The Strengthening Families Program helps youth ages 12 – 16 learn how to effectively communicate while digging deep to understand and identify their feelings. This ultimately helps to improve social skills. Other benefits of the evidence-based curriculum are improving the ability to solve problems and understand the consequences of alcohol, tobacco and other drug use. The program has been proven to improve student academic performance, help resist peer pressure and improve self-esteem. Upon finishing the program, participants will likely be more compliant to parental rules and be able to resolve conflicts while managing anger.
Potential Benefits
- Improves problem solving kills.
- Understanding of the consequences of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use.
- Improves academic performance.
- Helps students resist peer pressure.
- Improves self-esteem.
- Upon finishing the program, participants will likely be more compliant to parental rules and be able to resolve conflicts while managing anger.
Student Sessions
The sessions are conducted in schools, churches, recreational sites, community sites, and after school programs. Classes are conducted once a week for 14 weeks and last for two hours. Services are free and include dinner and snacks, babysitting for underaged family members, transportation within a three-mile radius, a bag of groceries per group session, and bilingual sessions.
Parenting Sessions
Parents learn how to increase desired behaviors in children by using preferred methods such as attention and rewards, clear communication, effective discipline, substance use education, problem solving skills and learning how to set limits.
Family Life Skills Sessions
These sessions strengthen the family bond by having families engage in structured family activities, participate in therapeutic youth play, conduct family meetings, effectively communicate, practice self discipline, reinforce positive behavior in one another, and plan family activities.