Lead and Seed
“Lead and Seed” is a 2-day process, in which adults, such as parents, youth pastors, youth-serving civic organization facilitators or teachers are trained to return to their schools or communities to provide training to their own youth leaders in middle or high school, to reduce and prevent underage drinking tobacco and other drugs. Lead and Seed is an innovative technique that combines BOTH the “program” approach (Phase I) and best “practice” approach (Phase II.) Participants also receive 100+ examples of replicable, youth led projects to reduce underage drinking in their communities, formatted in terms of goals, objectives, materials, action steps, enhancement examples and measurement recommendations.
Phase I, (LEAD), is the “Instructional Phase” that deals with the program approach, “individual change,” in an effort to fix and change individual adolescent knowledge, attitude and skills. It is during this 2 day instruction that youth also explore the specific causes and solutions for underage drinking in their community, what strategies might work where they live, work, play and pray, and how they are going to measure behavioral change for the strategy in the action plan that create. (What’s your yardstick?)
Phase II, (SEED), is the flexible period of time following the 2-day program instruction- the Community Action phase-whereby the trained youth participants implement the action plans and strategies they developed during Phase I of Lead and Seed. This Lead and Seed configuration of “training first” and “then implementing” plans, is helpful because in Phase I youth are provided with the “tools” they need to localize and take charge of their own efforts and outcomes. This is the beginning of “population-level” change that would occur in Phase II. The adult role is to support and assist the youth in attaining their goals.
Vision:
The Lead & Seed vision is a community whereby adults enforce anti-drug policies, procedures and laws, support drug-free choices for minors and empower youth with the decision-making skills that enable them to lead healthy, drug-free lifestyles.
Mission:
The mission of Lead & Seed is to reduce and prevent underage alcohol consumption, teen tobacco use and illicit drug use at the individual and population level by empowering youth and adults with the knowledge and strategies they need to build human, technical and financial capacities, build leadership skills, and use print, broadcast and electronic media effectively.
Lead and Seed provides the tools that communities need to induce individual and population change in terms of preventing and reducing drug use.
Theory of Change:
- IF, during the Lead and Seed Program Phase I, youth and adult leaders receive separate trainings in the 5-Step Strategic Prevention Framework process and Best Practice strategies, THEN, a viable, localized plan, (Logic Model), will be developed with youth as the vehicles of change in Lead and Seed Phase II to initiate population-level change in the community.
- IF, in the Lead and Seed Program Phase I training, youth and adults change their knowledge, attitudes and skill levels, THEN, they will be more likely to experience and promote behavioral change at the population level.
Goals and Objectives:
Lead & Seed follows the 5-step SAMHSA’s Strategic Prevention Framework planning process and the goal is to prevent and reduce underage alcohol consumption and consequences, teen tobacco use and illicit drug use.
Objectives of the program are to:
- Build human, technical and financial capacities;
- Change policies, practices and procedures;
- Utilize print, broadcast and electronic media;
- Cultivate advocacy skills; and
- Build leadership skills.
To learn more about our Lead and Seed Program contact:
Nora Drexler
Supervisory Trainer
(703) 399-1825 Phone
Email: ndrexler at alutiiq.com †
† Replace " at " with @ for a working email address
