The Ohio Youth Resilience Collaborative is implementing the school-based program Botvin LifeSkills® Training in 12 counties throughout Ohio as part of a delivery system that includes both family-based and school-based programs to reduce risky behaviors and build resilience for youth and families.
What is Botvin LifeSkills® Training (LST)?
All 7th graders in participating classes/school districts will receive LifeSkills® Training during school hours. These trainings are led by teachers or other school staff. LifeSkills® is a program seeking to influence the social and psychological factors that contribute to the initiation and early use of substances. The curriculum comprises a minimum of 15 class sessions (there are options for “booster” sessions) that last for 30-45 minutes. It can be taught on an intensive schedule (two to three times a week) until the program is complete, or on a more extended schedule (once a week).
Botvin LST is a research-validated substance misuse prevention program proven to reduce the risks of alcohol, tobacco, substance misuse, and violence by targeting the major social and psychological factors that promote the initiation of substance use and other risky behaviors. This comprehensive program provides adolescents and young teens with the confidence and skills necessary to successfully handle challenging situations.
Program Benefits
Rather than merely teaching information about the dangers of substance misuse, Botvin LifeSkills® Training promotes healthy alternatives to risky behavior through activities designed to:
- Teach students the necessary skills to resist social (peer) pressures to smoke, drink, and use drugs
- Help students to develop greater self-esteem and self-confidence
- Enable students to effectively cope with anxiety
- Increase their knowledge of the immediate consequences of substance misuse
- Enhance cognitive and behavioral competency to reduce and prevent a variety of health risk behaviors
- Recognition