YOUTH FIRST

YOUTH FIRST OPERATES A COMPREHENSIVE STUDENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM THAT TRANSFORMS SCHOOL SYSTEMS INTO MENTAL HEALTH SAFETY NETS, BYPASSING COMMUNITY WAITLISTS AND REMOVING BARRIERS TO CARE. WE ACHIEVE THIS BY EMBEDDING HIGHLY TRAINED, MASTER'S-LEVEL MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS DIRECTLY WITHIN SCHOOL BUILDINGS TO DELIVER AN EVIDENCE-BASED, MULTI-TIERED SYSTEM OF SUPPORT. DURING THE 2024 TO 2025 ACADEMIC YEAR, YOUTH FIRST PARTNERED WITH 119 PUBLIC, PRIVATE, AND CHARTER SCHOOLS ACROSS 14 INDIANA COUNTIES (DAVIESS, DUBOIS, GIBSON, GREENE, KNOX, LAWRENCE, MARTIN, MORGAN, ORANGE, PERRY, POSEY, SPENCER, VANDERBURGH, AND WARRICK). THIS FOOTPRINT ENSURED THAT 53,510 K-12 STUDENTS HAD DAILY ACCESS TO PROFESSIONAL MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT. AT THE UNIVERSAL PREVENTION LEVEL, YOUTH FIRST PROVIDES SCHOOL-WIDE EDUCATIONAL PRESENTATIONS DESIGNED TO BUILD FOUNDATIONAL COPING SKILLS AND RESILIENCE. FOR STUDENTS REQUIRING SELECTIVE INTERVENTION, OUR MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS LEAD EVIDENCE-BASED SMALL GROUPS THAT PROVIDE TARGETED SUPPORT TO YOUTH WITH AN ELEVATED RISK OF SUBSTANCE MISUSE WHILE BUILDING SOCIAL AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS. PARTICIPANTS DEMONSTRATE MEASURABLE OUTCOMES, INCLUDING REDUCED BINGE DRINKING, REDUCED MARIJUANA AND E- CIGARETTE USE, IMPROVED MOOD AND STRESS MANAGEMENT, STRONGER SCHOOL CONNECTION, AND DECREASED TRUANCY. AT THE INDICATED LEVEL, OUR MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS PROVIDE INTENSIVE, INDIVIDUALIZED CASEWORK TO HIGHLY AT-RISK STUDENTS THROUGH ONGOING ONE-ON- ONE AND FAMILY SESSIONS. MANY OF THESE YOUTH FACE COMPLEX CHALLENGES, INCLUDING ABUSE HISTORY, FAMILY SUBSTANCE MISUSE, OR SUICIDE RISK. INDEPENDENT EVALUATIONS CONFIRM STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN STUDENTS' SCHOOL ADJUSTMENT, RESILIENCE, AND MOOD MANAGEMENT, ALONGSIDE A DECREASE IN PROBLEMATIC BEHAVIORS AND THE INTENSITY OF INDIVIDUAL CONCERNS. IN THE BROADER COMMUNITY, YOUTH FIRST DEPLOYS SOCIAL MARKETING CAMPAIGNS THAT GENERATE MILLIONS OF DIGITAL AND OUTDOOR MEDIA IMPRESSIONS. BY SHARING ONGOING PREVENTION CONTENT THROUGH OUR WEBSITE, SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS, AND REGIONAL NEWSPAPERS, WE NORMALIZE HELP-SEEKING BEHAVIORS AND REINFORCE RESILIENCE MESSAGING THAT STRENGTHENS THE ENTIRE YOUTH ECOSYSTEM. TO SUSTAIN THESE IMPROVEMENTS AT HOME, YOUTH FIRST ENGAGES PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS THROUGH CONSULTATIONS AND COMMUNITY EDUCATION TO STRENGTHEN FAMILY CONNECTIONS AND PROMOTE HEALTHIER, MORE SUPPORTIVE HOME ENVIRONMENTS FOR YOUTH. YOUTH FIRST RECOGNIZES THAT STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH IS ONE OF THE GREATEST PRESSURES FACING SCHOOL LEADERS AND TEACHERS. TO ADDRESS THIS, WE PROVIDE ONGOING CONSULTATIONS THAT EQUIP EDUCATORS WITH TRAUMA-INFORMED STRATEGIES TO NAVIGATE CLASSROOM CHALLENGES AND BETTER SUPPORT STUDENT LEARNING. IN ADDITION TO DAILY ONE-ON-ONE CONSULTATIONS, WE PROVIDE ONGOING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TO TEACHERS AND SCHOOL FACULTY THROUGHOUT THE ACADEMIC YEAR, DELIVERING TRAINING ON SUICIDE PREVENTION (QPR), TRAUMA-INFORMED PRACTICES, GRIEF SUPPORT, MANDATED REPORTING, AND EDUCATOR SELF-CARE AND STRESS MANAGEMENT. BY EMPOWERING EDUCATORS WITH BEHAVIORAL AND CRISIS RESPONSE TOOLS, YOUTH FIRST HELPS SCHOOLS IDENTIFY STRUGGLING STUDENTS EARLY AND INTERVENE QUICKLY WHILE ENABLING TEACHERS TO RECLAIM INSTRUCTIONAL TIME THAT MIGHT OTHERWISE BE LOST TO DISCIPLINE AND CLASSROOM DISRUPTIONS. OUTCOMES REMAIN HIGHLY POSITIVE, WITH THE VAST MAJORITY OF FACULTY REPORTING THAT A YOUTH FIRST PARTNERSHIP BENEFITS THEIR SCHOOL. MEASURABLE OUTCOMES CONTINUE TO DEMONSTRATE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN STUDENT WELL-BEING, INCLUDING STRONGER ATTENDANCE, INCREASED CLASSROOM PARTICIPATION, AND REDUCED BEHAVIORS SUCH AS AGGRESSION AND POOR ATTENTION SPANS.