Healthy minds, great futures for youth mental and behavioral health services. - BGCSM healthy minds, great futures integrates trauma-informed practices into the after-school mentoring and…

Healthy minds, great futures for youth mental and behavioral health services. - BGCSM healthy minds, great futures integrates trauma-informed practices into the after-school mentoring and development programs of boys & girls clubs of southern maine (BGCSM). Our intervention is a mental health model that provides universal services (tier 1 support) to all BGCSM members daily and individualized services (tier 2 support) as 1:1 pull-out or scheduled small groups. Staff are trained through in-the-moment modeling by an embedded social worker. They are also provided formal instruction to understand trauma in children and youth. Further training is included about building supportive environments for themselves and club members to develop resilience. A social worker is embedded into the staff of each of our hub locations in southern maine. A quiet space that is intentionally furnished will be created in each hub as a place where members can take time to decompress. This project will serve over 50 full- and part-time staff members and more than 450 club members. 37 staff members are program-focused and work at one of the three hubs with an embedded social worker. Staff at all our 9 sites will participate in the formal training during organizational training days. 70% of club youth live in low-income situations, and 60% of our children and teens identify as people of color, including many immigrants and refugees. Amidst the affordable housing crisis, many of our members and their families are currently or have recently experienced a level of homelessness and/or displacement. Goal 1: staff report confidence in their use of behavioral strategies that increase member engagement and safety. • by september 29, 2025, 100% of full-time program staff and 75% of part-time staff will have participated in training on behavior management strategies, understanding BGCSM member needs and experiences, and creating trauma-informed environments. • by september 29, 2025, 80% of full-time program staff will report an increase in their confidence in using behavioral strategies in their work. • by september 29, 2025 80% of program staff will report feeling supported in their direct work with members. Goal 2: club members increase their sense of safety, belonging and wellbeing. • by july 30, 2025, 70% of club members participating in the spring 2025 bgca nyoi report and increase in their sense of safety, belonging and wellbeing. • survey administered to portland teens at the end of the teen retreat reflects an increase in wellbeing and belonging among participants. Survey will be conducted before june 15, 2025.