NOT MY KID INC

Today’s youth are posed with an inextricable alliance of threats working against their health, happiness, development, and success. In the past two years, Maricopa County experienced an 85% increase in youth suicides, with 34 teenagers in the East Valley alone tragically taking their own lives during the 2018/19 school year. The premature loss of young lives is always horrifying, but not necessarily isolated from the influence of other factors. Instead of pursuing a singular culprit to blame, we must address the preventable conditions leading to youth suicide, including substance abuse, bullying, addiction, trauma, and mental illness. As studies indicate that people who reach 21 without engaging in risky behaviors are likely to never do so, notMYkid firmly believes that providing youth with coping mechanisms for demanding situations is key to helping them arrive at adulthood healthy and whole.

Since 1999, notMYkid has been presenting peer-to-peer prevention education programs in Arizona schools, including amplif(i) Prevention Education for youth, parents, and educators; Corporate Employee Wellness Programs; Project Rewind Early Intervention Program, and l
Leadership Workshops for Youth that build self-confidence, foster resiliency, and inspire social and emotional change.

Three years ago, notMYkid successfully launched Project REWIND with support from the Governor’s Office of Youth, Faith and Family. Partnering with three originating school districts, we currently offer the program 22 times a school year. Schools refer students to the program who have been identified as using alcohol, e-cigarettes or drugs. Participating students, along with a least one parent, attend education sessions that detail the risk factors associated with substance abuse and the related consequences. While students learn how to practice positive coping skills and overcome peer pressure, parents learn ways to improve family communication and motivate changes in behavior. Together the teens and parents practice open communication, listening to each other to “Rediscover Existing Ways to Inspire New Directions” (REWIND).

amplif[i] Prevention Education presentations work to prevent the onset of behavioral health problems for youth and teens by implementing evidence-based strategies that address the full spectrum of behavioral health prevention. The program proactively ad, bullying, dresses behavioral health issues such as depression, suicide, substance abuse, bullying, Internet safety, unhealthy relationships, and body image to promote positive decisions that will positively impact youths’ health and future. Administered by extensively trained peer educators, the one-hour presentations are designed to equip youth with skills that build resilience and foster positive choices, while helping them understand and overcome behavioral health problems. In separate one-hour sessions, parents and school faculty are educated on the warning signs related to the given topic, provided tools for prevention planning, and offered resources to continue the conversation and connect youth to services who may need additional support.

Corporate Wellness allows employees to receive valuable information about substance abuse, depression/self-injury and internet safety during their corporate lunch hour.

Since 1999, notMYkid has been presenting peer-to-peer prevention education programs in Arizona schools, including amplif[i] Prevention Education for youth, parents, and educators; corporate employee wellness programs; Project Rewind- an early Intervention program, and mentoring for youth that build self-confidence, foster resiliency, and inspire social and emotional change.

Over the course of 20 years, notMYkid has served over 2 million youth and adults, with programs reaching more the 75,000 people each year with the help of our expert trained prevention specialists and peer educators.

With a vision for every child to have the knowledge and confidence to reach their full potential through positive life choices, Steve and Debbie Moak founded notMYkid in 1999 after battling the substance abuse addiction of their teenage son. The first-hand experiences of the Moak’s are what inspired them to develop notMYkid with a simple principle behind its inception: prevention rather than intervention.
Recognizing that the challenges our youth face today are complex and can potentially devastate and derail futures, notMYkid passionately works to educate and protect our community’s kids by providing a range of peer-to-peer programs, including behavioral health prevention education for youth, parents, and educators; corporate employee wellness programs; an early intervention substance abuse program for youth and their parents, and leadership workshops for youth.