Each year the Black Caucus Foundation of Michigan strengthens its health and educational programs by redesigning its core programs to improve student learning models and advance its teaching processes by finding new techniques to simplify module delivery while accessing the effectiveness of outcome measurement systems.  Constant review, evaluation and implementation of improvements to our program delivery models consistently helps us identify strategies to raise participants’ awareness of positive values, personal worth and community responsibility. 

An important part of the our success is a diverse staff of dedicated and passionate Adolescent Development Facilitators and Prevention Specialists  who fed off each others energy, and offer a wealth of knowledge and experience that significantly enhances the curriculum.  In addition, our steady progress in developing new community and corporate partnerships significantly adds to the success of the Foundations efforts to creatively reach children by offering special activities and enrichment events that supplement our evidence based curriculum programming. 

“Our mission is to annually increase our positive community impact by proactively delivering positive health, academic and employment outcomes for urban, minority, disadvantaged and high risk youth.“ 

The DFYID program provides hundreds of  students in the Metropolitan area with information that attacks destructive values and replaces them with constructive one.  Targeted primarily to middle schools, participants are selected by school administrators based on behavioral needs and leadership potential. Their participation in the program provides each student with training that supports making healthy life choices and following a path to personal empowerment, higher education, and career readiness.  In turn, these participants help build a school culture driven by and founded on positive life values by sharing the information learned in DFYID with their peers and recruiting them to be an Ambassador Club Drug Free Scholar. 

Annually the students of DFYID conduct a “Pledge Drive” in an effort get their classmates to join them in committing to an alcohol, tobacco, drug and violence free lifestyle. Each year more than 5,000 students make that pledge.

DFYID is not just for students. There is a parent component as well. Each year Foundation staff work with DFYID parents to manage success strategies to overcome obstacles their children encounter.  In the 2007-2008 school year, DFYID programs were conducted in 18 Detroit Public Schools.  

No Child Left Behind legislation requires schools to establish a Uniform Management and Information Reporting System. The collected data from anonymous student surveys shall include:

“…the incidence of prevalence, age of onset, perception of social disapproval of drug use, and violence by youth in schools and communities”.

DFYID is widely recognized as an effective prevention program in addressing some of the greatest sources of adolescent health problems and deaths in urban communities.  The National Institute of Drug and Alcohol Abuse reported national costs associated with abuse at approximately $250 billion.  In Michigan alone, annual health care expenditures directly caused by smoking were approximately $2.7 billion.  At DFYID, we know that early intervention is the key to reducing the negative impacts of use and abuse on individuals, families, businesses and the community.  No other prevention program in Michigan can match DFYID’s consistent record of extending its positive prevention message and influence to children year after year.  To learn more about sponsorship, membership, mentoring or employment with Drug Free Youth in Detroit please email your us at: foundation_institute@michiganblackcaucus.org

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about any of the Black Caucus Foundation services.