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Drug, aggression, dropout and suicide prevention programs for youth at risk.
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The Reconnecting Youth Inc. Newsletter is the best source for the latest news, recognition, and expert insights.
On this page we have featured a few recent news items from our latest newsletter and a list of our most commonly asked questions.
Read the latest newsletter.
See our Archived Newsletters.
Summit County Colorado continues legacy of RY graduates
Summit County Youth and Family Services partners with Summit High School to offer their at-risk students the Reconnecting Youth program. Summit High School has hosted RY for 8 years and has served over 150 students to date! A community social worker and a school counselor co-teach the class. Last year, nine out of ten students in the spring semester of RY showed improved attendance rates.
The funding for RY comes from a Colorado Department of Health grant and Youth and Family Services moneys, with in-kind services from the School District. This collaboration shows the commitment of each agency to create positive change in students’ lives.
Summit High School is the primary High School in the community. Currently RY is delivered at Summit High School only, but the District is looking at offering programming at the alternative school, Snowy Peaks High School, in the next couple of years. Here are a few quotes from past Reconnecting Youth students in the Summit Co. program.
- "This class made me realize how much pot I had been smoking. I have cut back on my use a lot. I get to school on time. I plan on graduating on time too."
— RY Student, 2010—11 school year
"Thanks for the information on life and other stuff. It made me feel better about school."
— RY Student, 2009—10 school year
"Now graduation feels possible to me."
— RY Student, 2009—10 school year
Long term success at Toronto RY site
We received an email from a Reconnecting Youth teacher/facilitator in one of the Toronto, Ontario, CAN high schools, recently. It was so good, we just had to share it with all of you!
- "On Friday, as I was leaving the school, I met up with a parent whose daughter was in my RY class, last semester. She was in grade 9, and going downhill fast. Constantly running away, severely depressed, experimenting with drugs and alcohol and had alienating herself from so many students at the school. Her mom and I were in constant conversations throughout the semester about what could be done for her child.
She walked up to me with tears in her eyes. She couldn't believe the change in her daughter over the summer, since finishing RY. Her daughter wasn't running off; she was sitting with her parents to negotiate and talk about things; she was doing family activities; and ultimately ended up doing very well on her exams and passed all but 1 course. Her mother couldn't get over the change in her and was so thankful to have her "little girl" back. She gives 100% of the credit to RY. Even her daughter said it was what she learned in RY and brought home that helped her to make those decisions."
— RY Teacher/Facilitator, 2010—2011 school year
CAST introduced in the Pueblo of Laguna, NM
The Pueblo of Laguna, NM hosted a CAST Teacher/Facilitator Training in July 2011, with the goal of implementing CAST in Laguna Acoma High School in January 2011. Their CAST Program is funded by a grant from OPTUM Health New Mexico.
We look forward to hearing how it's going, once the Laguna teachers get rolling on CAST. They were a rewarding bunch to work with and have lots of enthusiasm for helping their youth!
More recognition for RY!
Reconnecting Youth has been reviewed and is now listed on SAMHSA's National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). NREPP uses very specific standardized criteria to rate interventions and the evidence supporting their outcomes. Click here to review the ratings and read more about Reconnecting Youth.
Reconnecting Youth has been included on a new database of Model Programs for Dropout Prevention. RY is among the few listed as an "Exemplary" Program!
CAST Listed on SAMHSA's NREPP site:
CAST is also listed with the National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices. Click here to review the ratings and read more about the science-based program, CAST.
RY on Television:
Watch for RY Inc. to be featured on the 30 minute television show — Heartbeat of America, hosted by William Shatner, produced by Bert Tenzer and anchored by Doug Llewelyn. You will see the owners of RY interviewed and some video clips of RY leaders and students in action from Visalia California.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. What is the difference between RY and CAST?
We get this question all the time, from agencies who are considering implementing one of our progams,
from sites who have been using one and are thinking of adding the other,
and from grant writers that want to be clear on what they are asking for up front. So, what's the difference? Here are the basics:
Reconnecting Youth (RY) is a semester-long CLASS, implemented in the school, as part of the regular schedule, offered for credit and a grade. RY was designed for students at risk for school dropout, and we have an algorithm/formula using referrals and student records to determine who "qualifies". Class size should not exceed 10-12 students.
Coping and Support Training (CAST) is a 12-session GROUP, which can be implemented in the school (or mental health agency, faith-based organization, juvenile detention center, private practice, etc.) with 6-8 students max. When we tested it, we offered it twice a week on a rotating basis through the school schedule over six weeks, so that students didn’t miss any class more than twice. (Ex: Mon = 1st period, Thur = 2nd per, Mon = 3rd per, Thur = 4th per, etc.) CAST can be offered as a selective prevention program (to youths in at-risk groups, such as 8th graders transitioning to high school, Native Americans, GLBQ populations, or students showing signs of risk for school dropout, etc.); OR as an indicated prevention program for high risk individuals identified through screening (e.g., for suicide risk – this is what we did in our studies).
