Westcare wisconsin, INC. Life skills training project (WC-WI LST) - westcare wisconsin, INC. (WC-WI) proposes the WC-WI life skills training project (WC-WI LST) with strategic partner organizations,…

The Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded Westcare Wisconsin, Inc. $2.4 million under the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention Projects of Regional and National Significance program (CFDA 93.492) on September 30, 2025, for a five-year project ending September 29, 2030.

The WC-WI Life Skills Training Project will provide outreach, assessment, mentoring, and supportive services to approximately 150 unduplicated 4th–6th grade students (50 per year) in Milwaukee Public and Private Schools through health education classes. The project delivers the Botvin Life Skills Curriculum, farm trips, sustainability initiatives, and peer recovery support services, with a focus on identifying and addressing cannabis, vaping, and opioid use in Milwaukee County. The program also aims to prevent the onset and reduce the progression of violence in the community, aligned with Milwaukee Public Schools' student wellness and prevention health education goals.

Strategic partner organizations Harambee DFC and Beulah Family Homestead collaborate to deliver services through a community engagement strategic prevention model, with Westcare Wisconsin serving as the epicenter for mentoring, resources, training, and community planning. Place of performance is Glendale, Wisconsin 53212.

Westcare wisconsin, INC. Life skills training project (WC-WI LST) - westcare wisconsin, INC. (WC-WI) proposes the WC-WI life skills training project (WC-WI LST) with strategic partner organizations, harambee DFC and beulah family homestead to identify and address cannabis, vaping and opioid use in milwaukee county. Together they will provide outreach, assessment, mentoring, supportive services, botvin life skills curriculum, farm trips and sustainability utilizing a community engagement strategic prevention model. WC-WI will prevent the onset and reduce the progression of violence in the community. WC-WI also will expand and enhance urban milwaukee peer recovery support services. The WC-WI LST project will serve approximately 150 unduplicated (50 students per year) MPS 4TH - 6TH graders (throughout the life of the grant) in milwaukee public and private school health education class. The proposed program is in direct alignment with the milwaukee public schools (MPS) district student wellness and prevention health education goals to develop confident, self-reliant and self-directed individuals who are capable of reaching their full potential as productive members of society. WC-WI will be the epicenter for WC-WI LST mentoring, resources, training and community planning. MPS is the largest school district in wisconsin, serving approximately 156 public schools serving 67,498 students in milwaukee school district for the 2024-25 school year. Minority enrollment is 91% of the student body (majority black), which is more than the wisconsin public school average of 33% (majority hispanic and black). Black or african american (50%), white (9%), hispanics (28%), asian (8%) and two or more races (4%). Approximately 38% of this total population is under the age of 21. A new report released by the wisconsin council on children and families shows that wisconsin's poverty rate for black children (44%) is among the highest in the country. Research suggests that there is a strong association between poverty, social exclusion and problematic substance use. WC-WI LST will blend several treatment modalities to optimize student success and program sustainability. The goals of this project, each with measurable objectives, are to (1) prevent, reduce and delay the onset of marijuana, opioids and vaping use among 4TH - 6TH graders through prevention education resulting in increased knowledge of risk, protective factors, and improved attitudes and behavior; (2) increase protective factors and reduce disparities in behavioral health access for 150 in grades 4-6; (3) enhance community infrastructure and stakeholder engagement with environmental-level interventions to prevent substance use among project minority youth; and (4) strengthen the capacity of the target schools to ensure that substance use outcomes achieved are sustained and that effective interventions continue. If needed, students will begin to receive behavioral, mental health, family services and SUD treatment services through WC-WI the clinical services therapist, intensive outpatient, weekly individual, family, group counseling cooccurring and OUD treatment.