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Uintah Basin Positive Action: A Grant to Reduce Alcohol
The Ute Indian Tribe/Uintah Basin Positive Action: Project to Reduce Alcohol Abuse (a model program offered through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) is an integrated, comprehensive, and coherent program that has been shown to improve academic achievement and multiple behaviors of children and adolescents (5-18 years old) and their parents and teachers. It is intensive, with lessons at each grade level (from kindergarten to 12th) that are reinforced all day by including school, family, and community components, which work together or can stand alone. For students, Positive Action improves: · Individual self-concept · Academic achievement and learning skills · Decision-making, problem-solving, and social/interpersonal skills · Physical and mental health · Behavior, character, and responsibility Positive Action positively affects instruction and classroom/school management skills of school personnel through improved self-concept, professionalism, and interpersonal/social skills and, in turn, has a positive impact on their personal lives. Positive Action also helps families by improving parent-child relations and overall family attitudes toward and involvement in school and the community.
Proven Results · Violence and substance use reduced 26% to 56% · Achievement improved 12% to 65% · General discipline improved by 23% to 90% · Absenteeism decreased between 6% to 45% · Truancy decreased by 14% to 20% · Suspensions reduced 8% to 81% · Self-concept improved up to 43% Positive Action involves all members of a school community; students, faculty, support staff, administrators, student family members, and people who live in the community surrounding the school. It has proven effective in urban, suburban, and rural areas and with all ethnic and cultural groups.
Benefits · Develops healthy, self-motivated children who avoid harmful behaviors and substances · Develops educators who are professional, caring, and competent · Develops parents who are involved with their children’s education and school, and who teach and reinforce program goals at home · Offers students a quality after-school program · Motivates community activists to link their community groups to local schools
How It Works Thoughts, Actions, Feelings – is the heart and soul of Positive Action Theory. It is based on the universal truth, of “When we do good, we feel good. When we do bad, we feel bad (Abraham Lincoln).” There are two sides to the chart, a negative(red) and a positive (green), they represent the two choice’s you can make when dealing with any situation. Each person is encouraged to choose which side of the thoughts Action Feelings Chart a certain situation belongs on, if the situation is on the negative (red) side they will need to practice “flipping” the problem into a positive thought-action, then feeling. Both types of actions not only affect the person doing them, but also affect those in the family, and anyone who comes in contact with that person. Positive and Negative actions have a very powerful affect on many, many people. Think about the people you know. A lot of time they are either habitually “positive” cycling or “negative” cycling because it becomes a habit. The main goal of Positive Action is to help people break the “negative” cycling habit, by teaching them to slow down and consciously determine which thoughts that they are thinking. These thoughts then are acted upon and become the actions that they take. These thoughts then are acted upon and become the actions that they take. These actions will determine the way that we feel inside, and how others feel around them. The success of Positive Action depends solely on the individual. They make the choice to react positively or negatively.
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