Barrios Saludables is an opioid misuse prevention project that is continuing to address the growing opioid crisis through prevention activities. The project target population is Latino youth, ages 10-15, parents of at-risk youth, and parents of justice involved youth, including community members and stakeholders. Youth engagement is conducted through youth sessions, utilizing the Too Good for Drugs curriculum developed by the Mendez Foundation. The Barrios Saludables youth curriculum includes 10 sessions for .75-1 hour for each session. The project builds resiliency skills and increases knowledge to provide Latino youth with the ability to achieve personal and academic goals while escaping opioid misuse. Parent and community members engage in Barrios Saludables through workshops and trainings. The overall goals for the project are: to increase parent and youth awareness by increasing education about the devastating risks and public health problems caused by the misuse and abuse of opioids; and to increase, strengthen and enhance collaboration among the Sunnyside community and its different levels of government, including local, state, tribal, and federal, and other community entities that are striving to support the Mayahuel Prevention Consortium prevention efforts to reduce the use and misuse of opioids utilizing the Arizona Rx Drug Toolkit. Barrios Saludables currently implements youth sessions to youth in Pima County virtually and hosts the parent and community workshops virtually for Pima County residents through Zoom and live on social media.
Latinos, Racial Equity, Social Justice, Cultural Preservation, Health Equity, Intergenerational Education, Narrative Change, Substance Abuse Prevention