§ 33-10-504 — Grants for tools to aid youth in resisting pressure to use alcohol, tobacco and drugs

(a) Subject to the availability of funding in the general appropriations act, grants shall be provided in such amounts as determined by the commissioner to organizations that have or that develop a resistance training/social skills program to provide the necessary tools to the youth of this state, to aid them in successfully resisting peer and media pressures to use alcohol, tobacco and other drugs and to understand the physical and social changes taking place in their lives. (b) In order to qualify for a grant, the components of a program offered by an organization must, at a minimum, have: (1) An in-service training that provides staff and volunteers with an overview of the program and suggests ways to incorporate the prevention message into any other programs offered by the organization; (2) A skills development program for boys and girls six (6) to nine (9) years of age. The program focus on this age group shall be on self-awareness, decision-making and interpersonal skills, while communicating age-appropriate information about alcohol, tobacco and other drugs; (3) A resistance skills program for youth nine (9) to twelve (12) years of age that focuses on ways to identify and resist peer, social and media pressures to use alcohol, tobacco and other drugs; (4) A social skills program for adolescents thirteen (13) to fifteen (15) years of age, that teaches resistance skills, stresses reduction techniques, communication skills, assertiveness training and life planning and that provides accurate information about alcohol, tobacco and other drug use; (5) A program for parents that emphasizes communication skills and factual information about alcohol, tobacco and other drug use; and (6) A plan that implements community service projects in which youth and adults work as a team, the end result of which enhances the self-esteem of the participating youth and gives them a sense of accomplishment and a sense of belonging to the community. (c) If the program of an organization provides some, but not all, of these components, then, in the discretion of the commissioner, the organization may qualify for a percentage of the grant that equates to the percentage of the components the organization offers.

Legislative History

Acts 2005, ch. 484, § 5; 2009, ch. 186, § 43; T.C.A. §68-1-604.