Specifications include, but are not limited to: BYRRC aims to prevent youth substance use and violence by catalyzing positive community and systems change; we do this through bringing together City and community stakeholders serving Boston’s youth and families to 1) inform Division of Violence Prevention and Recovery Services programming and priorities; 2) connect and share resources across sectors; and 3) provide opportunities for dialogue and building of shared language and knowledge. BYRRC’s work supports a key strategy of Boston’s Youth Substance Use Prevention Strategic Plan—carrying out “holistic, cross-discipline youth wellness efforts with other youth serving programs, including prevention of substance use, violence, dating violence, commercial sexual exploitation and other efforts.” Via FY19 Opioid Affected Youth funding, BYRRC distributed over $300,000 to community-based organizations and residents to deliver innovative prevention curriculum, strengthen equitable access to mental and behavioral health services, and promote cross-sector collaboration. BYRRC was recently awarded another 3-year grant for FY21 and are excited to expand our current activities. Through FY21 funding, BYRRC is seeking proposals from qualified youth-serving organizations to increase equitable access to high quality mentoring opportunities for Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) LGBTQ+ young people. Specifically, via this funding and associated supports BYRRC is seeking to enhance the selected organization’s capacity to provide trauma-informed and equitable mentoring programming and to reach a greater number of Boston’s BIPOC LGBTQ+ youth over a three-year period. This RFP was created in response to 1) the inequitable rates of substance use among BIPOC LGBTQ+ youth in Boston, 2) the important role of positive adult relationships in youth substance use prevention and 3) the need for more high-quality mentoring programming that is affirming and inclusive of BIPOC LGBTQ+ youth in Boston. Additionally, this activity supports Boston’s Youth Substance Use Prevention Strategic Plan by: (1) developing and disseminating educational materials and media messages to youth and families. (2) promoting health education that addresses substance use and social-emotional learning, (3) supporting expansion of engagement opportunities accessible to all youth population, and (4) increasing coordination of prevention efforts between public, private, and non-profit sectors.
