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 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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.