Spring Youth Forum Team Scholarship Information Packet

Applications were due NO LATER than
Wednesday, March 14 by 5:00 pm.

Applications received after this date, as well as applications that are not complete, may not be accepted.

The WA State Spring Youth Forum opportunity is provided by a partnership with the Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery and the Washington Attorney General’s Office. Funding is to support the Spring Youth Forum to continue prevention of alcohol, tobacco and drug use and place an emphasis on the importance of the prevention of prescription, and synthetic substance use. These grant funds are entirely generated from court settlements with drug companies for consumer protection violations impacting citizens of Washington State.

2012 Scholarship Application

The scholarship application deadline has passed. There is a waiting list. Letters of acceptance or denial will be sent out on March 26 by 5:00pm.

What was new this year? The following updates to the criteria: Evidence-based Practices and Sustainability

• Sustainability: Which key elements of substance abuse prevention sustainability have you implemented within your project (e.g., Build Community Support; Develop Capacity; Ensure Effectiveness)? What steps have you taken to keep this project alive when the core group graduates and to make sure that this project can be replicated year-to-year, no matter which group of students is participating.

• Impact: Project has broad outreach. Team can demonstrate change occurred as a result of this project and explain how this project made a difference. How efficient was your project in reaching its intended audience and in providing lasting/enduring and evidence-based outcomes in substance abuse prevention? If influenced by an evidence-based program, which program did your team implement?

Timeline:

• February 22: Scholarship applications available
• March 7: Questions about the application process? What are the changes or updates for the Spring Youth Forum 2012 process? Join our 3:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Q&A conference call! (Call-in Number: 1-800-747-5150 Participant Passcode: 5860725)
• March 14: Applications due by 5:00 p.m.
• March 15 - March 21: Applications reviewed and scored
• March 26: E-mail acceptance notification and registration instructions sent to the Team Adult Advisor
• April 11: Questions about scholarship acceptance and registration? Join our 3:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Q&A conference call! (Call-in Number: 1-800-747-5150 Participant Passcode: 5860725)
• April 16: Scholarship registration deadline (If your team does NOT register, they may lose the scholarship!)
• April 20: Cancellation/substitution deadline
• May 2: Questions about your role as a chaperone or Team Adult Advisor? Join our 3:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Q&A conference call!
(Call-in Number: 1-800-747-5150 Participant Passcode: 5860725)
• May 9: Event check in and team arrival (Bring your permission forms for check-in!)
• May 9: Chaperone on-site meeting

Primary Goals of the Spring Youth Forum:

Recognize and reward youth prevention teams that have implemented a successful project within their communities.

Provide a venue to showcase prevention projects that were considered, created, and shaped by youth leaders during and following previous Prevention Summits or other youth trainings.

Give students from across the state an opportunity to learn from one another through a series of forums presented by the prevention teams accepted to attend.

Gather success stories from youth groups to share with future groups to encourage sustainability of their programs.

Location and Date

The Spring Youth Forum will be held at the Great Wolf Conference Center on May 10.

Examples of Sustainability and Evidence-based Practices

• www.nrepp.samhsa.gov
• www.prevention.org
• http://www.dshs.wa.gov/dbhr/dapreventionservices.shtml

To be eligible for scholarship and participation, teams must:

• Have an identified Team Adult Advisor who will lead and assist the youth team at the Spring Youth Forum.
• Be limited to a maximum of up to 6 youth and 2 adult chaperones. The 3:1 ratio of youth to chaperone is required.
• Have completed, or nearly completed, a prevention project that will be presented to others. Projects can be long-term, ongoing projects or newly-developed projects. Presentations should be about specific youth-led projects and not programs in general.
Only one project application per youth team is allowed. If your youth team has multiple projects they should select one project to present.
• Plan to prepare a 8-minute presentation to share with other youth prevention groups at the Forum.
• Be able to participate in the entire Spring Youth Forum, including voting throughout the event and attending final presentations. Teams not in attendance for the entire event will be ineligible for awards and prizes through disqualification.
• Submit a completed application (including completed and signed W-9 form) by 5:00 p.m. on March 14. Space will be limited.
• Be of the required age. Youth must be 12-18 years of age; chaperones must be at least 19 and at least 3 years older than the youth they are chaperoning.

Application Review Process

The scholarship review process will begin on March 15. Teams that are unable to meet the deadline should inquire about any remaining scholarships, as space may still be available. The Team Adult Advisor should complete and submit the scholarship application. All communication will be sent via e-mail to the Team Adult Advisor and e-mail address indicated on the application form. Please be sure the correct e-mail is provided on the application. Reviewers will evaluate and approve applications based on completeness of application, the stated criteria and information provided. The application score accounts for 25 percent of the total score for each team. Teams are not guaranteed scholarships and some partial scholarships may be awarded.

Confirmation of Receipt of Scholarship Application

The Team Adult Advisor will receive an e-mail notification from a CASAT representative after the scholarship application form is submitted that it has been received and will be notified if there are any questions regarding the answers on the form or missing documents. All missing information or documents must be received by the application deadline in order for the application to be considered complete. If a confirmation e-mail is not received within 48 hours of submitting the application, the Team Adult Advisor is responsible for contacting CASAT immediately to follow up on the scholarship submission and to confirm receipt. Should a team submit an application on the due date, it is the Team Adult Advisor’s responsibility to follow up with a phone call to ensure receipt of application. It is important to be sure your team’s application was received, and the Team Adult Advisor is responsible for confirming receipt.

