Award Information
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2019, $1,250,000)
The Mentoring Opportunities for Youth Initiative, Category 5 (Statewide and Regional Mentoring Initiative for Youth Impacted by Opioids) supports a broad-based approach to building mentoring program capacity in targeted regions throughout the country to help youth impacted by opioids. This program is authorized and funded pursuant to Pub. L. No. 116-6, 133 Stat. 13, 115.
Through the Mentoring Youth Impacted by Opioids (MYI02) initiative, the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA) will deliver opioid and substance abuse education to youth, mentors, and parents/caregivers; provide support and guidance to youth who have a parent or family member using opioids; and educate the community on the dangers of opioid use. BBBSA affiliates will provide mentoring services to 650 youth impacted by opioid use, including youth who (1) are currently using or have used opioids, (2) are at high risk for using opioids due to the presence of individual, family, and community risk factors for substance abuse, (3) live with a family member who is currently or has used opioids, and/or (4) have been removed from their homes due to parental or caregiver opioid use. To target youth who have been impacted by opioids, local agencies will use BBBSA's Risk and Protective Factor Inventory assessment, as well as information provided by parents, family members, teachers, or other community partners. Public and private treatment facilities will be afforded the opportunity to submit youth referrals on behalf of youth who have a parent, sibling, or other family member who is using or has used opioids. Some affiliates will accept referrals from juvenile court, teachers, and school counselors. Finally, youth involved in the foster care system because of parental opioid use may be referred to MYI02. Through the MYIO initiative, youth will receive drug prevention education developed by BBBSA in partnership with Caron Treatment Centers. BBBSA and Caron will provide online trainings to youth on the science of addiction, the impact of opiate addiction on families, resources for youth about opiate addiction, and how youth can be good consumers and advocates for their health. Affiliates will provide specialized trainings to staff and mentors working with youth. Trainings will include identifying the signs of opioid use/abuse,providing youth with knowledge and skills for avoiding opioid use, and reducing youth risk factors while improving protective factors. BBBSA will collect data regularly from subrecipients and report on all required OJJDP performance measures. Data from project evaluations are intended only to generate internal improvements to the program and to meet OJP's performance measure data reporting requirements. BBBSA will not use any portion of the funding for research. CA/NCF