Brad Drake: Positive Action program provides meaningful learning opportunities

As main focus in our mentoring programs, we feel very strongly about our prevention practices.

I'm the prevention coordinator at the Boys & Girls Club of Watertown. I have direct interaction with youth and help facilitate our successful evidence-based curriculum.

Other responsibilities of the coordinator include monitoring the outcomes of the program, reporting, conducting training with other club staff members who may contribute to the curriculum and continually adapting the program to meet our at-risk audiences and changing trends.

Our prevention coordinator will also work to implement the Positive Action curriculum. Our organization feels that this learning program for our members will help increase positive behavior, reduce negative behavior, and improve social and emotional learning all while helping to make them well-rounded individuals.

This year we will increase our focus on the negative effects of drug use as we are seeing high levels of methamphetamine and opioid use in our community, which is resulting in more criminal-related offenses and a rise of children in foster care programs.

Positive Action will give our members meaningful learning opportunities outside of their traditional classrooms with evidence-based learning. This project will assist our efforts in increasing our number of mentors and enhancing programming opportunities, while providing a safe and engaging place for youth.

Now, on a weekly basis, each program group is applying Positive Action programs in their activities. Daily, each program staff member is using the Positive Action model to defuse situations and help our club members think before they act.

Brad Drake is the prevention coordinator at the Boys & Girls Club of Watertown.