Project Grant H79SP083690

POSITIVE CHOICES. POSITIVE LIFE. - THE "POSITIVE CHOICES. POSITIVE LIFE" PROJECT BY BREVARD PREVENTION COALITION (BPC) IMPLEMENTS SUBSTANCE MISUSE PREVENTION STRATEGIES IN THREE DOMAINS: 1) BREVARD COUNTY, FL'S NEW AND SOLE DROPOUT PREVENTION AND CREDIT RECOVERY SCHOOL, 2) YOUTH COMMUNITY CENTERS IN UNDERSERVED/UNDER RESOURCED COMMUNITIES, AND 3) A SUBSTANCE MISUSE PREVENTION AND STIGMA REDUCTION MEDIA CAMPAIGN. THESE EACH TARGET UNDERAGE DRINKING AND VAPING NICOTINE. ACCORDING TO THE 2022 FLORIDA YOUTH SUBSTANCE ABUSE SURVEY (FYSAS) ALCOHOL AND VAPING NICOTINE ARE THE MOST MISUSED SUBSTANCES BY MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN BREVARD COUNTY, FL. THE FYSAS REPORTS THAT 37.6% OF MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN BREVARD COUNTY REPORT CONSUMING ALCOHOL IN THEIR LIFETIMES AND 22.8% REPORT VAPING NICOTINE. THIS IS HIGHER THAN THE FLORIDA STATE PERCENTAGES OF 31% AND 20.2% RESPECTIVELY. DOMAIN 1 AIMS TO SERVE 300 STUDENTS ANNUALLY AND 2,700 STUDENTS OVER THE FIVE-YEAR PROJECT. DOMAIN 2 AIMS TO SERVE 1,700 YOUTHS ANNUALLY AND 5,000 OVER THE FIVE-YEAR PERIOD. DOMAIN 3 AS A MEDIA CAMPAIGN AIMS TO REACH 100,000 PEOPLE ANNUALLY AND 500,000 TOTAL BY YEAR 5 MEASURED THROUGH IMPRESSIONS AND SOCIAL MEDIA/WEBSITE ENGAGEMENT BY UNIQUE VISITORS. THE YOUTHS FOR DOMAINS 1 AND 2 ARE NOT IDENTIFIED AS HAVING SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS. STUDENTS IN DOMAIN 1 FROM RIVERSIDE CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL AGES (14 TO 21) SOME WHO ARE BEHIND THEIR COHORT TO GRADUATE OR DROPPED OUT OF THEIR MAINSTREAM SCHOOL. PROJECTED DEMOGRAPHICS: 22% AFRICAN AMERICAN, 17% HISPANIC/LATINO, 8% MULTIRACIAL, AND 66% IDENTIFIED AS MALE, 31% IDENTIFIED AS FEMALE, AND 3% AS OTHER/PREFERRED NOT TO ANSWER. OF THESE STUDENTS 44% WILL BE WORKING PART-TIME OR FULLTIME JOBS TO SUPPORT THEMSELVES OR THEIR FAMILIES. DOMAIN 2 OF THIS PROJECT SERVES YOUTHS IN SELECTED PREDOMINANTLY MINORITY COMMUNITIES OF MELBOURNE FL AND COCOA FL. PROJECTED DEMOGRAPHICS - GENDERS: MALE - 1,415, FEMALE - 285; RACES: BLACK - 1,331, WHITE - 141, HISPANIC/LATINO - 29, ASIAN - 17, BIRACIAL - 93, OTHER - 89. DOMAIN 3 OF THIS PROJECT IS A MEDIA CAMPAIGN FOR ALL OF COCOA, FL AND MELBOURNE, FL, SINCE RESIDENTS OF THE FOCUS COMMUNITIES TRAVEL THROUGHOUT DAILY. PROJECTED DEMOGRAPHICS: COCOA, FL - POPULATION: 19,559; BLACK OR AFRICAN AMERICAN - 29.4%, WHITE - 57.1%, AMERICAN INDIAN OR ALASKA NATIVE - 0.2%, ASIAN - 1.6%, NATIVE HAWAIIAN OR PACIFIC ISLANDER - 0.1%, TWO OR MORE RACES - 8.5%, HISPANIC OR LATINO - 15.1%, WHITE NOT LATINO OR HISPANIC - 48.7%. MELBOURNE, FL - POPULATION: 86,441; BLACK OR AFRICAN AMERICAN - 9.7%, WHITE - 76.6%, AMERICAN INDIAN OR ALASKA NATIVE 0.1%, ASIAN - 4%, NATIVE HAWAIIAN OR PACIFIC ISLANDER - 0.2%, TWO OR MORE RACES - 6%, HISPANIC OR LATINO - 12.4%, WHITE NOT LATINO OR HISPANIC - 69.2%. DOMAIN 1 INCLUDES THE FORMATION OF A DRUG- AND ALCOHOL-FREE YOUTH GROUP AT THE SCHOOL. THE GROUP OBJECTIVES INCLUDE CREATING A SCHOOLWIDE CAMPAIGN USING THE "BETTER WITHOUT IT" SUBSTANCE MISUSE PREVENTION INITIATIVE INCLUDING SOCIAL MEDIA VIDEOS AND PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS. ANOTHER FIVE-YEAR OBJECTIVE IS ANNUALLY RECRUITING MORE STUDENTS. THE STRATEGY FOR DOMAIN 2 WILL BRING ACTIVITIES THAT INCREASE PROTECTIVE FACTORS AT SELECTED COMMUNITY CENTERS. OBJECTIVES INCLUDE EXTRACURRICULAR WORKSHOPS AT THE COMMUNITY CENTERS INCLUDING CREATIVE ARTS, CAREER AWARENESS, WRITING, MENTAL HEALTH, AND PHYSICAL HEALTH, PROGRESSIVELY AND ANNUALLY. THE PURPOSE IS TO SOLIDIFY THE PROTECTIVE FACTORS OF YOUTHS IN THE COMMUNITY OVER THE FIVE-YEAR GRANT PERIOD TO CREATE PERPETUAL RESILIENCY IN THE COMMUNITIES. THE GOAL FOR DOMAIN 3 IS TO INCREASE THE REACH OF BPC'S SUBSTANCE MISUSE PREVENTION AND STIGMA REDUCTION CAMPAIGNS THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA AND TRADITIONAL MEDIA TO REINFORCE THE PREVENTION MESSAGING IN THE COMMUNITIES