Pre-School Stress Relief Project’s (PSSRP) is an early childhood education program for children ages pre-K through grade 2. The goal of PSSRP is to enable teachers to instruct preschoolers in developing positive coping skills for stress reduction and violence prevention at an early age. The program provides training and educational materials to childcare providers, primary school teachers and parents. The program originally targeted Head Start Centers. The program was originally SAMHSA funded. The program currently provides contractual services. Results include reduction in symptomatic stress signs for children 80% and increased coping skills for teachers and parents by 85%.

Project Stress Control is a primary prevention program that teaches coping skills for reducing stress in students, parents, teachers, administrators, and other professionals. The success of Project Stress Control can be attributed to the fact that it provides training for all individuals involved in a child’s education. The parent, teacher, administrator, and student are taught stress control techniques in workshops and classes and through consultation and the use of resource information provided by the project program coordinator. Training for parents, teachers and administrators in stress control techniques include stress management for teachers, identification of stress in students, classroom techniques for stress reduction, stress control techniques for students, stress-free teaching styles, and stress control curriculum and resources. This program was originally funded in 1984 and governed by a community coalition. It currently provides services on contractual basis. Project Stress Control was WSCI’s first program. Results included reduction in suspension rates by 40%, increased coping skills by 60%, and increased academic performance by 30%. Community Impact: Increased awareness in stress management and coping skills.

The wellness program provides services and trainings in a variety of wellness areas including stress management, meditation, yoga, tai-chi, qi-gong (chee-gong) exercises, nutritional classes on raw food and juicing, massage, aromatherapy, reflexology, acupressure, full body massage, and energy transmission and healing, etc. Community exercise classes are offered weekly through this program. Outcome: Increased stress management skills, nutrition education and exercise practices.

The Childhood Acute Mental Health Practices (CAMP) is a collaborative between five partners from three sectors – early childhood education, mental health service providers and K-3 public school education. The program is designed to improve access to comprehensive mental health services for low income children from preschool through third grade. The goal of the CAMP Program is to provide administrators, teachers, and parents with mental health education services to enable them to identify early young children exhibiting behavioral and mental health needs and have partners provide treatment services to them.

The Diabetes AA and WSCI are collaborating to provide a minimum of 150 senior women with diabetes prevention and management education and wellness classes to increase healthy lifestyle behaviors through the SOAR into Wellness Program (SOAR). The goal of SOAR is educating women on how to: 1) reduce their risk factors for developing diabetes, 2) increase diabetes management skills for diabetic women and 3) increase healthy lifestyle and behaviors to enjoy optimal health during their senior years. The program will target a minimum of 150 multi-ethnic senior women (African Americans, Caucasian, and Latinos) from three counties (Fulton, DeKalb and Cobb) in Metropolitan Atlanta. The program components will address the following specific needs of the senior women: nutrition/dietary needs, diabetes prevention and management, slow moving exercises, tai-chi/gong, and stress management (including meditation, acupressure and massage). Results show increased knowledge in stress management skills, nutrition and increased exercise practices.

The purpose of Project Wellness is to promote healthy lifestyles and improve health outcomes, increase use of the West End Beltline and to provide health education classes and Wellness Festivals to increase healthy lifestyle choices. This grant is funded by Kaiser Permanente and Atlanta Beltline Partnership. Results/Community Impact: Over 300 registrations; attracted 150 Atlanta community members through Community Festivals; Served 204 Atlanta residents; Reached over 1900 individuals daily through social media.

The Substance Abuse Prevention Teen Theater (SAPT) is a substance abuse prevention program for teens, ages 13-18, who reside in the McDaniel/Mechanicsville community of Atlanta, GA. The SAPT program provides teens with prevention training on: Substance Abuse, HIV/AIDS/STD, abstinence, violence prevention, stress/anger management, teen pregnancy, wellness, and nutrition. Teens are trained to write skits/plays and perform theatrical/dramatic presentations on prevention topics for their peers at community sites in Metropolitan Atlanta. The program is 15 years old and originally operated under a 15 member community coalition for five years. SAPT reaches over 500 youth annually. Outcomes include: Increased in substance abuse awareness by 75% and increased in HIV/AIDS education by 80%. Final projects: videos, PSA, poetry books. Community Impact: Increased prevention awareness and community participation.

The Health, Enlightenment, Awareness and Living (HEAL) Project’s goal is to build community service capacity to prevent and reduce the onset of substance abuse, HIV and Hepatitis among community, re-entry men and women and juvenile populations annually in Metropolitan Atlanta who are disproportionately affected by these health issues. Services offered include: HIV and substance abuse prevention classes, substance abuse treatment referral, HIV referrals for testing and treatment services, case management, vocational development, stress management, support groups, peer education and outreach, nutrition and exercise. This project is SAMHSA funded (2010) and governed by a community coalition. Project results: Decreased substance use by 30%, increased condom usage by 25%, and increased HIV and HEP knowledge by 57% and provide HIV street outreach education to 1,000 people a month. Community Impact: Increased substance abuse and HIV/AIDS prevention awareness. Currently, providing reduced HIV prevention and outreach services.

