To prevent the onset and reduce the progression of alcohol, marijuana, and stimulant use among Denver youth, Engaging Youth Expertise for Prevention (“EYE for Prevention”) will partner with youth with lived experience to: assess the prevention needs of youth engaged in substance use; plan, implement, and evaluate needs-based prevention strategies; and provide training and technical assistance to enhance prevention capacity at the community level.
EYE for Prevention will serve Denver youth aged 9 to 20. According to 2017 Census Bureau estimates, Denver County is home to 704,621 individuals, with youth ages 10-19 making up 10% of the population. Denver is racially and ethnically diverse; 81% of county residents identify as White, 10% Black or African American, 4% Asian, 2% American Indian or Alaska Native, <1% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, 3% bi-racial, and 30% Hispanic or Latino. Youth substance use is an issue of marked concern in Denver County. Per the 2017 Healthy Kids Colorado Survey, 27% of Denver high school students and 9% of Denver middle school students used alcohol in the past month; 24% of high school students and 9% of middle school students used marijuana; and 4% of high school students used prescription drugs without a prescription. EYE for Prevention will: 1) prevent the onset and progression of youth substance use in Denver by implementing data-driven, evidence-based prevention strategies within youth-serving treatment programs, schools, and youth-serving organizations; 2) increase the capacity of local youth-serving treatment programs, schools, and youth-serving organizations to prevent the onset and reduce the progression of youth substance use; and 3) promote a model for engaging youth with lived experience in assessing and addressing youth substance abuse prevention needs. These goals will be achieved through accomplishment of the following objectives: 1) By April 2020, 10 youth with lived experience related to substance use will be hired and trained to co-lead assessment, planning, implementation, evaluation, and capacity-building activities to advance youth substance abuse prevention in Denver; 2) By April 2021 and April 2023, assessment findings related to the substance use experiences and prevention needs of Denver youth who are engaged in substance use will be produced utilizing principles of community-based participatory research and disseminated to 50 stakeholder groups (including youth treatment providers, local prevention coalitions, schools, and youth-serving organizations); 3) By September 2024, 2,000 Denver youth age 9-20 will participate in prevention activities and/or be exposed to prevention messaging developed by youth with lived experience, and community-level data will indicate significant progress toward addressing identified prevention priorities; and 4) By September 2024, 50 stakeholder groups will participate in training and/or receive technical assistance services led by youth with lived experience, and 85% of participants will indicate increased understanding of youth substance abuse prevention needs and uptake of data-driven substance abuse prevention strategies.