Perhaps more important is what RY and CAST share in common:
• Students should be invited, not assigned
• Diversity in risk factors, gender, age, experience and strengths are beneficial to the success of individuals in each program
• Life skills are taught, modeled, practiced and applied to real life situations in and outside of the class/group context
• Emphasis is on developing a positive peer culture and adult support system that bolsters personal growth
• Program Goals are to increase school achievement, drug use control and mood management (by decreasing risk factors and increasing protective factors such as personal control, problem-solving coping, and support resources)
• Anyone can teach either RY or CAST as long as they are passionate about helping and working with these types of students, and are willing to deliver the program as designed. The only caveat is that, for RY, when credits are being offered, you need a "teacher of record" to assign grades for the class. We’ve had teachers, administrators, school nurses, counselors, outside mental health agency staff, even well-loved security guards and PO's teach both RY and CAST!
• Training is HIGHLY recommended, but not required for purchase of the curricula. These are both evidence-based programs with over 15 years of research to support their outcomes, when delivered with fidelity. Training will assure implementation readiness.
• We can train on site, year round, on demand. We also have annual trainings here in Seattle. You may also join another site’s training, when there are openings available. Please see the training calendar on our website(s) for the latest schedule. Our Training Coordinator, Merridy can tell you lots more about training, including costs, requirements of a host site, and waiting list options.
• Both programs change lives!! See SAMHSA's National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices for a summary of our outcomes for RY and CAST.
2. What makes RY and CAST work (keys to success)?Reconnecting Youth (RY) is a semester-long CLASS, implemented in the school, as part of the regular schedule, offered for credit and a grade. RY was designed for students at risk for school dropout, and we have an algorithm/formula using referrals and student records to determine who "qualifies". Class size should not exceed 10-12 students.
Coping and Support Training (CAST) is a 12-session GROUP, which can be implemented in the school (or mental health agency, faith-based organization, juvenile detention center, private practice, etc.) with 6-8 students max. When we tested it, we offered it twice a week on a rotating basis through the school schedule over six weeks, so that students didn’t miss any class more than twice. (Ex: Mon = 1st period, Thur = 2nd per, Mon = 3rd per, Thur = 4th per, etc.) CAST can be offered as a selective prevention program (to youths in at-risk groups, such as 8th graders transitioning to high school, Native Americans, GLBQ populations, or students showing signs of risk for school dropout, etc.); OR as an indicated prevention program for high risk individuals identified through screening (e.g., for suicide risk – this is what we did in our studies).
Perhaps more important is what RY and CAST share in common:
• Students should be invited, not assigned
• Diversity in risk factors, gender, age, experience and strengths are beneficial to the success of individuals in each program
• Life skills are taught, modeled, practiced and applied to real life situations in and outside of the class/group context
• Emphasis is on developing a positive peer culture and adult support system that bolsters personal growth
• Program Goals are to increase school achievement, drug use control and mood management (by decreasing risk factors and increasing protective factors such as personal control, problem-solving coping, and support resources)
• Anyone can teach either RY or CAST as long as they are passionate about helping and working with these types of students, and are willing to deliver the program as designed. The only caveat is that, for RY, when credits are being offered, you need a "teacher of record" to assign grades for the class. We’ve had teachers, administrators, school nurses, counselors, outside mental health agency staff, even well-loved security guards and PO's teach both RY and CAST!
• Training is HIGHLY recommended, but not required for purchase of the curricula. These are both evidence-based programs with over 15 years of research to support their outcomes, when delivered with fidelity. Training will assure implementation readiness.
• We can train on site, year round, on demand. We also have annual trainings here in Seattle. You may also join another site’s training, when there are openings available. Please see the training calendar on our website(s) for the latest schedule. Our Training Coordinator, Merridy can tell you lots more about training, including costs, requirements of a host site, and waiting list options.
• Both programs change lives!! See SAMHSA's National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices for a summary of our outcomes for RY and CAST.
We think the Reconnecting Youth and CAST Programs work for a lot of reasons! But if pushed to pick our top three reasons these evidence-based programs work, we'd have to go with these:
1) The Leader! If you select and invite a caring, engaged and supportive adult who is passionate about program fidelity as your RY or CAST Leader, you will realize so much more success.
2) Positive Peer Culture! The students in RY and CAST have a job and agree to it: They are all there to support one another, regardless of their differences or their diverse personal goals. Each student brings strengths to share with the other group members.
