Our SAFE Choices Mission:
Foster resiliency in youth development through collaborative and diversified approaches that reduce risk of substance addiction and mental health challenges while empowering SAFE Choices in all stages of youth development.
Our Vision:
ALL youth reach their fullest potential.
Our Goals:
Ensure young people have the information and tools necessary for making meaningful SAFE Choices. Our goals respect individual basic motivation and personal autonomy, as well as self-determination, and the fact that every person is one choice away from a different life.
- Goal #1: Design and implement innovative programs that build resilience and essential life skills through empowering and engaging education for disparate populations of underserved youth.
- Goal #2: Advance evidence-informed prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery strategies that enhance youth social and emotional learning and wellness in all stages of youth development.
- Goal #3: Foster life-fueling connection opportunities for youth that focus on stigma reduction and the promotion of healthy choices across the lifespan.
- Goal #4: Advocate for effective mental, emotional, and behavior interventions for the youth sector through targeted outreach and the formation of collaborative relationships.
In spite of the fact that the “Just Say No” substance prevention campaign of the 1980’s was ineffective, it is what comes to the mind for so many when asked about youth prevention. If just saying no was just that easy, we would not be in the midst of an opioid epidemic and a fentanyl overdose crisis. As a country we have embraced the power of prevention on many other fronts that include wearing seat belts, applying sunscreen, reducing sugar intake, getting vaccines and immunizations. Yet even though prevention science has proven that prevention can make a life saving impact and that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, youth substance prevention is underutilized and challenged by shortcuts.
During prevention month (and beyond), SAFE Project is proud to join prevention providers and professionals who are working to raise awareness AND encourage actions that embrace prevention as a proactive, ongoing process. A process that aims to prevent the initiation and progression of substance use while mitigating associated harms. Prevention is a multidisciplinary approach that reinforces protective factors and addresses risk while promoting overall health and well-being. Prevention is building refusal skills, decision-making skills, critical thinking skills and plays a crucial role in fostering resilience and improving health outcomes. Effective prevention is ongoing throughout all phases of life and will take everyone coming together. Together, we can reduce harm and prevent illness and disease through public health approaches rooted in prevention science.
Prevention Principles to Ponder:
- The Cornerstone of Prevention is Health Promotion & Positive Youth Development
- To Circumvent Problems, You Have to Address the Predictors
- Effective Upstream Prevention Can Provide Long-Term Solutions
- Prevention Fosters Individual Well Being and Character Growth
- Proactive Prevention Plays a Role in Fostering Resilience and Improving Public Health
For more information and resources, visit SAFE Project’s Prevention Month Landing Page. Together, building a culture of prevention that extends throughout the entire year.
Additional Resources & Assistance
For more information about SAFE Choices, contact
Senior Director Ronna Yablonski at: choices@safeproject.us
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