Youth Prevention Indicated (YPI)
These services promote a proactive process to address health and wellness for youth, families, and communities by enhancing protective factors that increase knowledge, skills, and attitudes for making healthy choices. Indicated prevention strategies target individuals due to initiative behaviors and/or related risk factors that place the individual at an elevated risk for substance use and misuse. Our services primarily focus on Texas' four youth prevention priorities: underage alcohol use, tobacco and nicotine products, marijuana and other cannabinoids use, and prescription drug misuse. We do discuss other drugs as well!
Our YPI Specialists follow the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) model of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and strengthen prevention efforts and strategies for coordination across multiple levels of impact following the Social Ecological Model.
What all do our YPI Prevention Services entail?
- Prevention Education- our a two-way approach to teaching participants important social skills. These skills can include resisting pressure to use drugs, looking at the intent behind advertising, or developing leadership skills or other skills used in making healthy choices. Our trained Prevention Specialists conduct activities via an evidence-based curriculum proven to promote desired outcomes based on effective implementation strategies.
- Information Dissemination- increases knowledge and changes attitudes through communications. This method is mainly one-way (i.e., classroom speakers or take home information).
- Positive Alternatives & Community-Based Processes- we provide fun, challenging, and structured activities with supervision so people have constructive and healthy ways to enjoy free time and learn skills. These alcohol and drug-free activities are provided with the intent to help people, particularly young people, stay away from situations that encourage use of alcohol, tobacco or other drugs.
- Identification of Problems and Referral to Services- this includes determining when the needs of participant requires additional education or intensive services and strategies outside the scope of the activities Hub City Outreach Center provides and properly refer participants who present a need for individualized services outside the scope of prevention.
Hub City Outreach Center's YPI Team is cross-trained across our two programs.
However, Positive Action (PA) is the main curriculum YPI implements.
Positive Action:
The Positive Action (PA) Program is a multi-cultural preventive intervention for selective and indicated populations of children and youth at any age/grade level, whose high-risk situations, attitudes and behaviors place them at risk for substance abuse, delinquency and violence. PA provides a research-based curriculum that is highly-structured in it's scope and sequence to understand fundamental concepts at the basis of the program. [Research can be seen at Positive Action.net] Each Kit is systematically designed. The Kits are consistent in Units (themes), however tailored to age. The following outline is provided from: positiveaction.net/overview/design.
Unit 1 – Self-Concept: The program starts with helping students identify themselves and understand their Self-Concept.
Unit 2 – Positive actions for your body and mind: As students learn to identify their Self-Concept, the program introduces the positive actions for the body and the mind. The lessons are reinforced with activities and materials included in the Kit.
Unit 3 – Managing yourself responsibly: Positive actions also include behaviors and habits that contribute to a positive life. Students will learn how to identify their skills and effectively manage their time and resources.
Unit 4 – Treating others the way you like to be treated: The program shifts from introspection to social interactions. This series of lessons reinforces positive social skills and key concepts through puzzles, posters and role-playing.
Unit 5 – Telling yourself the truth: Students will learn that being honest with yourself is one of the most important positive actions. Lessons in self-honesty help students identify the areas they would like to improve.
Unit 6 – Improving Yourself Continually: With the skills developed in Units 1 – 5, students learn that improving yourself is a continual process. Students learn how to apply Positive Action in all areas of their life.
Unit 7 - Is a Review: + Sometimes a fun party, if students behavior is acceptable or better throughout the program.
Positive Action uses CBT in all of the sessions available activities. Each kit is tailored to a specific grade.
Hub City Outreach Center currently has: 6th Grade Kit, 8th Grade Kit, Secondary Drug, High School Kit, Community Kit, Counselor's Kit, a few Refresher Kits + Alternative Activities.