National Resources

National Resources - (download for print)

 

Table of Contents

     

  1. Activities in your Community
  2. Violence Prevention Services and Resources
  3. Mental Health Services and Substance Abuse Services
  4. Overdose Resources
  5. Pregnancy, Childcare, and Parenting Services
  6. Education, Job Training, and Employment Services/Resources
  7. Housing & Food Assistance
  8. Assistance for LGBTQ Youth
  9. HIV and STD Prevention and Testing Information

 

Activities in Your Community

Recreation

Boys and Girls Club of America

http://www.bgca.org/

Learn more about after school and summer programs near you, including clubs about educational support, sports, arts, health and life skills..

 

YMCA

http://www.ymca.net/

Find health and fitness programs near you which are for individuals of all ages.

 

Boy Scouts of America

www.michiganscouting.org

Learn more about programs for young men (grades 1-12).

 

 

Girl Scouts of America

www.gssem.org

Learn more about programs for young women (ages 5-17).

 

 

Volunteer Opportunities

Big Brothers-Big Sisters of America

http://www.bbbs.org/

Volunteer to work one-to-one with a child and share experiences and time to help the child grow into a confident person.

 

Red Cross Youth

http://redcrossyouth.org/

Start your own group or search for existing groups in your area to help your community prepare for emergencies.

 

Mentorship Programs

 

Big Brothers-Big Sisters of America

http://www.bbbs.org/

Find an older teen or adult near you to share experiences and time with.

 

Boys and Girls Club of America

http://www.bgca.org/

Learn more about after school and summer programs near you, including clubs about educational support, recreation, arts, health and life skills.

 

Violence Prevention Services and Resources

National Domestic Violence Hotline

Call 1-800-799-7233 or text TELLNOW to 85944

A 24-hour hotline for any type of domestic abuse, including dating abuse.

 

The National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline

Call 1-866-331-9474 or text “loveis” to 22522

A 24-hour confidential and anonymous helpline for teens, parents, friends, family, etc.

 

U.S. National Sexual Assault Hotline

Call 1-800-656-4673

A 24 hour free, safe, and confidential helpline.

 

Boys Town National Hotline

Call 1-800-448-3000 (serves girls too)

Open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and staffed by specially trained counselors. Parents, teens and families can find help with issues including abuse, anger, depression, school issues, bullying etc.

Tips to Stay Safe and Avoid Fights

Just Chill Relax, count to 10, and take a moment to think about things.
Never Carry Don’t carry a weapon. If things are getting serious, get help or ask for advice.
You Control You You’re in control of your own actions. Be your own person; don’t let others tell you what to do
Think First Before you act, think about what could happen! Ask yourself, is this worth the consequences?
It’s Not That Serious Is it worth getting in trouble, getting hurt, getting killed? 
See Things From His Or Her Point Of View Think about what the other person is going through. If they have good reason to feel upset, talk to them about the situation. Don’t be afraid to apologize if you’ve done something wrong.
Keep Walking Sometimes the best thing to do is just walk away. Find something else to do. It may help to get your mind off the situation.
Don’t Be An Instigator If you encourage your friends to fight, you’re just adding to the violence. How about telling your friend to let it go or suggesting you go hangout somewhere else.
Work It Out Without Fighting There are ways to solve problems with another person without fighting. Stay calm and try to talk it through.  
Break The Cycle Of Violence How will your friends and family feel if you get hurt?  Be the one to end the violence. Tell your friends and family not to get even. 
 

 

Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services

National Suicide Prevention Hotline

Call 1-800-273-8255 or chat online at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

Find a counselor who you can talk to about your feelings or problems.

 

Crisis Text Line

Text HOME to 741741

Connect with a counselor who you can text about your feelings or problems.

 

MentalHealth.gov

http://www.mentalhealth.gov/

Learn more about emotional concerns that might be affecting you or someone you know.

 

Mental Health America Information Center

Call 1-800-969-6642

http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/

Learn more about mental health services in your community.

 

Boys Town National Hotline

Call 1-800-448-3000 (serves girls too)

The Boys Town National Hotline is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and staffed by specially trained counselors. Parents, teens and families can find help with a range of issues including abuse, anger, depression, school issues, bullying, etc.

 

Narcotic Anonymous

http://www.na.org/

Learn about FREE support groups which can help those who want to stop using drugs or are affected by the drug use of another person.

 

Alateen

http://www.al-anon.org/for-alateen

Alateen is a FREE program for young people (mostly teenagers up to age 19 years) who have been affected by someone else’s drinking.

 

National Drug and Alcohol Treatment Hotline

Call 1-800-662-4357
Speak to someone and learn more about local support services for those affected by mental health and substance use concerns.

 

Overdose Resources

What is an overdose?

An overdose is when a person takes more alcohol, drugs, or medications than their body can handle.  This can lead to death.

 

What are symptoms of an overdose?

  • Blacking out
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Skin turns blue or pale
  • Heart beating too fast or too slow
  • Heart attack

 

What affects my risk of overdose?

