CORE Community Center announced its recent receipt of a grant from Indiana University Health for the Get SMART Jr. program expected to benefit the youth of Clinton County by focusing on substance abuse education.
The Get SMART curriculum originates from Calla Collaborative Health, a Lafayette-based organization that strives to create, develop, implement and distribute evidence-based, ethical and empowering substance use and mental health prevention and early intervention programs.
Get SMART Jr. has been specifically designed to focus on teens in 9th through 12th grades, and it acts as a six-week program that provides education on substances that teens may encounter, the immediate consequences that occur from abuse or use of substances and the long-term consequences that occur from the use of substances.
The Get SMART Youth program through CORE Community Center has reportedly been implemented in the county through a partnership with Clinton Central Elementary School, and over two years, the program has sought to teach the dangers of substance use to 120 students. CORE stated that with the success of the program, the partnership sought to continue its impact in a high school setting.
“We have seen such a fun level of engagement and attendance by these students, and we felt more could benefit from expanding the age range available,” CORE Executive Director and Get SMART facilitator Stephanie Cooper said. “Not only is it great to partner with local organizations for this type of curriculum, but it is a huge win for our community as we continue to pursue more prevention and early intervention opportunities in the substance abuse community.”
