Asian American Youth Substance Use Prevention Education
Through a culturally relevant approach, ISS provides prevention education programs for Asian American/immigrant youth to strengthen their ability to achieve social and emotional developmental competencies that prevent alcohol/drug use initiation and misuse.
- In 2016, 3.7% (790,000) of Asian Americans ages 18 and older reported having a substance use disorder in the past year.
- In 2021, 8% (1.9 million) of Asians Americans ages 18 and older reported having a substance use disorder in the past year.
While Asian Americans have lower rates of substance misuse compared to the general US population, that number is growing, which makes prevention work even, especially with addressing and overcoming the barriers Asian Americans may face in seeking help and accessing care.
PREVENTION EDUCATION PROGRAMS
Using education and youth development as prevention strategies, we deliver the following evidence-based social-emotional learning and drug and violence prevention curricula for elementary and middle school-age youth that are designed to build their confidence and skills to navigate increasingly complex emotions, cope with the stresses of school and life, nurture positive relationships, make informed decisions, and realize their potential.
Life Skills Training curriculum is designed to enhance self-esteem, to develop general life skills that enable youth to effectively cope with anxiety, resist peer pressure, encourage assertiveness, and promote healthy attitudes.
Too Good for Drugs & Too Good for Violence put social and emotional learning to work through fun and interactive lessons, building the self-confidence children/youth need to make healthy choices and achieve success. The curriculum cultivates positive development through five essential character development skills: Setting Reachable Goals; Making Responsible Decisions; Bonding with Pro-Social Others; Identifying and Managing Emotions; Communicating Effectively
Bounce Back is a cognitive-behavioral, skills-based group intervention designed for elementary students who have been exposed to stressful and traumatic events. Children learn and practice feelings identification, relaxation, courage thoughts, problem solving and conflict resolution to enhance their resilience to stress, their coping strategies, and their ability to concentrate and be learn-ready for academics.
SPORT Prevention Plus Wellness is a motivational intervention for youth that integrates substance abuse prevention with health promotion to help adolescents minimize and avoid substance use while increasing physical activity and other health-enhancing habits, including eating well and getting adequate sleep.
Second Step is a universal, classroom-based program designed to increase school success and decrease problem behaviors by promoting social-emotional competence and self-regulation. The Second Step program consists of a skills-focused, social-emotional learning (SEL) curriculum that emphasizes skills that strengthen students’ ability to learn, have empathy, manage emotions, and solve problems.
counseling services
ISS offers individual short-term counseling, particularly for youth with limited access to culturally appropriate services, to help address issues that are likely lead to problem behaviors and to provide support on the development of positive behaviors that improve the protective factors associated with the prevention of substance misuse.
The service begins with a comprehensive assessment of risk and protective factors the counseling staff. Then, working together with the youth, we co-develop a participant services plan and set goals/outcomes tailored to the needs of the youth.
To learn more, please contact us at [email protected].
Our Prevention Programs are supported by the NYS Office of Addiction Support and Services (OASAS).