2021 COMBAT Funding: $126,640.00

Program Scope

The Guadalupe Centers is expanding its Substance Abuse Prevention Life Skills Program, directed to youth who reside primarily in Kansas City's Westside and Northeast neighborhoods. 

Guadalupe Center's Life Skills Program utilizes Lions Quest Skills for Adolescence, an active learning, evidence-based social and emotional learning program addressing the physical, emotional and social consequences of alcohol and other substance use. This curriculum provides vital life skills that support youth through the challenges of their adolescent years, including positively managing emotions and improving peer and family relationships. 

Guadalupe Center's SA Prevention Specialist facilitates the students' progress through a series of 24 interactive and multimedia lessons that address risk and protective factors and guide individuals through development of practical social, personal and intellectual skills they can draw upon to make positive choices in the face of challenges. Youth completing the program should demonstrate strengthened self-esteem, improved behaviors, and deepened community connections, while feeling confident they have the knowledge and skills to make healthy life choices. 

Prevention of substance use initiation/use is the focus, but the curriculum also addresses topics such as preventing teen dating violence and bullying. The program offers students with opportunities to develop as leaders and to complete a service learning project. Curriculum is delivered currently within groups of 15-20 middle school students who meet after school once per week at Guadalupe Middle School, 2640 Belleview. The program is delivered once per week in school at Guadalupe High School and to middle schoolers at Our Lady of Hope school in Westport. During the summer, the program is offered at Guadalupe Center's Villa Guadalupe campus in the city's Northeast neighborhood, as well as on the Westside.

Each group meets for 8-12 one-hour sessions. Another 4-8 hours of youth-led community service activities round out the program. Pre- and post-testing measure knowledge acquisition and attitude changes. In past years the program has coordinated 4 parent meetings, but plans to increase the number of parents engaging with the program in 2020 through virtual meetings.

Needs Assessment

Up until this year, our strategy for substance abuse prevention was primarily focused on middle school age students with limited programming for high school. Last year, we had numerous incidents with high school students experiencing substance abuse and high school students who were selling drugs on the high school campus. These students were removed from school and reported to authorities. However they have left a lasting imprint on the school and the student body. 

The rate of Hispanic youth being introduced to substance abuse is high. The program is in need of a substance abuse prevention specialist to serve in the high school to be more accessible to students and parents. This staff person will also be able to observe the youth with their friends. This request will expand the staffing to three full time people.