Project C.A.S.C.A.D.E.
In June/2011, C.A.P.A. was awarded a no-cost extension by the U.S. Department of Education to complete the objectives outlined in the initial grant proposal.
The no-cost continuation will provide the opportunity for student mentors to implement the Project Northland curriculum and more importantly permit an orderly transition of the project to ensure the continuation of this exceptional program in the middle school. In addition, staff will have the opportunity to mobilize community resources; inspire collective action; and synchronize complementary prevention programming to parents and the community as a whole.
In May of 2008, the Brecksville-Broadview Heights school district received a three-year, $900,000 grant from theto provide research-based alcohol prevention programs to Brecksville-Broadview Heights schools and communities.
The programs are grouped together under the acronym Project C.A.S.C.A.D.E. (Communities and Schools Changing Alcohol and Drug use through Education). They are coordinated by C.A.P.A. staff members and numerous community and school-based leaders and volunteers.
Programs under the Project C.A.S.C.A.D.E. umbrella include:
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Project Northland: An alcohol prevention curriculum for 6th through 8th grade students
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Project Towards No Drug Abuse (Project TND): A 12-lesson alcohol, drug and tobacco prevention curriculum that is presented in 9th grade health classes
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National Institute of Health's The Brain: Understanding Neurobiology Through The Study of Addiction: Presented to all biology students, the curriculum addresses the impact of addiction and drug abuse on brain activity
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Community Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol, a program that seeks to reduce student access to alcohol by mobilizing community partners to evaluate and improve local policy and procedural issues, and environmental aspects that influence the access of alcohol to youth
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SAMHSA Strategic Prevention Framework, a model that increases local capacity to implement programming and ensure sustainability
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Parents Who Host Lose the Most, a parent-education program
C.A.P.A. Coodinator Kelly Lazar, LISW-S, is the director of Project C.A.S.C.A.D.E.