Project aware (advancing wellness and resiliency in education)(short title: aware) - 2022 project aware colorado aims to increase the mental health awareness and literacy of school-aged youth, and…

Project aware (advancing wellness and resiliency in education)(short title: aware) - 2022 project aware colorado aims to increase the mental health awareness and literacy of school-aged youth, and individuals who interact with them, and connect youth and families to culturally-responsive, trauma-informed, and equity-based strategies, services, and interventions. The colorado department of education in partnership with colorado's behavioral health administration along with two identified local education agencies leas and a tribal education agency tea will address systemic barriers to school-aged youth receiving mental and behavioral health interventions through state and local-level infrastructure improvements. Service gaps will be addressed through state and local partnerships and the implementation of evidence-based or informed policies, practices, and or programs ebps. The leas are poudre school district, the 8TH largest in colorado, with 28 percent minority students and 27 percent of students receiving free reduced lunch and westminster public schools, a suburban district with 84 percent minority students and 76 percent of students receiving free reduced lunch. The tea is the rural-based southern UTE education department, serving southern UTE tribe students and families. Project goals and objectives include: goal 1 enhance school-based SB mental and behavioral health infrastructure within colorado multi-tiered systems of support for an equity- based, culturally-responsive, and trauma-informed approach including sea objectives: 1.1.1 create a SB mental health professionals' early career pathways strategic plan; 1.1.2 convene a SB mental & behavioral health alignment advisory board; 1.1.3 convene a trauma recovery and resilience promotion advisory board to address effects of covid-19 and other traumas; and LEA tea objectives: 1.2.1 develop a multi-disciplinary mental health leadership team; 1.2.2 convene local partners to enhance behavioral and mental health infrastructure; and 1.2.3 conduct a needs assessment of systems that support service delivery. Goal 2 increase mental health awareness and literacy of school-aged youth and individuals who interact with them to promote wellbeing and detect signs and symptoms of mental illness, substance use or misuse, and CO-occurring disorders including sea objectives: 2.1.1 train adults to promote wellbeing and detect signs and symptoms for youth, particularly youth who have systematically experienced greater obstacles to health, resulting in behavioral health disparities.; 2.1.2 partner with the mental health technology transfer center to develop training for youth and families; and LEA tea objectives: 2.2.1 offer psychological safety and belonging training for LEA tea school community members; and 2.2.2 train the school community in mental health literacy or identity-affirming learning. Goal 3 increase the capacity for and quality of implementation of ebps, mental health services and suicide prevention efforts that are culturally-responsive and trauma-informed including sea objectives: 3.1.1 train SB mental health staff on evidence-based, SB mental health programming, and appropriate supports for marginalized students and 3.1.2 develop a cross-agency partnership to create a training plan aligned with a student suicide prevention & awareness training policy; and LEA tea objectives: 3.2.1 create a tier 2 or 3 improvement strategy; and 3.2.2 train building level mental health staff on ebps. Collectively, tea leas will reach approximately 38,000 per year and 51,600 school-aged youth over the lifetime of the grant. Additionally, the sea & smha will offer approximately 10 training opportunities each year of 2022 project aware colorado.