eXtreme Youth Programs

eXtreme Youth Programs focus on the energy and creativity of young people who work together to create real solutions for a safe and drug-free community.

This program takes a modern approach to prevention by including youth in planning, decision-making, problem-solving, and implementation of prevention strategies.

It's their future, so their involvement is key.

eXtreme Youth Programs is well connected

eXtreme Youth Programs is a SHARE Foundation program that operates under the federal CDC Drug-Free Communities Support Program Grant. Led by SHARE Foundation's Certified Prevention Specialist, our exclusive grant project is challenged with reaching two major goals in Union County, Arkansas.

Our Goals:

1. Increase community collaboration focused on youth drug prevention
2. Reduce youth alcohol, nicotine, marijuana, and prescription drug use.

Our Project Strategies:

• ACTIVE Coalition. ACTIVE stands for Approaching Crisis Through Intervention and Education. This coalition's mission is to proactively focus on our community’s priorities, strategies, and targeted outcomes by serving as a catalyst in efforts that positively impact Union County while reducing substance use and abuse among youth and adults through awareness, education, partnerships, and prevention.
• 12 Sector Representation. The ACTIVE Coalition represents various sectors in the community including one person from each category: youth, parent, business, media, school, youth-serving organization, religious organization, law enforcement, civic group, healthcare, government, and other substance-reducing organizations.
• Action Plan. Our grant staff utilizes the 7 Strategies for Community-Level Change and the 40 Developmental Assets to build a 12-Month Action Plan (or work plan) with various strategies and activities to reach project goals and outcomes. Our Action Plan is reviewed and revised annually to accommodate real-time community needs.
• eXtreme Youth Programs. Most of our events and activities fall under our eXtreme Youth Programs. Our goal is for each Union County school to have an eXtreme Youth Program where students can join chapters and become members. Each chapter has youth leaders and an adult Program Advisor employed by their school. Youth are encouraged to participate in events and activities throughout the year. To celebrate achievements and recognize students with awards, an eXtreme Youth Programs Banquet is provided at the end of each school year.
• APNA Survey. APNA stands for Arkansas Prevention Needs Assessment. This survey is utilized state-wide to collect data from youth regarding various aspects of substance use/abuse. APNA is a critical component of how our project collects, analyzes, and reports information to determine current trends, age of onset, perception of use, and much more for Union County.
• Community Relationships and Resources. We understand to make community change, it takes community involvement and buy-in. We strive to improve community relationships by helping others connect to the resources they need. Union County is a great community with valuable resources, so we aim to share that with our schools, partners, parents, and youth.