About

The PUSH-UP Program is an opportunity to create a peer-led community at O’Bryant School dedicated to engaging in substance use prevention, advocacy among youth, promoting positive behavior change and healthy lifestyle choices. Driven by issues of importance to the students and with guidance from Mr. Daley, the interactive group will help identify and develop initiatives and campaigns to bring awareness to substance use prevention in our youth community across the City.

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A peer-to-peer model has proven to be effective for a number of reasons including the opportunity for youth to communicate shared experiences and offer an avenue for sharing knowledge that resonates with other youth. The model promotes the idea that peers are the experts of their own lives and experiences, encouraging each other to grow.

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PUSH-UP youth will provide the opportunity to learn about substance use prevention from community-based experts, including the Boston Public Health Commission Community Prevention Office, and to attend additional speaker events through Power Forward, along with additional partners.

 

In an effort to continue to build and strengthen youth substance use prevention, the PUSH-UP Program  would like to move forward with continued support and networking of the Boston Public Health Commission, Office of Recovery Services, BPS, Boston Centers for Youth and Families, and ARPSS.  We envision the development and implementation of a coalition within the City bridging all gaps to become a beacon for change.