PSU Youth Program Receives $2M Conrad Hilton Foundation Grant; News Roundup

Adolescent Substance Abuse and Mental Health

• PSU Youth Program Receives $2M Conrad Hilton Foundation Grant (Portland Business Journal)
  The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation awarded PSU’s Reclaiming Futures program the grant to advance its public health approach to juvenile justice reform. The three-year investment allows Reclaiming Futures to pilot and adapt its “Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment” program (known as SBIRT).

• Youth Mental Health App ‘First of Its Kind in Canada’ (Goldstream News Gazette)
  BoosterBuddy uses video game design elements to establish positive habits to mental health, said Drew Barnes, program co-ordinator with Island Health’s mental health and substance use services.

• Grants to Help Youth with Mental Health (Defender Network)
  Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell recently announced that $99 million has been allocated nationwide to train new mental health providers, help teachers recognize mental health issues in youth, and increase access to mental health services for young people.

Juvenile Justice Reform

• $2 Million OJJDP-MacArthur Partnership Focuses on Juvenile Justice Reform (JJIE)
  “Every youth who enters the juvenile justice system deserves to be treated fairly and to receive the help he or she needs,” OJJDP Administrator Robert L. Listenbee said Tuesday in a news release announcing the renewal of the partnership. “Together, our office and the MacArthur Foundation are working with states and communities to build a better future for youth."

• Committee Hears Alternatives for Juvenile Justice(The Indy Channel)
  A parade of witnesses who testified before the Interim Study Committee on Corrections and the Criminal Code touted alternatives to juvenile detention, with some saying locking children up with worse offenders can even make the problem worse.

• Juvenile Safe Surrender Gets Underway--Slowly--at the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court (Cleveland.com)
  Cuyahoga County Public Defender Robert Tobik said the event is an opportunity for juveniles to address their cases "without fear of being shot or beaten" during an arrest. Tobik said it also increases safety for law enforcement personnel who don't have to worry about being injured or killed while arresting someone on a warrant.

• Justice Department Announces National Effort to Build Trust Between Law Enforcement and the Communities They Serve (Justice.gov)
  Attorney General Eric Holder announced today the launch of the Justice Department’s National Initiative for Building Community Trust and Justice. Funded through a $4.75 million grant, the initiative will create a substantial investment in training, evidence-based strategies, policy development and research to combat distrust and hostility between law enforcement and the communities they serve.

Jobs, Grants, Events and Webinars

• Please share the Reclaiming Futures Opportunity Board with your colleagues in the juvenile justice, adolescent substance abuse and teen mental health areas. It’s free to browse and post!