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BRAINABOUTS PREVENTION MODEL

Prevention works to change behavior! Achieving consistent change takes a comprehensive, system-wide approach involving a steady stream of dynamic programming. The BrainAbouts model, based upon the NeuroWhereAbouts Guide by Dr. Crystal Collier, offers students, like you, prevention science tools and resources that can be applied immediately to protect your brain development and increase your well-being.

ACTIVATE THE CORE

The BrainAbouts Core is designed to empower students' voices and offer brain-based, scientific education regarding 18 different high-risk behaviors young people are faced with today. Let's face it, the majority of students do not engage in high-risk behavior, but they are silent. The noisy minority of young people who engage in substance use and other risky behavior are the ones who say, 'everyone does it'. To help youth make positive choices and prevent risky behaviors, this page includes tools to empower students to have a voice. In the BrainAbouts Core, you’ll find information on specific Topics, build Skills, and keep up with prevention events in the Calendar.

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start a brainabouts student engagement group

DEFINITIONS

STUDENT ENGAGEMENT: Active psychological investment in learning, creating awareness, and activism in order to effect positive change in the lives of young people.

ACTIVITIES

Videos

Activities

Links

  • Get activity ideas from SADD

    Get activity and event ideas from Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) for your student engagement group to initiate like hosting a Sober Prom!

  • Build a Student Wellness Team

    Tips for building a student wellness team including assessing your school's health index from Action for Healthy Kids.

  • Host a Wellness Day or Week

    Host a wellness day or week and teach your fellow students a variety of wellness techniques.

  • Create Your Own Friday Night Live Program

    Learn about the youth driven programs from the California Friday Night Live Partnership (CFNLP) re built on youth development principles and practices. 

RESOURCES

Videos

Take Action for Healthy Kids

Active Minds

Organizations

  • Action for Healthy Kids

    Action for Healthy Kids is a nonprofit organization mobilizing family-school partnerships to prepare kids to be healthy in body and mind that provides programming, resources and grants.

  • Active Minds

    Active Minds focuses on action and student advocacy in mental health.

  • RachelsChallenge.org

    Rachel’s Challenge addresses the root causes of school violence, bullying, prejudice, and self-harm through social-emotional learning programs that build connection, hope and resilience. 

  • YPR - Young People in Recovery

    YPR’s mission is to provide the life skills and peer supports to help people recover from substance use disorder and reach their full potential. Website details how to start a chapter in your community.

Links

  • Get Student Activity Ideas from Balancing Our Mind

    School-based activities are simple and impactful initiatives that promote mental health and wellness, raise awareness about the stigma associated with mental health, and engage the students and staff in the school community.

  • Stigma Reduction Activities from Headstrong

    Headstrong's toolkit is intended to help engage schools to create and sustain school-based wellness committee to support anti-stigma and school-based activities.

  • Eating Disorders Awareness Campaign ideas

    Toolkit from the Provincial Eating Disorders Awareness (PEDAW) campaign in British Columbia to raise awareness around prevention and early intervention of eating disorders
    as well as media literacy, resiliency, building healthy body image and self-esteem. 

Engage in ProSocial Activities

DEFINITIONS

PROSOCIAL BEHAVIOR: Action taken to improve the welfare or reduce the needs of another person or animal. Prosocial behavior, such as helping or consoling, improves the health of the person who engages in such behavior. For example, prosocial behavior can decrease stress hormones for both the helper and the helpee.

Research indicates that young people who engage in consistent prosocial behavior are less likely to engage in high-risk behavior, like alcohol or drug use.

ACTIVITIES

Videos

Activities

Links

  • Get activity ideas from SADD

    Get activity and event ideas from Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) for your student engagement group to initiate like hosting a Sober Prom!

  • Build a Student Wellness Team

    Tips for building a student wellness team including assessing your school's health index from Action for Healthy Kids.

  • Host a Wellness Day or Week

    Host a wellness day or week and teach your fellow students a variety of wellness techniques.

  • Create Your Own Friday Night Live Program

    Learn about the youth driven programs from the California Friday Night Live Partnership (CFNLP) re built on youth development principles and practices. 

RESOURCES

Videos

Take Action for Healthy Kids

Active Minds

Organizations

  • Action for Healthy Kids

    Action for Healthy Kids is a nonprofit organization mobilizing family-school partnerships to prepare kids to be healthy in body and mind that provides programming, resources and grants.

  • Active Minds

    Active Minds focuses on action and student advocacy in mental health.

  • RachelsChallenge.org

    Rachel’s Challenge addresses the root causes of school violence, bullying, prejudice, and self-harm through social-emotional learning programs that build connection, hope and resilience. 

  • YPR - Young People in Recovery

    YPR’s mission is to provide the life skills and peer supports to help people recover from substance use disorder and reach their full potential. Website details how to start a chapter in your community.

Links

  • Get Student Activity Ideas from Balancing Our Mind

    School-based activities are simple and impactful initiatives that promote mental health and wellness, raise awareness about the stigma associated with mental health, and engage the students and staff in the school community.

  • Stigma Reduction Activities from Headstrong

    Headstrong's toolkit is intended to help engage schools to create and sustain school-based wellness committee to support anti-stigma and school-based activities.

  • Eating Disorders Awareness Campaign ideas

    Toolkit from the Provincial Eating Disorders Awareness (PEDAW) campaign in British Columbia to raise awareness around prevention and early intervention of eating disorders
    as well as media literacy, resiliency, building healthy body image and self-esteem. 

influence awareness about Alcohol & Drugs

DEFINITIONS

YOUR VOICE ABOUT ALCOHOL: Although the majority of students do not drink alcohol, the minority who do may glamorize and promote underage drinking. Start a movement to give voices to the majority by creating a student-led alcohol awareness campaign.

