Now Is The Time – Project AWARE: Strategies to Increase Resiliency and Wellness in School-aged Youth

• In Event: Research on Innovative Strategies to Promote School Safety

Abstract

The NITT (Now Is The Time)-Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education) grant program represents a response to the third and fourth components of President Obama’s NITT Initiative: making schools safer and focusing on access to mental health services. The intent of NITT-Project AWARE is to develop a comprehensive, coordinated, and integrated program for advancing wellness and resilience in educational settings for school-aged youth. SAMHSA provided grants to 20 state education agencies to implement the program in partnership with local education agencies and schools, as well as funding for a national evaluation of Project AWARE as part of a broader evaluation of SAMHSA’s NITT initiative. This presentation will provide an overview of the NITT and Project AWARE evaluations and describe needs identified in the grant communities related to student mental health needs, school safety, and school climate, as well as the coordination and implementation activities the grantees have undertaken to address those needs.

Authors

• James Trudeau, RTI International

• Duren Banks, RTI International

• Anna Yaros, RTI International