FOCUS Monthly Newsletter

FOCUS Monthly Newsletter

April 2024

There is still time to register!!

Registration is NOW OPEN for the 2024 END ADDICTION WALK

Grab a friend and register today!

Here's what you need to know:

Event Date: April 6, 2024

Event Location: City Walk BHAM Amphitheater

Check-in/Registration Time: 10:00 AM

Program Begins: 11:00 AM, followed by walk and celebration

Price: FREE to attend & walk | $25 to receive a T-shirt, "Walking for" credentials, and other Walk swag.

Register at ENDADDICTIONBHAM.ORG. Register as an individual or as a team. Top fundraisers will receive awards at the event! Donations welcome!

What is the END ADDICTION BHAM Walk?:

It's more than just a walk! This event is a celebration that has grown since its first year in 2017. We'll celebrate sobriety, play games, remember those we've lost, dance, and walk together in solidarity to raise awareness about the dangers of substance misuse, and more!

From June 2022 to June 2023, the CDC reports that Alabama saw a 16.93% increase in drug overdose deaths, yet again proving that Alabama is still in crisis.

Partners and attendees of this event know that we are

FIGHTING FOR THE FUTURE

we want for our loved ones and for our community.

Join us at the Walk, and join us in this movement as we continue to fight against addiction in 2024.

Partnering With NAMI for Mental Health Month

Because Mental Health Matters

Students face many challenges during their transition to high school and college. Academics, clubs, jobs, and new relationships can all be super exciting, but also great stressors if not properly managed. College students may face being far away from home and finding independence they didn't have before. High school students begin to see the horizon of their futures through college prep and career planning. Balancing all of the changes that happen in school can be stressful and challenging.

Those challenges are even more difficult for the 1 in 5 students who also face a mental health condition. Nearly three-quarters of mental health conditions emerge by age 24, so many students are facing mental health concerns for the first time, and may not know where to go for support.

NAMI knows that some of the best support a student can receive is from peers. When students connect with one another, they can share common experiences and support each other through the transitions. FOCUS and NAMI help make those connections happen.

FOCUS works to end the stigma that makes it hard for students to talk about mental health and get the help they need. Make plans now to hold creative meetings and hold innovative awareness events. Follow and share @AlabamaFocus on all social media platforms for mental health awareness posts.

DID YOU KNOW:

There is a state resolution established by the Alabama State Board of Education (August 27, 1987, and October 22, 1987 meetings) that all students in Grades 5-12 receive instruction about HIV and AIDS?

WHY?

If you take a moment to research HIV among youth and young adults ages 13-24 years, the reason for the HIV resolution by the Alabama State Board of Education is obvious. The virus which causes AIDS is being transmitted among youth and young adults in Alabama at a rate higher than the national average. There were 118 newly diagnosed cases in Alabama in 2023. Cumulative cases in Alabama number above 5,500 among youth and young adults.

In 2020, youth ages 13-24 years made up 20% of all new HIV diagnoses in the United States, but 21.8% in Alabama. It is also important to note that nearly half of young people living with HIV are unaware of their status. Adolescence and young adulthood are critical periods of human development, and an important time to lay the foundations of good health.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Join us in helping Youth Lead and End the HIV Epidemic in Alabama! Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Month will be held in April 2024, to educate the public about the impact of HIV prevention, treatment, and care campaigns of young people in Alabama. FOCUS is partnering with AL Department of Public Health, Health Services Center, and Addiction Prevention Coalition's Project Leap for Youth HIV and AIDS Awareness Month. We will be providing education and resources for Sexually Transmitted Infections including HIV. Check out the "YOUTH HIV/AIDS AWARENESS MONTH" PLANNING GUIDE on the FOCUS Facilitator Page at www.thefocusprogram.com.

We’re reaching the students through social media for prevention messages! Our partnership will be utilizing Instagram, SnapChat, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter) for educational posts for a powerful Youth HIV Awareness Social Media Campaign.

Complete the short form in the link provided if you are a registered FOCUS School interested in receiving information and promotional items for your awareness activities. The items will be delivered to schools in early April.

Sign-Up Form

STUDENT REACH

2022-2024

16,591

STUDENT LEADERS ACROSS THE STATE

109

PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS

270

FOCUS MEETINGS HELD IN SCHOOLS

(Led by FOCUS Staff)

1,164

INDIVIDUALS HAVE PARTICIPATED

IN FOCUS RALLIES

"April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, a united nationwide effort to raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving and eliminate preventable deaths and injuries on our roadways. Accordingly to the latest statistics released by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), over 37,000 people were killed on our highways in 2016, an increase of 5.6% from 2015. Here is what you can do for Distracted Driving Awareness Month (and the following months) to make yourself, your family, your employees and our roads safer."

EndDistractedDriving.org

REMEMBER to tap in to the many resources available on the Facilitator Portal at www.thefocusprogram.com. Digital FOCUS Brochure; Implementation Guide; Videos; Posters; Character Education Resource; PowerPoint for FOCUS Extracurricular Implementation; HIV Teacher Training; HIV 101; FOCUS Group Training; Certificates of

Leadership and Participating; and numerous other resources!

Connect with FOCUS!

Stay up to date on everything that is happening with FOCUS by following us on social media! Don't hesitate, follow us today!

Monthly Health Observances

We encourage all FOCUS schools to engage in at least one health observance activity each month. Each month has some excellent choices for students on your campuses to “Make a Difference” and to encourage their peers to participate.

April