4239 W. Ina Road Ste. 101
Tucson, Arizona 85741
Ph: 520.744.9595
Fax: 520.744.2127

Programs

The following are descriptions of PYP youth and family programs taking place in communities in rural Pima County and beyond.

Teen Pregnancy Prevention

PYP staff collaborated with 27 community partners to provide abstinence only education in 20 schools and residential programs across Pima County. PYP’s program included:

Managing Pressures Before Marriage, helps 6th and 7th graders in learning to resist social and peer pressures to become sexually involved. 1,999 youth completed Managing Pressures Before Marriage, a 65% increase from 2003.

Plain Talk for Parents provides parents skills they need to talk to their children about sex and other life issues. 101 adults completed the Plain Talk for Parents course, a 130% increase over 2003.

WAIT Training teaches high school teens skills to handle relationships. 2,190 teens completed WAIT training, a 280% increase over 2002.

In 2003-2004, 4,290 youth and parents participated. (Funded by the Office of Adolescent Pregnancy Programs and the State of Arizona Department of Health, Maternal and Child Health.)

Testimonials of youth who have completed Teen Pregnancy Prevention education programs.

Ropes Course

This community- and school-based "Ropes" course consists of an outdoor adventure obstacle course that engages participants in teamwork, trust building, and problem solving skills. It consists of three parts.

One part is the Initiatives games, which are group problem solving tasks, ranging from simple activities to extremely complex. At the core of initiative are themes of interdependence within the group and consensus decision-making. Initiatives is an ideal community-school event because families often do not trust each other and cannot agree on many things.

Another part of the Ropes course is the Low Challenge. Tasks may consist of traversing a horizontal cable or jumping from one element to another. This part can be done by both individual and small groups of four to five people.

The third part, the High Challenge Course, uses modified rock climbing procedures to successfully guide participants through the course. Activities include hand over hand crossing a high wire, climbing up a pole with a belt, swinging from one platform to another, and perching on a small platform. Participants wear safety belts and appropriate equipment. While this course is traveled singly or in pairs, other team members on the ground call up support and encouragement. Each part takes one to two hours to complete. As participants accomplish the initiatives and low-level course, they may move to the high level course.

Teen Nights

Teens in Ajo, Avra Valley, Catalina, and Marana planned and implemented social and recreational activities in their communities. Teen Night events included: teen dances, bowling nights, field trips, paint-ball competitions, movie nights, and all-night graduation parties. These events provide otherwise isolated youth with alcohol, tobacco, and drug free activities in an accessible, positive, and social environment. Funded by the Pima County Outside Agencies.

In 2002-2003, over 340 teens attended Teen Nights.

Wake Up!™
Alcohol & Drug Education Prevention Program

First time drug and alcohol youth offenders attend four sessions: orientation, a slide show presentation developed by the Pima County Medical Examiner's Office of real life alcohol/drug caused injuries and deaths, a 2-hour session at Tucson Medical Center's Trauma Center, and a 4-hour prevention education class led by a substance abuse therapist.

Youth write a 50 word essay about the circumstances that brought them to the program and what they have learned from participating. After completing the program, youth send copies of their essay and certificates of completion to their judges and/or probation officers.

In 2003-2004, 142 youth completed the program. (Funded by the City of Tucson.)

Testimonials of youth who have completed the Wake Up! program.

Violence Is Preventable (VIP) Collaboration

The VIP Collaboration, comprised of both youth and adults living on the New Pascua Yaqui reservation, developed and nutured 68 community stakeholders from community organizations and constituencies of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe to increase awareness about violence. Tranining for stakeholders included coalition building, group facilitation, and developing a planning process. Stakeholders also organized and presented community workshops.

The coalition selected the Iowa Version of Kumpfer’s Strengthening Families for Parents and Youth program, a culturally-appropriate best methods approach to strengthen the families living in four Pascua Yaqui communities. Funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Center for Mental Health Services and the Stocker Foundation.

In 2002-2003, 18 families (64 people) graduated from the multi-session Strengthening Yaqui Families program.

Over 100 individuals have participated in coalition workshops including including topics on bully awareness, decision-making, and communication skills during 2002-2003.

Testimonials of participants in the VIP Collaboration.

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Youth to Youth™

First established in 1996, the Youth to Youth™ cross-age mentoring program pairs 7th grade youth with 5th grade youth during the transition into middle school and throughout 6th grade. At the high school level, 10th grade youth are paired with 8th grade youth during the transition into high school and throughout 9th grade. The pairs meet regularly for social and recreational activities, community service projects, and academic support. Mentors receive 20 hours of initial and on-going training. Training topics include: Trust Building, Getting to Know your Buddy, Self Awareness, and Communication.

In 1998, after a review of the program, the University of Arizona Mentoring Office commended PYP for creating and implementing a program that meets all required components of successful mentor programs. Program results indicate that buddies and mentors do better in school while learning leadership skills. Funded by the Community Partnership of Southern Arizona and Green Valley Community Fund.

In 2002-2003, 60 youth participated in the Youth to Youth™ program in Ajo, Catalina, and Southern Pima County.

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Youth Advisory Councils

The Youth Advisory Council (YAC) is designed to promote youth leadership, community involvement and personal development.

The teen-based councils meet monthly to plan Teen Nights, field trips, community service projects, and fundraising events. The youth leaders also volunteer at community-wide events. YAC members join PYP coalitions and help identify problems in the community and assist in solutions.

In In 2003-2004, 48 youth participated in the Youth Advisory Councils in Ajo, Catalina, and Marana. This is an increase of 118% over last year. (Funded by the Community Partnership of Southern Arizona.)

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Pima YOUTH Partnership (PYP) was incorporated in 1990 by a group of concerned citizens that wanted to connect rural communities with the same programs, services, and activities available to youth and families living in the metropolitan Tucson area.

As a prevention agency, PYP works with youth and families in rural and Native American communities to reach its mission, "In partnership with communities, develop resources to promote the positive growth of their children." Since 1990, PYP has grown from its original three (3) communities of Ajo, rural Marana, and Sahuarita, to include Catalina, Flowing Wells, New Pascua Yaqui Reservation, and the three (3) western districts of the Tohono O'odham Nation.