to $25,000. To be eligible, US applicants must be tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations.

Please contact The Starbucks Foundation for more information and to apply for this funding: http://www.starbucksfoundation.com/index.cfm?objectid=525D51E7-1D09-317F-BBF9A860BE884D22

Deadline: Rolling

Preparing grant applications can be a bit challenging.  Botvin LifeSkills Training offers several grant application tools to help you in applying for local, state, and federal funding.

http://www.lifeskillstraining.com/grant_writing.php

New Research Finds Stronger Link between Music and Marijuana Use among Teens

According to a University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine study in the journal Addiction, teens who frequently listen to music that contain references to marijuana are more likely to use the drug than their counterparts with less exposure to such lyrics.

Brian Primack, M.D.,Ed.M., M.S., lead author of the study, stated “Based on an analysis of survey data from 959 ninth-graders, we found that students who listen to music with the most references to marijuana are almost twice as likely to have used the drug than their peers whose musical tastes favor songs less focused on substance use, even after controlling for confounding factors. This suggests that there is a real link between the marijuana lyrics and marijuana use.”

To accurately estimate marijuana exposure in music, researchers used an improved process to calculate the exposure, which incorporated student report of music exposure and favorite artists as well as intensive content analysis of the top 794 songs from 2005, 2006 and 2007 based on Billboard Magazine’s year-end charts.

Click here to learn more and view the research findings.

Traditional Super Bowl Advertising Replaced With Funding Opportunity

Instead of their usual elaborate Super Bowl advertisements, Pepsi has chosen a different approach this year.

Pepsi will launch RefreshEverything.com on January 13, 2010. On the site, consumers  list projects they feel can improve communities, with voting open to all.

Categories for funding include health, arts, education, the planet, and neighborhoods.

Submissions are accepted from January 13 to January 24, 2010.

Click here to learn more

Applicant Workshops for Drug Free Communities Grants

Three workshops for groups interesting in applying for the next round of Drug Free Communities (DFC) Grants have been scheduled to take place within the next month, according to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).

The free workshops will be held on Jan. 26 in Fort Worth, Texas; Jan. 28 in Salt Lake City, Utah; and Feb. 12 in National Harbor, Md. The latter workshop will be held in conjunction with the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America National Leadership Forum at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center.

Attendance is optional, and attendees must pay for their own travel-related expenses. To register, visit https://www.cmpinc.net/dfc/registration.html. For those who cannot make it to the workshops, the proceedings will be recorded and posted to the DFC website by the end of January.

The 2010 DFC Request for Applications will be released in a few weeks, ONDCP officials said.

SOURCE: jointogether.org

OJP’s BJA Guide Offers Communities Ways to Prevent and Respond to School Violence

The Office of Justice Programs’ Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) in coordination with the International Association of Chiefs of Police has published a new edition of its “Guide for Preventing and Responding to School Violence.”

Designed to assist local communities, the guide describes the roles of the school, community, families, law enforcement, and justice system in working together to take effective action to address school violence.

Resources: BJA’s “Guide for Preventing and Responding to School Violence” is available online at: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/pdf/IACP_School_Violence.pdf

SAMHSA’s 2010 Science and Service Awards Call for Applications

SAMHSA has issued a call for applications for its 2010 Science and Service Awards, a national program that recognizes community-based organizations and coalitions that have shown exemplary implementation of evidence-based mental health and substance abuse interventions.

Awards will be made in each of the five categories:

1. Substance abuse prevention
2. Treatment of substance abuse and recovery support services
3. Mental health promotion
4. Treatment of mental illness and recovery support services
5. Co-occurring disorders

To be eligible for an award, an organization must have successfully implemented a recognized evidence-based intervention.  

For more information visit www.samhsa.gov/scienceandservice/ and click on “Application Materials for 2010 Awards.”