Big Brothers Big Sisters: Mentoring Youth Impacted by Opioids Phase 7 (MYIO7)

Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA) proposes the Big Brothers Big Sisters: Mentoring Youth Impacted by Opioids Phase 7 (MYIO7) initiative. This initiative will serve 700 youth age 17 and younger who have been impacted by opioids and other substance misuse with a tailored, community-based mentoring program. Project activities include providing 18 months of evidence-based mentoring services for opioid-impacted youth. To support continuous quality improvement, training and resources centered on substance misuse and drug prevention will be provided to youth, mentors, caregivers, and staff. Program enhancements, including Parent Engagement Activities and strategies to grow Youth and Family Partnership at local agencies. Expected project outcomes are engaging opioid-affected youth in caring mentoring relationships; increasing youth, mentor, and parent/caregiver education about opioid misuse; providing targeted support and guidance to youth dealing with opioid misuse in their lives; and increasing the role of families in developing solutions to the challenges youth face. Intended beneficiaries of the project are youth age 17 and younger who have a parent or family member who is currently or has used opioids; are placed in foster care due to opioid use by a primary caregiver; live in a community with higher-than-average rates of opioid use and overdose; and/or are at-risk for opioid use due to individual, family, and community risk factors. BBBSA will administer subawards to approximately 30 affiliate agencies in at least 18 states to provide mentoring services based upon the results of a competitive application process. Selection will be determined based on a record of strong grant performance, high program quality and capacity, and satisfactory financial controls and internal processes. Once selected, BBBS agencies will perform screening that exceeds the Elements of Effective Practice for Mentoring benchmark standards to protect mentees while developing the most impactful mentoring match.