The Creative AWARE Project
The Los Angeles County Office of Education’s Center for Distance and Online Learning Unit proposes the Creative AWARE Project to develop a sustainable infrastructure for school-based mental health programs and services by leveraging collaborative partnerships at the state, county, and local regional level. This project is a 5-year federally funded grant to support Los Angeles County Local Educational Agencies to implement mental health related promotion, awareness, prevention, intervention, and resilience activities to ensure that school-aged youth have access and are connected to appropriate and effective behavioral health services.
Creative AWARE Project Goals
The Creative AWARE Project Goals for the 5-year federally funded Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) grant are:
- Increase awareness of mental health, substance use, and co-occurring disorders among school-aged youth.
- Increase the mental health literacy of individuals who interact with school-aged youth to understand and detect the signs and symptoms of mental illness, substance use/misuse, and co-occurring disorders.
- Promote and foster resilience building and mental health well-being for all school-aged youth through the Arts, specifically Media Arts.
- Provide positive behavioral health supports; targeted services to those who need more support; and intensive services to those who need them.
- Increase and improve access to culturally relevant, developmentally appropriate, and trauma-
- Informed school and community-based AWARE activities and services.
