DRAGON Youth Project

  

~DRAGON Youth Project~

The DRAGON Youth Project is a prevention program named by some of the youth it has served. DRAGON stands for DRug and Alcohol prevention through Group and hOlistic interactioN. The DRAGON Youth Project is funded by Colorado Alcohol and Drug Abuse Divison and the Law Enforcement Assistance Fund.

Mission:

 

To work with at-risk youth in order to strengthen areas of self-esteem, personal control, decision-making, interpersonal communication, cultural awareness, etc.

 

To work with the entire community to provide education that will assist in our youth making healthier choices, and to reduce and prevent drug and alcohol abuse and misuse.

 

Reconnecting Youth

The DRAGON Youth Project uses the science-based curriculum, Reconnecting Youth, A Peer Group Approach to Building Life Skills, as a resource and tool to provide effective prevention activities. The program contains all components of a life skills curriculum, including sections devoted to alcohol and drug-free living. It is a peer group approach to building skills for high-risk students. The program is designed to reduce risk factors and enhance protective factors that are linked with adolescent problem behaviors in general, and adolescent drug involvement specifically. We currently offer Reconnecting Youth classes at the Robert E. DeNier Youth Services Center.

 

Girls Circle

The Girls Circle Association has a research based curriculum that encourages the development of strength, self-esteem, honesty, enhanced judgment skills, confidence and communication skills for girls, not to mention maintaining an authentic connection with peers and other women of the community. A Girls Circle models structured support groups for girls from 9-18 years. It’s been proven to improve girls’ perceived body image, perceived social support and self-efficacy. For more information on this program, please visit their website at www.girlscircle.org .

 

FLC Social Norms Campaign

The DRAGON Youth Project has been working on a Social Norms campaign with the Leadership Center and the Counseling Center at Fort Lewis College since this past summer. The campaign slogan is “Choose Your Shoes” and focuses on the choices involved when avoiding alcohol poisoning and binge drinking. The campaign will consist of three poster designs, distributed throughout the school year.

 

Community Education

The DRAGON Youth Project has a variety of resources available for any and all community organizations to help with the prevention of substance use and abuse and to make presentations on underage drinking, persistent drunk driving, drug knowledge, etc. We currently work with the La Plata Youth Services on a regular basis to provide drug and alcohol education. An ambition of the DRAGON Youth Project is to work closely with the multitude of community organizations in our area that are working towards similar goals. We participate in Town Hall meetings, coalitions, and community summits to network because we feel that everyone should be involved to educate and motivate our youth.

For information, contact Kendra Gallegos Reichle at (970) 247-5702, ext. 225.