Teams awarded scholarships may receive one or more of the following:

1. Free registration and acceptance to participate (a value of more than $175 per person and a chance to win the grand prize)
• Free registration for Team Adult Advisor, chaperone and youth.
2. Travel assistance (between $25-$150)
• Amount is dependent upon team’s county of origin. It is expected that teams contribute the difference in actual travel costs.
Please prepare for the possibility of paying all travel costs up front and receiving a travel assistance check for the amount awarded to the team after the event. A check will be mailed to the address on the W-9 form submitted.
3. Lodging (a value of more than $500 each night)
The number of hotel rooms and the amount of travel assistance provided to your team will be explained in the Scholarship Award Letter, which will be sent via e-mail to the Team Adult Advisor.
• It will be up to each team to determine how many and who should be in each room (e.g., one chaperone and three youth per room or four youth in one room and two chaperones in the second room.).
• It is the expectation that people will share rooms when appropriate and feasible.
• Teams may need to purchase additional rooms for team members, chaperones and/or adult
advisors.
• Should teams wish to purchase additional rooms for team members, a group rate will be available. However, there is no guarantee that the rooms will be near the other team room(s), as the Committee will have already booked lodging for teams awarded scholarships. Please contact CASAT for the group rate code at the event email address, if needed.
• Hotel confirmation number(s) and additional hotel information will be provided closer to the event via e-mail to the Team Adult Advisor.
• All lodging rooms for youth and adult members of the team will be reserved at the Great Wolf Lodge.
• Should teams register less than the number of people awarded a scholarship, the number of hotel rooms awarded may be adjusted.
4. Meals (a value of more than $75 per person)
• Breakfast, lunch and dinner on Thursday, May 10th.
• All other meals are the responsibility of the team.
5. Waterpark Passes (a value of $40 each)
Waterpark passes can be used starting at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 9, through Thursday, May 10 until 9:00 p.m. Hotel room check-in starts at 4:00 p.m.; however, teams may arrive beginning at 1:00 p.m. and the hotel will provide waterpark passes and allow teams to swim prior to room check-in.

Once accepted, teams:

• Will receive an award letter via e-mail no later than March 26. The letter will include a unique scholarship coupon code (per team) with which to register. The letter will also include the number of hotel rooms and travel assistance amount awarded to the team, if applicable.
• Must register online at www.springyouthforum.org (registration page) by April 16, using the unique coupon code provided in the award letter. Please note: Teams not registered by Monday, April 16 by 5:00 p.m. may lose their scholarship to other teams on the waiting list.
• Must download all necessary forms, as well as ensure all youth receive and complete them. Youth must receive all necessary parental (or legal guardian) signatures to attend the Forum. Youth will not be allowed to attend without bringing all necessary signed forms to the Forum and submitting them at check in.
• Must download chaperone guidelines and responsibilities and ensure all Team Adult Advisors and chaperones have read and understand the requirements and obligations.
• Must complete and sign a travel form if required, including any attachments, to receive travel assistance and/or lodging. If a travel form is necessary, you will be notified in your acceptance letter.
• Bring handouts and materials associated with the team’s presentation.
• Prepare a final presentation. If using PowerPoint, video or other electronic means, do not submit your team’s presentation in advance this year. Bring your final version with you for the day of the presentation.
• Visit the Rules of Participation webpage on the conference website for the rules and regulations in regards to participating in the Forum.

Awards

Prizes will be awarded to teams based on completion of application, quality of application and quality of presentation given during the Spring Youth Forum. Teams may win awards in each of the criteria categories and by presentation room. Presentation room winners will compete for the Grand Prize. Please read and follow all instructions carefully to give your team the best opportunity to win!

Presentations

Each team will have up to 8 minutes to present information about their project to other youth teams. Teams will vote on presentations immediately following each team presentation. Please see the Presentations webpage on the conference website for tips, guidelines and downloads that will assist with presentations.

All teams will be judged on the following criteria:

• Innovation: Project is unique, creative and innovative. Application/presentation clearly details innovations, exciting ideas, techniques or activities have been implemented.
• Sustainability: Which key elements of substance abuse prevention sustainability have you implemented within your project (e.g., Build Community Support; Develop Capacity; Ensure Effectiveness)? What steps have you taken to keep this project alive when the core group graduates and to make sure that this project can be replicated year-to-year, no matter which group
of students is participating.
• Impact: Project has broad outreach. Team can demonstrate change occurred as a result of this project and explain how this project made a difference. How efficient was your project in reaching its intended audience and in providing lasting/enduring and evidence-based outcomes in substance abuse prevention? If influenced by an evidence-based program, which program did your
team implement?
• Presentation Style & Professionalism: (For application) Project information on application is in a clear and legible format with accurate, concise, complete and descriptive information. (For presentation) Youth team presentation is prepared, presentation is easy to follow and clearly communicated and the materials, if provided, are easy to read and accurate.
• Collaboration and Partnerships: Project describes collaborations/partnerships with other local groups, organizations or agencies that the team developed to increase the impact of their project and/or leverage community partnerships to do more. If no collaborations exist, the team should clearly explain why.

Final scores will be based on:

• 25 percent on the quality and completeness of this application. Be sure to take your time and answer all questions clearly. A long answer does not necessarily mean a complete answer – make sure you answer the question and be concise. Your application will be reviewed and scored by a committee of youth and adults. While every attempt is made to accept every team that applies,
the teams with the highest scores will have the first opportunities to earn a scholarship to attend the Spring Youth Forum. Your application score also makes up 25 percent of your total team score at the Forum.
• 25 percent on adult voting on site. Adults not affiliated with any competing youth team will vote in both the preliminary and final rounds of the presentation competition.
• 50 percent on team voting on site. Youth prevention teams will receive one team ballot per team (youth and chaperone) to vote on each presentation in the preliminary and final rounds.

Please complete the following application to earn your space at this exciting event!

For questions, please contact: CASAT toll free at 877.922.6635 or by email at contactus@springyouthforum.org