For immediate release: March 12, 2024 (24-028)

New “Communities Building Resilient Youth” grant recipients announced

$574,000 funding supports youth mental health and well-being

OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) announced the inaugural recipients of the new “Communities Building Resilient Youth” funding awards. The nine selected programs create community-led prevention initiatives that support youth mental health, well-being, and resilience through regular activities and events. These initiatives, which range from student-led social media campaigns to activities like cleaning up public spaces and staffing food kitchens, help decrease youth risk factors connected to suicide, violence, and harm.

The recipients include:

All Girl Everything Ultimate Program (AGE UP) (King County)
Mi Chiantla (Grays Harbor, Lewis, Thurston & Mason Counties)
Mujeres in Action (Spokane County)
Boys and Girls Club of Benton/Franklin Counties
Boys and Girls Club of Olympia Peninsula (Clallam County)
YWCA of Greater Seattle (King County)
YWCA of Clark County
Tahoma Indian Center (Pierce County)
TOGETHER!: (Thurston County)

“By creating and fostering safe environments where our most at-risk youth can thrive, each of these programs provides an invaluable service to their communities through something we call ‘upstream prevention,’ or preventing harm before it happens,” said Michele Roberts, Assistant Secretary for Prevention and Community Health, DOH. “It’s a fantastic example of the kind of community-led efforts we want to support at the state level to improve health equity for all.”

Organizations operated by and for communities that are underserved and experience health inequities received prioritization in the selection process. A review panel scored the applicants and took geographical coverage around the state into consideration. The selected programs will receive between $30,000 and $82,000 through June 2024, and will be given the opportunity to request up to an additional $82,000 for state fiscal year 2025.

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