Traditional prevention strategies do not work in isolation and must be supplemented by other tools that are sensitive to culture of young people.  Health professional and others who target youth in their prevention efforts must be thoroughly knowledgeable about-and competent in-the dominant youth culture if they are to be effective in helping youth choose healthy lifestyles and prevent substance abuse and HIV.  The dominant culture is HIP-Hop.

We will use a youth popular culture framework to integrate substance abuse prevention and HIV prevention interventions, including dance, fashion, rap music and graffiti.  The interventions to be integrated are a SAMHSA Model Program and a CDC HIV Prevention Effective Program: Project SUCCESS (School Using Coordinate Community Efforts to Strengthen Students) and a BART (Becoming A Responsible Teen), respectively.

The project's goals and objectives are to:



 Reduce substance use and early sexual activity.
   


Increase family interactions.
   


Increase constructive recreational activity.
   
Build social and personal skills.
   


Provide leadership development to promote pro-health decisions and skill use. .
   


Provide parent training.
   
Provide parent-child activities to support joint parent-child participation
   
Provide community service activities as a positive alternative activity.