ACTIVITIES

Videos

Alcohol and the Developing Brain

Students Against Destructive Decisions

Integrity

Activities

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    Start an Elementary or Middle School Outreach Program

    Use the videos, brain game word searches, and word scrambles from Ask, Learn, Listen.org for student-led outreach to younger grades. Students teaching students the effects of alcohol on the brain.

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    Organize a Student Advertising Team

    Organize a team to develop a comprehensive communications campaign, by students for students, to decrease dangerous overconsumption of alcohol and prevent underage drinking. Petition BrainAbouts for a grant to enter a competition.

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    Host a Theater Event

    Host or create an inspiring live theatre educational experience and interactive workshops about underage alcohol use.  

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    Become a SADD Student Leader

    Join or start a chapter of Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), the premier youth health and safety organization.

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    Host a SADD Prom

    Host SADD a prosocial prom for high school students in grades 9-12 with music, games, giveaways, outfits contests, and more.

Links

  • Ask, Learn, Listen.org YouTube Channel

    Ask, Learn, Listen.org YouTube Channel Videos on Alcohol and the Brain.

  • The Smashed Project

    Smashed is a life-changing educational experience tackling underage drinking with positive thinking. When the world inevitably throws out choices. Be ready to make an informed one.

  • Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD)

    Join the SADD initiative to prevent underage alcohol use.

  • B.R.A.D. 21.or Wallet Cards

    Distribute B.R.A.D.21 Wallet Cards to teach young people what to do if they see someone who has blood alcohol poisoining. 

  • Pass It On

    Foundation for Life's public service campaign for a Better Life including videos, radio shows, podcasts, newspaper articles, and billboards about values.

RESOURCES

Videos

Personal Responsibility

Empowering with SADD

Positive Peer Pressure

Resources

Research

influence awareness about Mental Health Issues

DEFINITIONS

YOUR VOICE ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH: With youth depression and anxiety rising, it is more critical than ever for young people to de-stigmatize mental health issues and learn effective coping mechanisms to keep their brain healthy.

ACTIVITIES

Videos

Imagine

Resiliency

Activities

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    Start a Hope Group

    Hopeful Minds, developed by the International Foundation for Research and Education on Depression, is based on research that suggests hope is a teachable skill. Sign up for a free Hopeful Minds curriculum kit to start a Hope Group at your school or in your community.

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    Create a Teen Empowerment Club

    Learn about Teen Emplowerment Clubs at Ericka's Lighthouse.org.

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    Create a Billboard and Pass it On

    Create an inspirational billbard and pass it along to someone who needs it.

Links

  • Teen Mental Health.org

    Teen Mental Health.org's material topics include the brain, behavior, sleep, stress, suicide, cannabis, mental disorders, stigma, self-injury, and self-harm.

  • First Person Mental Health Experiences

    Telling your story can help reduce mental health stigma. Watch first person accounts of mental health experiences. 

  • This is My Brave

    This Is My Brave brings stories of mental illness and addiction out of the shadows and into the spotlight.

RESOURCES

Videos

DBSA I'm Here Video

Organizations

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    Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA)

    DBSA chapters accross the country offer education, online and in-person support groups, and tools to cope. 

  • BA_Handout_icon

    Child Mind Institute

    The Child Mind Institute is an independent, national nonprofit dedicated to transforming the lives of children and families struggling with mental health and learning disorders. Website offers education and scholarship applications for rising scientists. 

  • BA_Handout_icon

    National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI)

    NAMI provides advocacy, education, support and public awareness so that all individuals and families affected by mental illness can build better lives.

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    The Jed Foundation

    The Jed Foundation (JED) empowers teens and young adults with the skills and support to grow into healthy, thriving adults.

Readings & Research

  • Meet the Mood Crew Workbook

    DBSA's Mood Crew workbook has informational sheets, activities and games for each mood character to help children understand their feelings and learn skills to help their emotional well-being throughout their lives.

  • DBSA Wellness Trackers

    Use DBSA's Wellness Trackers and Journals to track moods, symptoms, medications, and substances.

  • Set To Go

    Information, tools and guidance to help navigate the transition out of high school and onto the next step including finding the right college fit and developing important emotional and life skills.

  • Mental Health Fact Sheets

    Download fact sheets on a wide range of mental health issues from Orygen Youth Health.

become a brainabouts high school intern

DEFINITIONS

BRAINABOUTS HIGH SCHOOL INTERNSHIP PROGRAM: The BrainAbouts High School Internship is a volunteer program that allows students the opportunity to create BrainAbouts programming that will have an impact on their community as well as other high school students around the nation.

DESCRIPTION

Videos

Activities

Links

IDEAS

Videos

Crow High School Problem Gambling

Cypress Ranch High School Anti-Buly Lip Dub

Tupelo High School Teen Dating Violence Awareness

Activities

Links

  • Event Planner

    Five steps to holding your own bulying prevention event. 

  • What is Peer Advocacy?

    Peer advocacy is a program centered around inclusion and designed to educate students on speaking out on behalf of students with intellectual, developmental, or other disabilities.

  • Prevention Project Ideas

    Top 10 Prevention Project Ideas for Students

  • Johnny's Ambassadors #StopDabbingWalk

    Looking for a great way to get involved helping us spread the word about the mental harms to youth who use marijuana? Organize a team to walk and help educate the public about the risks of today's high-THC marijuana. 

APPLY