Friday, April 26, 2024
4/26/2024
Bethany Christian Services of Michigan Proposed Project Abstract Transforming the Village: Optimal Health, Optimal Future (Opportunity Number: AH-TP1-20-001) Type of Project: Bethany Christian Services (Bethany) of Michigan, proposes to implement a Holistic Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program as a part of the Office of Population Affairs’ (OPA) special focus on improving the optimal health of adolescents, reducing teen pregnancy, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The proposed programming will fit in Bethany’s Youth Services Department (YSD) located in the Center for Community Transformation (CCT) to form a comprehensive, integrated model providing seamless entry into activities for at-risk high school aged youth living in the urban core of Grand Rapids, Michigan, the state’s second largest city. Utilizing a systems-thinking approach, Bethany will partner with organizations who share a commitment to innovative implementation methods to drive measurable change for the most vulnerable youth. Target Populations & Needs to be Addressed: The project will serve an estimated 1,800 individuals total including 750 youth, (ages 15-17+), in high school, enrolled at one of six high schools located withing a six mile radius of Bethany’s location in the urban core, who have exhibited behaviors of absenteeism and/or behavioral concerns. Based on Bethany’s experience with serving this population, targeted youth are likely to be multi-system involved and exhibit maladaptive coping and high-risk behaviors. 750 caregivers will be engaged and 300 professionals in contact with the target population will be trained to serve as additional supports. Goals of the Project: The OPA Funding Opportunity calls for awardees to develop comprehensive programming that will address pregnancy and STI prevention and the reduction of risky sexual behaviors disproportionately experienced by vulnerable populations. To achieve this, this project will 1) Reduce teen pregnancies and STI’s among targeted youth by strengthening their capacity to manage and understand emotions, set goals, increase self-worth, establish positive relationship, and make responsible decisions, 2) Promote a voice for at-risk youth/community to ensure that services are culturally and age appropriate, medical accurate and trauma-informed, 3) Maximize program impact by using a systems thinking approach, and 4) Build sustainability and ensure program effectiveness through the use of a CQI process that disseminates success, challenges and lessons learned to the community. Proposed Services: Since 1993, Bethany’s YSD has been maturing its holistic youth development programming through a variety of local, state, federal, and private sources. The goal is for youth to seamlessly access needed resources to achieve optimal health. In addition to Love Notes programming, Bethany will also offer a wide range of services to address risk factors and promote protective factors for youth, including: Case Management, Mentorship, College Tours, Community Service Learning, Paid Work Experiences, Vocational Training, GED preparation, Sports, Life-Skills Classes, Housing Assistance, and Financial Literacy. This funding opportunity would allow Bethany to build a multi-sector systems thinking approach for at-risk youth, with an emphasis on youth voice, caregiver engagement, and community involvement. Community Connection: Bethany utilizes its extensive network of community partners within mental health services, domestic violence support, housing, public and alternative schools, foster care systems, trauma informed care, and the juvenile justice system for referrals, training and expertise, and to ensure youth access to the spectrum of community resources which allow them to build their protective factors; thereby reducing their trauma symptomatology. Youth are empowered to participate in as many activities they desire and are evaluated on level of participation in core and ancillary services and
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
