Fau Launches Transformative Community Initiative To Prevent Substance Use Among Youth

Florida Atlantic University has received a $3 million, five-year assistance from nan Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a section of nan United States Department of Health and Human Services, to lead a transformative organization inaugural designed to forestall constituent usage among South Florida's youth.

The caller program, "Rising Strong: Empowering Youth for Substance-Free Futures," will instrumentality evidence-based, trauma-informed prevention strategies to scope much than 3,000 younker crossed Palm Beach and Broward counties complete nan adjacent 5 years.

The inaugural is spearheaded by Maria Carmenza Mejia, M.D., main interrogator and a professor of organization wellness successful FAU's Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, successful collaboration pinch co-investigators Lea Sacca, Ph.D., an adjunct professor successful nan Department of Population Health, Schmidt College of Medicine, and Brian Graves, Ph.D., an adjunct professor successful nan Phyllis and Harvey Sandler School of Social Work wrong FAU's College of Social Work and Criminal Justice.

The Rising Strong inaugural is not only timely – it is profoundly necessary, arsenic South Florida's younker navigate nan effects of expanding social, economical and intelligence wellness stressors, pinch constituent usage often emerging arsenic a coping response. This programme straight targets younker who are particularly astatine risk, including those transitioning retired of foster care, experiencing lodging instability, domiciled successful agrarian communities specified arsenic nan Glades, and those who are survivors of quality trafficking. School-age younker and young adults successful request of behavioral wellness support will besides beryllium a cardinal focus.

A cornerstone of nan inaugural is FAU's business pinch nan FLITE Center, a Fort Lauderdale-based nonprofit that presently serves much than 2,000 younker aging retired of foster care, chronically bum youth, and different susceptible youth. FLITE Center is Broward County's one-stop assets halfway offering each supportive services.

We're successful nan midst of a increasing intelligence and behavioral wellness situation among young people, peculiarly those navigating trauma, lodging instability, aliases constricted entree to accordant attraction and support. This grant gives america nan opportunity to respond pinch evidence-based strategies, heavy empathy, and beardown organization partnerships. Rising Strong isn't conscionable a programme – it's a committedness to each young personification that their early matters, their sound counts, and that they merit a life free from constituent usage and filled pinch possibilities."

Maria Carmenza Mejia, M.D., main interrogator and professor of organization health, FAU's Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine

Through Rising Strong, South Florida younker will summation entree to a suite of integrated, evidence-based services, including LifeSkills Training to build decision-making and interpersonal abilities, mindfulness and affectional regularisation programming to support trauma recovery, adjacent mentorship opportunities to foster relationship and resilience, and SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment), which offers targeted support for those identified arsenic astatine consequence for constituent use. These services will beryllium delivered done schools, organization centers and existing behavioral wellness networks, ensuring wide accessibility and minimal barriers to entry.

"This assistance represents nan champion of what we strive for astatine Florida Atlantic University – collaboration, effect and transformation," said Lewis S. Nelson, M.D., dean and main of wellness affairs, Schmidt College of Medicine. "When world expertise joins forces pinch organization leadership, we tin scope young group wherever they are and springiness them nan devices to rewrite their stories. This inaugural is simply a testament to what's imaginable erstwhile we put successful prevention, perceive to our youth, and build systems of attraction that bespeak their lived realities. For families, schools and communities crossed South Florida, Rising Strong will beryllium a beacon of hope."

Beyond work delivery, nan inaugural intends to thrust semipermanent systems change. Within its first six months, nan task will behaviour a broad location needs appraisal and convene a multi-sector prevention conjugation to pass implementation. Each year, astatine slightest 30 professionals will beryllium trained successful trauma-informed and culturally responsive prevention strategies, building nan community's corporate capacity to respond to younker needs. Over 5 years, nan programme will train 150 professionals and straight service 600 younker annually.

"Social activity brings a systems lens to prevention by connecting people, policies and practices to create lasting change," said Naelys Luna, Ph.D., dean of nan College of Social Work and Criminal Justice. "Rising Strong will not only supply nonstop services to youth, but besides build a stronger, much responsive web of attraction crossed South Florida. By training professionals, engaging communities and addressing guidelines causes, this inaugural reflects nan halfway values of our field. We are excited to participate successful this important endeavor and collaborate pinch partners dedicated to creating meaningful opportunities for our younker and our communities."

FAU's activity successful behavioral wellness and community-based investigation provides a beardown instauration for nan initiative. The Schmidt College of Medicine and nan College of Social Work and Criminal Justice are nationally recognized for their contributions to trauma-informed care, wellness equity, and systems-level interventions. The collaboration pinch FLITE Center exemplifies FAU's committedness to moving hand-in-hand pinch organization partners to reside nan guidelines causes of nationalist wellness challenges.

The programme will proceed done Sept. 29, 2030.

"As Rising Strong grows, it has nan imaginable to go a nationalist exemplary for younker constituent usage prevention that centers organization voices, respects lived acquisition and champions nan resilience of young people," said Mejia.