National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention

Welcome to July's E-newsletter from the National Center for Mental Health Promotion and
Youth Violence Prevention. The summer is heating up and so is the Center. We hope you've had an opportunity to explore our new website, www.promoteprevent.org . Let us
know what you think - we welcome your suggestions and comments to make the web and the E-newsletter valuable tools for your work. E-mail us at news@promoteprevent.org

This month we feature the discussion area of www.promoteprevent.org . Throughout the month of July we'll start a number of discussions for you to follow or add to. You'll note that the first discussion thread is already up - Jennifer Kitson, Technical Assistance Specialist, has begun a discussion on fidelity and adaptation stemming from the Grantees at Work story. To start participating, you'll need to request an account by filling out the form found on http://www.promoteprevent.org/online_discussions/. Though there are separate discussion areas for each of the technical assistance teams, you're free to peek at other threads.

The National Center serves grantees from three different project areas with the belief that all share common principles for mental health promotion, youth violence prevention, and child development. Since there is a tremendous opportunity for grantees to learn both across and within grant programs, our Grantees at Work section presents common issues and themes and approaches to manage challenges. This month we feature the dual themes of fidelity and adaptation.

The Challenges of Adaptation
Burke County Public Schools - Burke County, North Carolina
Targeted Capacity Expansion / Prevention/Early Intervention grantee

The Safe Schools/Healthy Students Team recieved good feedback regarding their regional meeting format and so will continue this format into the fall. Regional meetings are planned for the Southeast, Plains States and Midwest in September, the Southwest and Northwest in October and the Northeast in November. Details on timing and exact locations will be sent out in the coming weeks. We'll see you soon!

The Targeted Capacity Expansion Team facilitated two meetings the week of July 14th. The Racial and Ethnic Disparities grantee group gathered to receive intensive technical assistance to assist in their sustainability plans. A group of prospective grantees from the Office of Refugee Resettlement will meet at the same time to receive grant writing technical assistance. The National meeting for the Prevention/Early Intervention grantees will be held September 21 through 24 in Washington, DC. During the national meeting, two grantees, Anita Hicks of Phoenix, AZ and Manuel Perez of Kansas City, MO will present findings from their recent interviews of P/EI grantees regarding implementation of evidence-based practices. Their findings were also presented at the recent Society for Prevention Research meeting. For further meeting details, please contact Shamia Monroe at smonroe@edc.org

The Youth Violence Prevention Program Team recently conducted their first national meeting in Baltimore, MD. Particpants gave the center staff high marks for a successful meeting. Attendees particularly appreciated the opportunity to network with other grantees and to meet with their project officers. Many grantees also created and participated in affinity groups, groups with common concerns, jobs and/or interests. Affinity group members are invited to continue their dialogue in the discussion area of the web. For instructions on how to use the discussion area, go to http://www.promoteprevent.org/online_discussions/

The Center works with a group of technical partners who have expertise in children's mental health and youth violence prevention, and who are active in working with children, families, schools, and communities. This month, we highlight recent work from one of our technical partners,the Center for School Mental Health Assistance at the University of Maryland's School of Medicine which provides leadership and technical assistance to advance effective interdisciplinary school-based mental health programs.

Mark Weist, PhD from the Center for School Mental Health Assistance was the lead author on a recent review of the funding sources for expanding school mental health (ESMH) programs. Funding a Full Continuum of Mental Health Promotion and Intervention Programs in the Schools was published in the June 2003 Journal of Adolescent Medicine. Dr. Weist and his co-authors assess the availability of public and private funding sources to support comprehensive school mental health programs. They found that existing sources are hard to find and not always certain . In order to make funding sources more concrete and plenitful, they argue for a two-fold strategy. First, enhance national information sharing for lessons learned and funding strategies between and among programs, communities, states. Second, increase advocacy efforts that incorporate outcome, satisfaction, and economic data that emphasize value.
For full text, contact news@promoteprevent.org

Critical hours: Afterschool programs and educational success

Miller, B. (2003). Critical hours: Afterschool programs and educational success. Brookline, MA: Nellie Mae Education Foundation.
Full text available online at http://www.nmefdn.org/uimages/documents/Critical_Hours.pdf

In a report commissioned by the Nellie Mae Foundation, Dr. Miller synthesizes information available from studies of after school programs, highlighting the effects of these programs on academic achievement and overall development of middle school students. Dr. Miller outlines key conclusions, including:

Psychosocial health among young victims and offenders of direct and indirect bullying

Van der Wal, M.F., de Wit, A.M., & Hirasing, R. (2003, June 6). Psychosocial health among young victims and offenders of direct and indirect bullying. Pediatrics , 111:6, 1312-1317.
please visit http://pediatrics.aappublications.org to get the PDF version of this article.

This study assesses the association between bullying (direct and indirect) and indicators of psychosocial health for boys and girls. To determine the association, investigators administered survey questionnaires to primary school children (9-13) in Amsterdam covering bullying, depression, suicidal ideation, and delinquent behavior with psychosocial health reports of both victims and offenders of bullying being tested. Results of the surveys indicate that the association between bullying and psychosocial health differs notably between girls and boys as well as between indirect and direct forms of bullying. The investigators conclude interventions must pay attention to these differences to enhance effectiveness. For full text citation, contact news@promoteprevent.org

Conferences sponsored by the National Center are indicated below in green . We've also included selected conferences or events of interest taking place in July and August. Events taking place beyond August can be found at www.promoteprevent.org/events/index.html

Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America will hold its mid-year training institute July 27-31 in San Francisco, CA. For a complete description of courses, visit: http://cadca.org/

August 2003

Safe Schools/Healthy Students grantees are invited to the 2003 SS/HS Summer Communications Institute taking place in San Francisco, California on August 3-5, 2003. Deadline for registration, airline and hotel reservations is July 18, 2003. Online registration can be found at: www.sshscom.org

September 2003

Targeted Capacity Expansion's National Meeting for Prevention/Early Intervention
September 21-23, 2003 in Washington, DC. For more information, contact Shamia Monroe smonroe@edc.org

The National Center compiles a variety of funding resources. We've highlighted a few key resources below. For a more complete listing please visit: www.promoteprevent.org/resources/resource_pages/program_functions/
funding_resources.htm

The Office of Safe and Drug-free Schools invites applications for new awards for Fiscal Year 2003 under its Foundations for Learning Grants. This program supports projects to help eligible children become ready for school. The estimated range of awards is $200,000-300,000. Eligible applicants include local educational agencies, local councils, community-based organizations and other public and nonprofit private entities. Applications are now available and the deadline for submission is July 30, 2003. For more information and an application, go to: http://e-grants.ed.gov

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) is accepting applications for Fiscal Year 2003 cooperative agreements to expand the National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative (NCTSI) Community Treatment and Services Centers. Annual awards may be up to $400,000 in total for each year for up to 4 years. Deadline for applications is August 7, 2003. For more information and an application, go to:
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/
edocket.access.gpo.gov/2003/03-16418.htm.

Developing Competitive SAMHSA Grant Applications: Participant Manual
http://www.samhsa.gov/grants/tamanual/tamanual_frame.html

This online version of SAMHSA's course on grantwriting offers detailed guidance on applying for competitive grants. The manual is designed for community-based organizations.