3) Skills Training! RY and CAST aren’t rap groups. It is not a counseling group. It is a life skills training course. Students learn skills every day that they then apply to their real life situations. These skills benefit the RY students beyond the walls of the school and on into their adult lives. That's why the positive changes that happen in RY last well beyond the semester-long class.
4) Developer-sponsored Training. RY Inc. Trainings are engaging, interactive and practice-focused. Read what our training participants have said about their training experience.
3. Will RY or CAST work in block schedules?1) The Leader! If you select and invite a caring, engaged and supportive adult who is passionate about program fidelity as your RY or CAST Leader, you will realize so much more success.
2) Positive Peer Culture! The students in RY and CAST have a job and agree to it: They are all there to support one another, regardless of their differences or their diverse personal goals. Each student brings strengths to share with the other group members.
3) Skills Training! RY and CAST aren’t rap groups. It is not a counseling group. It is a life skills training course. Students learn skills every day that they then apply to their real life situations. These skills benefit the RY students beyond the walls of the school and on into their adult lives. That's why the positive changes that happen in RY last well beyond the semester-long class.
4) Developer-sponsored Training. RY Inc. Trainings are engaging, interactive and practice-focused. Read what our training participants have said about their training experience.
YES! Both programs are designed for 50-55 minute sessions. But the answer is a little different for RY than for CAST.
Let's look at RY first. Since RY is a school class, it needs to follow the bell schedule, whatever that may be. Sometimes schools have as little as 45 minute periods, sometimes as much as 75-90. If an RY class is scheduled for 3rd period, which meets on a block schedule (e.g., Mon, Wed, Fri for 80 minutes), you can combine two lessons into each class session. For those of you who are familiar with the Anatomy of an RY Lesson, you would start at the beginning (Check In) and teach all the way through one lesson; then start the next lesson at Big Ideas and teach through that lesson. It is wise to allow the students a “brain break” at some point, perhaps midway through.
What about CAST? If you are implementing CAST in a school (which is just one of many appropriate settings), you only need to keep the students together for the length of each session. If you complete the session within 55 minutes, then send them back to class for the remainder of the period! Some schools prefer you pull CAST students out of class for the latter part of a period, which allows them to be present for some of the lesson and get their assignments before leaving for their CAST group.
4. Can I offer CAST in a setting besides school?Let's look at RY first. Since RY is a school class, it needs to follow the bell schedule, whatever that may be. Sometimes schools have as little as 45 minute periods, sometimes as much as 75-90. If an RY class is scheduled for 3rd period, which meets on a block schedule (e.g., Mon, Wed, Fri for 80 minutes), you can combine two lessons into each class session. For those of you who are familiar with the Anatomy of an RY Lesson, you would start at the beginning (Check In) and teach all the way through one lesson; then start the next lesson at Big Ideas and teach through that lesson. It is wise to allow the students a “brain break” at some point, perhaps midway through.
What about CAST? If you are implementing CAST in a school (which is just one of many appropriate settings), you only need to keep the students together for the length of each session. If you complete the session within 55 minutes, then send them back to class for the remainder of the period! Some schools prefer you pull CAST students out of class for the latter part of a period, which allows them to be present for some of the lesson and get their assignments before leaving for their CAST group.
YES! Besides school settings, CAST can be implemented in a mental health agency, faith-based organization, juvenile detention center, private practice, inpatient setting or community agency.
5. What is a CAST or RY Coordinator?
The Coordinator assures implementation fidelity. A Coordinator supports the Leader/facilitator so that the program is delivered as designed and helps the group members achieve the best outcomes.
The CAST or RY Coordinator must have in-depth knowledge of the program; often this is someone who has facilitated the program themselves with success. Additionally, they must possess the skill, knowledge and authority to support and sustain the necessary program infrastructure; and the time, ability and willingness to provide oversight and supervision of the program.
Forming partnerships within the school and wider community, participating in the development of a school Crisis Response Plan and overseeing student selection, screening and assessment are all important tasks of the Coordinator.
Coordinator Training is highly recommended, and available through RY Inc. For a quick overview of either training: download the RY Coordinator Training Overview or download the CAST Training Overview.
The CAST or RY Coordinator must have in-depth knowledge of the program; often this is someone who has facilitated the program themselves with success. Additionally, they must possess the skill, knowledge and authority to support and sustain the necessary program infrastructure; and the time, ability and willingness to provide oversight and supervision of the program.
Forming partnerships within the school and wider community, participating in the development of a school Crisis Response Plan and overseeing student selection, screening and assessment are all important tasks of the Coordinator.
Coordinator Training is highly recommended, and available through RY Inc. For a quick overview of either training: download the RY Coordinator Training Overview or download the CAST Training Overview.