Capacity Builders Inc. Navajo Youth Builders Personal Responsibility Education Innovation Strategies Project

Overview

Capacity Builders (CBI) will implement the Youth Builders PREIS curriculum Native Students Together Against Negative Decisions (Native STAND) which aims to reduce pregnancies, births, and sexually transmitted infections (STI's) including HIV/AIDS among high-risk youth populations by implementing culturally sensitive curriculum based on Navajo positive youth development. The study has two hypotheses: (1) Do students assigned to the Youth Builders program have a greater chance of abstaining from sexual activity (i.e. oral, vaginal and anal) in the last 3 months as compared to students assigned to the comparison group, measured at 12 month and 18 month follow up? (No vaginal sexual intercourse, report abstinence at 12 and 18 random assignment month follow up); (2) Do students assigned to the Youth Builders program have a greater change of abstaining from sex or practicing safe sex (i.e. using a male or female condom, or other means of birth control if they have sex), than students assigned to the comparison group, measured at 12 and 18 months after random assignment? (No sexual activity or use contraception if engage in sex at 12 month and 18 month follow up.

Capacity Builders (CBI) will implement the Youth Builders PREIS curriculum Native STAND, recruiting Navajo youth in grades 9-11 and between the ages 14-18 who attend school in the Consolidated School District in New Mexico. Using the Theory of Reasoned Action as a theoretical framework, the curriculum will be administered in classrooms over 27 sessions lasting 45 minutes. The curriculum will entail lessons conducted in either Physical Education or Health Classes and youth will be randomly assigned to two groups by the local program evaluator. Youth will be required to obtain signed consent and assent forms prior to participating in the intervention program. Youth will complete pre and post surveys to measure program outcomes. Random assignment will be conducted for the impact and comparison groups by being placed into a pool; students will be blindly pulled to become the impact group. Groups will be stratified to ensure balance between treatment and comparison groups. Quarterly evaluation reports (QERs) and an annual evaluation report will be provided to the Action Team for review. Capacity Builder's Inc. (CBI) Youth Builders PREIS program seeks to test a modification of the Native STAND curriculum in Northwest New Mexico with at least 834 Navajo teens and 3 cohorts. The curriculum is intended to reduce pregnancies, births, and STI's including HIV/AIDS among high-risk youth populations by implementing culturally sensitive curriculum based on Navajo positive youth development. Additional curriculum of adulthood preparation subjects will increase participant knowledge in the areas of: healthy relationships, adolescent development, communication skills, healthy life skills. Youth Builders will be delivered within the traditional school day, embedded into regularly scheduled learning time. Presented once each week for 27 weeks over a 36-week school year, Youth Builders will reach students where they are, overcoming many challenges associated with retention. The project will support a Randomized Controlled Experimental Design. CBI will create valuable resources to support Youth Builders replication nationwide, including a comprehensive Youth Builders Blueprint, describing all action steps taken to achieve goals and objectives. In addition to action steps, the Youth Builders Blueprint will include: program curriculum; curricular map; training materials; sample parent consent forms; sample referral procedures / policies; staff training schedules; sample partnership agreements; Action Team meeting minutes,QERs, and annual evaluation reports The Youth Builders Blueprint will be available in both print and online format, and will be widely disseminated throughout the CBI network of non-profit agencies, Tribes, and school districts across the United States. Conference presentation will be ongoing at state and national conferences.