  • Using drugs, alcohol, or prescription medications after not using them for a while
  • Taking a lot of drugs, alcohol or prescription medications
  • Mixing alcohol, drugs or meds
  • Having an illness or disease that affects the heart or lungs

 

What should I do if I see someone overdose?

  • Call 911 or take the person to ER
  • Roll the person on their side to prevent choking if they vomit
  • Shake them, try to wake them up

 

What else do I need to know?

  • Many people don’t want to call 911 when they see an overdose because of fear of legal problems, but know that you could be saving someone’s life.
  • You don’t have to tell the 911 dispatcher your name if you don’t want to.
  • You also don’t have to tell the 911 dispatcher that anyone was using drugs, but do tell the paramedics when they come so they can help the person better.

 

Other Resources

National Poison Control Center:

1-800-222-1222 (24 hrs/day)

Hotline to talk to experts about overdose, particularly due to medications

 

Harm Reduction Coalition:

www.harmreduction.org

 

Pregnancy, Childcare, and Parenting Services

Pregnancy

Planned Parenthood

http://www.plannedparenthood.org/

Offers pregnancy testing and counseling, along with HIV/STD testing, birth control, and other health services.

Payment: Self payment and Medicaid

 

Parenting/Childcare Resources

Head Start

https://www.nhsa.org/

Call 866-677-8724

Offers educational, health, parenting and behavioral services to families.

 

Education, Job Training, and Employment Services

Employment Services and Resources 

Job Corps

http://www.jobcorps.gov/

Call (800) 733-5627

Job Corps is a free education and training program that helps young people who qualify learn job skills, earn a high school diploma or GED, and find and keep a good job.

 

Housing & Food Assistance

Housing

Covenant House

Call 1-800-RUNAWAY

www.1800RUNAWAY.org

A support service and 24-hour helpline for homeless youth. Deals with a wide range of issues, including bullying, suicide, basic needs, health, sex, drugs & alcohol and sex.

 

Food

Feeding America

http://www.feedingamerica.org/

Find a food bank in your area.

 

Assistance for LGBTQ Youth

The Trevor Project

24 hours: Call 1-866-488-7386

Text line: Text Trevor to 1-202-304-1200 during these hours: M-F 3pm – 10pm (Eastern standard time) or Noon-7pm (Pacific standard time)

http://www.thetrevorproject.org/

Talk to someone now about crisis prevention or suicide prevention for LGBTQ youth.

 

HIV and STD Prevention and Testing Information 

What are STDs and HIV/AIDS?

  • STDs stands for Sexually Transmitted Diseases. Common STDs include herpes, syphilis, HPV, genital warts, Gonorrhea, and Chlamydia.
  • HIV is the human immunodeficiency virus and causes AIDS.
  • A person can have any of these viruses for months or years before any signs of illness appear.
  • • HIV weakens the body’s ability to fight off infections, increasing risk for developing serious infections and cancers.

 

How do people get STDs and HIV?

  • HIV and STDs are spread through unsafe sexual contact with an infected person.
  • HIV also spreads through contact with blood of infected people, such as sharing used needles and syringes.
  • For HIV, contact can also come from breast milk, and it can be passed from woman to baby during pregnancy, childbirth, and when breastfeeding.

 

How can I keep myself from getting a STD or HIV?

The best way to avoid getting STDs and HIV is to avoid activities that would allow the virus to be passed to you. By following these suggestions, you will lower your risk of getting STDs and HIV:

  • The only way to avoid sexual exposure to STDs and HIV is to have sex with an uninfected partner or to abstain.
  • If you are not certain that your sex partner is uninfected, you should use a latex condom correctly every time you have sex.

HIV can also be spread by sharing injection equipment. To lower your risk of getting HIV, do not share needles or syringes.

 

Why get tested for STDs or HIV?

You cannot generally tell by looking at someone whether he or she has HIV or an STD infection.  A person can be infected with HIV or an STD and not know it.  The only way to be confident that you are not infected is to get a HIV test.

  • It is important to find out if you are infected with HIV and STDs so that you know if you need to avoid activities that could infect someone else.
  • It is also important to find out if you are infected with HIV or STDs so that you can receive good medical care. Some STDs can be cured with medication, and others can be treated to keep symptoms from bothering you. New treatments for HIV can help keep you healthy.

 

Whom should I tell if I am HIV-Positive?

  • If you test positive, you need to know that this infection is not passed to another person through casual contact.
  • Many states require that you notify any new sexual partner prior to having sex with them.  Past sexual and needle-sharing partners are to be notified so that they can also be counseled and offered testing. If requested, your local health department will provide you assistance in notifying partners

 

Where can I get tested?

 

Get Tested 

National HIV and STD Testing

https://gettested.cdc.gov/

Learn more about fast, free and confidential testing sites in your community.

 

Planned Parenthood

http://www.plannedparenthood.org/

Payment: Self payment and Medicaid

 

Where can I get more information?

You can also call the National AIDS Hotline:  1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636)  TTY: 1-888-232-6348  Hours: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week  E-mail: cdcinfo@cdc.gov   In English, en Español to talk with an HIV specialist. They can give you quick, private answers at any time, day or night.