Prevention work focuses on what is called "risk and protective factors." Protective factors do just that: protect people. Risk factors are things that have the potential to harm. The more protective factors in one's life, the more likely a person is to live a positive and healthy lifestyle avoiding substance abuse, engaging in unprotected sex, facing violence, etc.
There are four domains that affect a youth's life: community, family, school, and individual. As a youth navigates between these domains, they face risk and protective factors that can influence their health and well-being.
GCSAPP seeks to increase protective factors throughout each domain.Here are a few examples:
- On the community level, GCSAPP collaborates with several entities throughout the county, from the various law enforcement agencies to the hospital; we all have a stake in the health and well-being of our citizens.
- In the family domain, GCSAPP facilitates Choice Pass Dinners that provide families with education and conversations that contribute to protective factors.
- Concerning GCSAPP's involvement in the schools, we work closely to provide curriculum and lessons to teach our kids Social Emotional skills (see our web page on SEL).
- As far as in the individual domain, not only does our education also address this domain, but additionally our staff builds relationships with youth to encourage healthy choices. These are just a few ways GCSAPP seeks to build protective factors for our youth and community.