Teen Impact - Child & Family Resources, Inc. (CFR) is a community-based, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization incorporated in 1970 that empower children, youth and families to build bright thriving futures. CFR has been building community collaborations that address unmet needs and gaps in social services since its inception, including community organizing, health education, promotion, technical assistance and coalition building. CFR works with leaders in the communities that are being served to increase their capacity and to adopt policies and practices that support health and well-being through education. CFR is proposing to provide a Sexual Risk Avoidance Education Program through the Teen Impact Project to 375 at-promise/high-risk youth in systems of care ages 13–18 over the three-year grant period, using a trauma-informed and Systems-Thinking approach to build a positive youth development framework to facilitate an evidence-based curriculum, Power Through Choices. To date, the Teen Impact Program has provided programming to 105 youth within its two years of programming. This project intends to teach and empower youth to refrain from non-marital sexual activity and other risky behaviors by building youth assets and strengthening their protective factors so that youth can reach their full potential, thereby creating positive community change. The geographic focus of the proposed program is Southern Arizona, primarily communities with high teen birth rates and/or at risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs) within Gila, La Paz, Yuma, Graham, and Greenlee Counties. The out-of-home placements and systems of care within these areas were selected based on social determinants of health, high rates of STIs/teen births, and risky behaviors. Arizona ranks 21 out of 51 in teen birth rate, and those rates significantly increase to higher levels when examining minority populations in the state. The selected curricula was designed and developed specifically for youth who are involved in systems of care with specific information and skills to help them avoid risk-taking sexual behavior, reduce the incidence of adolescent pregnancy, prevent repeat teen pregnancies, HIV, STIs, and addresses the impact of drugs and alcohol. This curriculum is medically accurate, age-appropriate, and trauma-informed. Power Through Choices ensures the voices of youth inform program implementation and teaches participants the benefits of making positive, healthy decisions in regard to relationships, delaying initiation of sexual activity, risky sexual behaviors, STI/pregnancy prevention, effective communication skills, and identifying and accessing available resources. Additionally, youth gain an understanding of how family, life influence behavior and decision-making. Youth learn new insights to improve relationships, while also developing leadership, self-regulation, and communication skills that will assist them in preparing for their future. The result will be a community of at-promise/high-risk youth who are empowered to create their own path for the future, build and support healthy relationships free of Child & Family Resources, Inc. GD-SRAE- Non-Competing Continuation Application risky sexual behavior. CFR will use its own Program Performance Evaluation task force to establish effective evaluation methods and measure performance outcomes
