The Botvin LifeSkills Training is a highly interactive, skills-based program designed to promote positive health and personal development for middle and high school teens.
Community Youth in Action
CYA Programs
Substance Abuse Prevention
Today’s youth face many challenges, including drug abuse, violence, and technology-related dangers. Responding to these risks before they become problems can be complex. One of the goals of Community Youth in Action is to help the public understand the risk to our teens and to prevent its onset. Drug abuse has severe consequences in our homes, schools, and communities.
We offer free drug testing for teens. If you suspect your teen is using a substance, call our SPaRC team (208) 544-4357 for a non-judgmental screening.
sector partnerships
Community coalitions are a formal arrangement for collaboration among groups or sectors of a community, in which each group retains its identity, but all agree to work together toward the common goal of a safe, healthy, and drug-free community.
By bringing together different community sectors, our coalition works to effectively develop a comprehensive solution to our community’s unique substance abuse problems. Our coalition aims to achieve sustainable population-level reductions in substance abuse rates. This requires us to implement communitywide strategies to change problem environments, not solely to develop prevention programs that focus on serving individuals or groups of individuals. It also requires bringing the entire community together to achieve measurable results.
volunteer projects
Making a Difference!!! CYA teens volunteer weekly in the community. We all have a vested interest in seeing youth succeed. Regular access to civic-engagement opportunities can lead to better outcomes for children, young adults, and their communities. Youth who volunteer are more likely to perform better in school and work and become civically active adults.
Youth Leadership development
Youth voices are important because today’s decisions and policies will directly affect teens as they inherit the future. The youth today are empowered, informed, and have the capacity to have their voices heard at the decision-making table. Giving young people the opportunity to express themselves and respecting their thoughts and ideas is valuable for individual and social youth development. Youth should be involved in the decisions and discussions shaping their future.
Connecting the dots
CYA offers two types of drug trend education training for parents.
- Mobile Education Trailer
- Two Hour Adult only Education Class
Typically a youth has been abusing drugs for at least one year before parents acknowledge a problem.
Parents are aware of the “dots” (failing grades, changes in behavior, lying) but believe they must find evidence of drug use. Don’t wait; ask questions now.
Don’t Think, “It’s Not My Child”
Every parent should assume their teen is as susceptible as any other youth. Even good kids know kids who are drinking or abusing drugs, and all families are at risk.
strengthening families
The Strengthening Families Program (SFP) is an evidence-based family skills training program for high-risk and general population families that is recognized both nationally and internationally. Parents and youth attend weekly SFP skills classes together, learning parenting skills and youth life and refusal skills. They have separate class training for parents and youth the first hour, followed by a joint family practice session the second hour.
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CLASS ACTION
The goal of Class Action is to change the social norms around alcohol use and to change negative peer pressure into positive peer pressure. This class appeals to student who enjoy the law, debate, and the justice system.
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trapped
TRAPPED is a three-day conference held annually for local youth grades 8-11.
During the conference, students will:
- Meet with victims of alcohol & drug-related car crashes where lives have been devastated by the choices of impaired drivers.
- Meet youth from the community with a common goal of impacting the choices of youth in the community.
- Learn laws that affect youth locally.
- Meet local officials to discuss changes that could be made in our community.
- Leave with the skills to impact their peers, schools, and community.
- Become change-makers in the community on issues that matter.
safe and sober activities
To protect youth and reduce their exposure to risky situations that promote the use of alcohol and other drugs, especially during their leisure time, CYA offers safe & sober activities during high-risk times, such as Halloween, graduation, and other holiday events. Additionally, we offer daily supervised after-school programs and activities to decrease the amount of unsupervised time during the high-risk hours of 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. when many adolescents take their first drinks.
