CDH Grant Supports Youth, Families in Boise County

BOISE, Oct. 8, 2024 – Central District Health and Boise County community partners helped foster positive experiences for area youth through a grant that funded outings, events and sports scholarships and continues to promote family engagement. CDH’s Youth Alcohol and Substance Use Prevention (YA-SUP!) program was one of five programs selected by the National Association of County and City Health Officials for a $65,000 award to develop foundations to help young people overcome adversity and realize their potential.

YA-SUP! Project Coordinator Heather Allan received the grant in November 2023 and collaborated with community partners to identify opportunities to promote educational and positive experiences. The events, programs and experiences were implemented from March through August 2024, including:

• Field trips, STEM events and family game nights in the Basin School District Community Schools. Principal Jamie Pilkerton, Community Wellness Coordinator Dawn Gillis and Counselor Lynsey Bell also sponsored parent workshops and developed a parental resource library.
• Bicycles and team scholarships to help ensure access and availability to youth sports in Boise County. Community Justice Director Amanda Leader and Idaho City Youth League founder and parent volunteer Lyndel Strong sponsored soccer scholarships and purchased sports equipment  including nets, balls, flags, cones, jerseys, benches, scoreboards, safety guards and equipment storage bins.
• Trips to Boise, Seattle, and San Diego for Horseshoe Bend youth. Community Schools Director Kelsey Williams utilized grant funds to finance travel and sporting events entry fees on the trips.

“With the help of many community volunteers and the HOPE Grant we were able to more than double the size of our program this year and get more kids the experience of being on a team and building those connections,” Strong said. “I’m a big believer that there’s more to sports than the physical things you learn.”

Strengthening Systems-Involved Families with HOPE (SSIF) grants develop foundations to help young people overcome adverse childhood experiences, toxic stress and poor health to become strong, healthy and resilient adults. CDC studies have shown that positive childhood experiences benefit health and development, potentially preventing or buffering damage created by adverse childhood experiences.

“Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences (HOPE) describes four positive building blocks that are necessary to ensure positive childhood experiences: secure relationships, safe environments, opportunities for belonging and opportunities for emotional growth,” Allan explained. “They promote optimal child development and reduce adverse childhood events and related trauma.”

Through the grant, Allan also received HOPE and SSIF framework training to better provide individualized technical assistance in the community. “HOPE and SSIF can help shift the focus from the negative to the positive,” she said. “We know that the absence of positive childhood experiences may be more damaging than the presence of adverse childhood experiences, and the higher the number of positive experiences a child has, the better overall health outcomes they have. Education regarding the implementation of HOPE and SSIF framework is a fantastic example of upstream prevention in our communities.”

“Thanks go out to Heather Allan and our community partners for their vision in applying for this grant and using the funds to positively impact Boise County families,” said CDH Division Administrator Curtis Loveless. “Programs like this have proven to improve relationships, reduce biases, and improve family outcomes.” 

About the YA-SUP! Program

YA-SUP! Is a collaboration between Central District Health and other community partners in Ada, Boise, Elmore and Valley counties. YA-SUP! supports opportunities through the funding of community partners so they may implement evidence-based curriculum, after-school activities and other programs focused on substance use prevention, awareness and training.

About Central District Health

CDH, Public Health District IV, is one of seven public health districts within the state of Idaho, serving the counties of Ada, Boise, Elmore, and Valley. With a vision of Healthy People in Healthy Communities, CDH’s emphasis is on decreasing risk factors for chronic disease, improving quality of life and increasing the years of healthy life among residents.

Contact:

Trent Young, Public Information Specialist Office: 208-327-8525 | Cell: 986-224-1089
tyoung@cdh.idaho.gov | cdh.idaho.gov/news

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