Color It Real is an SAMHSA funded HIV and substance abuse (SA) prevention program operated annually by a community coalition for 100 heterosexual African-American, young adults (ages 18-24), males and females in Metro Atlanta affected by SA and the transmission of HIV. Services offered include: HIV and substance abuse prevention classes, substance abuse treatment referral, HIV referrals for testing and treatment services, case management, stress management, peer education and outreach, nutrition and exercise. Materials developed include: DVD, T.O.T. Manual and Curriculum in progress. Program results showed 50% increase in condom use, 25% decrease in alcohol use and each year over 60% of participants were HIV tested. Partners conducted HIV Testing/linkages to care (2008-2013). Community Impact: Increased substance abuse and HIV/AIDS prevention awareness. Currently: Received NREPP certification in 2015. WSCI will provide training and consultation services upon request.

The Color It Real II Program/CHAT Program is an HIV/AIDS education program for youth aimed at improving outcomes for 360 high-risk African-American males and females, ages 13-19, in group homes, alternative schools and juvenile detention centers in the Atlanta Metro area through education classes and social media. The program provides HIV education and testing, counseling and linkages for care, peer-to-peer education and leadership training, and community outreach services. OMH funded in 2012. Evaluation results showed a 94% increase in HIV knowledge and 17% increase in condom use, 25% increase in perceived risk of HIV transmission, 5% increase in refusal skills, 2,000+ youth reached via social media campaigns and provided HIV testing and counseling to 401 youth. CHAT is overseen by a community advisory group. Community Impact: Increased awareness for HIV prevention and testing.

The goal of this collaboration is to prevent and reduce substance abuse (SA) and transmission of HIV/AIDS among African-American young adults (ages 18-24) in Morris Brown college and the Atlanta University Center colleges and the surrounding neighborhood reaching 500 young adults through an HIV/SAP evidenced based intervention and 1,000 students through environmental strategies. Results showed increased HIV testing and HIV/SAP awareness.

This substance abuse, HIV and Hepatitis C Virus Prevention Project is an educational prevention project with WSCI and Spelman College. The goal of this SA/HIV/HCV Prevention Project collaboration is to prevent and reduce substance abuse (SA) and transmission of HIV/AIDS among 300 African-American young adult women (ages 18-24) at Spelman College and the surrounding neighborhood community zip code of 30314. Evidenced based interventions, environmental strategies, and community outreach services will be implemented.

The goal of the Be Abstinent Program is to provide a comprehensive abstinence education program (8 hours) and a positive youth development program (4 hours) for a total of twelve sessions in order to reduce sexual activity, teen pregnancies, teen birth rates and sexually transmitted infections for 200 high risk youth, males and females, ages 12-18.  The Be Abstinent Program will target “aging out foster care” youth at CHRIS Kids Group Homes (100) and high risk youth enrolled in Destiny Achievers Academy of Excellence High School (100).

The Helping Young People Establish Abstinence Club (HYPE-A-Club A) is designed to promote sexual abstinence as the best decision young people can make for themselves. HYPE’s goal is to reduce teenage pregnancy and increase knowledge of sexually transmitted diseases while further developing the coping and conflict resolution skills of the students. This 12 year old program is currently funded by the Governor’s Office of Children and Families. Outcomes: Increased abstinence education for 153 youth, increased refusal skills by 85%, and decreased sexual activity by 23% and 100% remained free of pregnancy or fathering a child. Community Impact: Increased abstinence education awareness as an effective tool for teen pregnancy prevention and SIT/HIV prevention.

The Blueprint Project is designed to promote sexual risk avoidance education that teaches participants how to voluntarily refrain from non-marital sexual activity and to teach them the benefits associated with self-regulation, success sequencing for poverty prevention, healthy relationships, goal setting, and resisting sexual coercion, dating violence, and prevent youth risk behaviors such as underage drinking or illicit drug use without normalizing teen sexual activity. This program is funded by Family and Youth Services Bureau.

The Parent Wise Parenting Program (PWPP) is a ten (10) hour training program designed to empower parents and their families with skills to assist them with parenting their children. The 20 year program is currently operating at Fulton County Drug Court. The goal of PWPP is to equip parents with skills to reduce mental, emotional and physical harm to their children. The target clients are single parents, teen parents, and any other parents, who desire training to increase their ability to manage individual and children’s stress, and to increase their understanding of anger, conflict, family management and communication. PWPP program also includes topics on ages and stages of development in young children and positive discipline techniques. Results include: Increased parenting skills by 30%, improved family management skills situations within the family by 40%, and increased individual/family knowledge on signs and risk factors for child abuse and neglect and school readiness by 70%. Materials include video and replication manual and training. Community Impact: Reduction of child abuse and increased effective parenting awareness.

Group Triple P is a parenting intervention for parents who are interested in promoting their child’s development and potential and/or for parents that have concerns about their child’s behavior problems. The program is delivered over eight weeks for parents of children up to 10 years old. The program consists of four (2 hour) sessions for small groups of parents. Parents actively participate in a range of exercises to learn about the causes of child behavior problems, setting specific goals, and using strategies to promote child development, manage misbehavior and plan for high-risk situations. Built into the program are three (15 to 30 minute) individual telephone consultations to assist parents with independent problem solving while they are practicing the skills at home. In the final session the group re-convenes to review progress, discuss maintenance and general issues. Parents will complete pre and post assessments while in the program.

B2Smart is a social media program that spreads a magnitude of culturally relevant substance abuse and HIV prevention messages, posts and blogging for African-Americans ages 18 to 24, college and community and African-American re-entry males ages 18-55 throughout Metro Atlanta. The goal of Be2Smart is: to increase HIV knowledge, condom usage, HIV testing and other linkages of care. Be2Smart has reached 128, 452 persons, engaged 604 persons and impressed 303 person via Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, Instagram, and YouTube monthly campaigns.