Welcome to St. Louis ReCAST!

St. Louis ReCAST is funded by a 5-year, $4.7 million grant awarded to the department by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). “ReCAST” is an acronym that stands for Resiliency in Communities After Stress and Trauma.

The grant is funding community projects in five specific areas: Violence Prevention Youth Engagement Peer Support Mental Health Trauma-Informed Care

Second Year Community Projects

St. Louis ReCAST has awarded contracts to the following organizations in the following areas for year 2:

Mental Health/Peer Support

• Annie Malone – is using its funds to implement the Parent Advocate Program which equips parents with knowledge that promotes healthy decision making, self-presentation, expression of needs, and effective communication when engaging in court hearings, FST/TDM meetings, community resources and community linkage, court order recommendations, job readiness, and coping and stress management skills. For more information, visit anniemalone.com.
• U and I Rise – is using its funds to foster individual, family and community empowerment by facilitating family¬ and community- building workshops and activities. Programs include: 1) "Tapping Our Parental Power (In a Nutshell)" book for parents, 2) "Tapping Our Parental Power" (TOPP) parent education and empowerment curriculum, 3) "U&I-RISE" training for employers and organizations. 150 parents will be served. For more information, visit uandirise.com.

Violence Prevention

• CHADS Coalition – Second steps program aims to prevent bullying by helping schools create a safer environment through planning, staff training, and teaching students skills for friendship, assertiveness, reporting, and being responsible bystanders. Grades include K-5 and 6-8. For more information, visit chadscoalition.org.
• Metro Theater Company (MTC) – will work with educators in fifth and sixth grade classes to research and assess specific areas of concern in conflict resolution. Each residency will serve 75-100 students, allowing direct participation with the artists for each student. The project will engage 2,250 students in an interactive process that will open dialogue about nonviolent resolution in conflict situations. For more information, visit metroplays.org.
• North Newstead Association – will provide fun, crime-free, and social skill-building activities for children and youth in the neighborhood will help to include chess training/competitions, an ongoing reading club in partnership with St. Louis Public Library to the existing kickball, football, and playground activities at Take Back the Park events and gardening activities. For more information, visit northnewstead.org.

Youth Engagement

• Employment Connection – is prepared to assist 15 18-20 year olds who are transitioning into the workforce by providing work readiness training, also known as World of Work or (WOW). WOW will consist of three phases-I) self-knowledge, 2) the job market, and 3) the toolkit. Issues addressed in tandem with this training include: self-care, mental health coping strategies, financial literacy, educational support, and referrals to trade programs. For more information, visit employmentstl.org.
• Ferguson Youth Initiative – is using its funds to expand the Next Steps program. Youth ages 15 to 19 will gain knowledge and skills pertaining to becoming employed and maintaining employment. Youth gain direct connections to employers that empower youth and aid them in understanding their self-value. For more information, visit fyifergyouth.org.
• Gentlemen of Vision – is a voluntary after school program that uses mentors to supervise, coach, counsel and tutor participants. Seventy-five male youth participate up to 15 hours per week after doing homework. High school and middle school students compete in step competitions and engage in community service projects. For more information, visit gentlemenofvision.org.
• North Campus partnership – is using its funds to tutor students on their school work via a student advocate. They provide supplemental lessons in reading, math, and science with programs such as NoRedlnk and Moby Max. Warm dinner and enrichment classes finish up the day. North Campus will provide each child with 105 hours of interesting, engaging opportunities to expand their horizons. For more information, visit thenorthcampus.org.
• Superior Support Services – is using its funds to provide youth with basic independent living skills. These skills will help them learn to use community resources to plan for college attendance, and locate direct financial resources that will make that attendance a reality. Program subjects include, “Who Am I,” Career Development and Exploration, and College Preparedness. For more information, visit facebook.com/collegepluss
• Teens of Tomorrow – is using its funds to expand current programs: 1) T.O.T.A.L.- Teens of Tomorrow Achieving Leadership, with a curriculum called Back 2 Basics and 2) C.H.A.R.M.D.-Girls with Charisma and a Healthy Attitude Motivated to Excel and Dream. Participating youth engage in healthy conversations during group sessions. Activities, such as cooking, arts and crafts, computers, games, IT, painting, sports, light household construction and hair/body care will be presented as options for discussions. For more information, visit teensoftomorrow.net.
• Washington University-Stop The Bleed – is a local program which seeks to disseminate bleeding control training and equipment along with an opportunity for affirmed shared experiences in trauma as well as opportunities for collective sharing toward the end of engendering a prepared and empowered youth community in St. Louis. The goal of reaching St. Louis youth with this training is specifically linked to the epidemic of gun violence within the Promise Zone in the hope that training youth at high risk for exposure to violence may reduce their chances of dying from violent injury. For more information, visit StopTheBleedSTL.org.
• Youth and Family Center – is using it funds Character Education programming with 90 minute veteran facilitated sessions. Youth will receive guided lessons on 3 core curriculum component GOAL AREAS:
  1. RELATIONSHIPS - To support Youth to Experience Healthy Youth/Adult Relationships through positive mentor role and peer-to-peer modeling.
  2. ENGAGEMENT - Leveraging the Strengths and Talents in community by developing capacity and building Social Emotional Skills in Veterans and Youth.
  3. SENSE of PURPOSE - Opportunities for Youth and Veterans to recover a healthy sense of purpose, supported through the help of licensed clinical mental health professionals onsite during session.
  For more information, visit theyfc.org.

First Year Community Projects

Following the first round of participatory budgeting, St. Louis ReCAST has awarded contracts for the first year to the following organizations in the following areas:

1. Violence Prevention – St. Louis ReCAST has awarded a contract to Employment Connection. The organization will use the funds it has been awarded to connect 90 eligible young adults with re-entry services, including job placement and case management, cognitive therapy, high-school equivalency and adult literacy courses, and additional support services like transportation passes, uniforms, and background checks. For more information, visit www.EmploymentSTL.org.
2. Youth Engagement – St. Louis ReCAST has awarded a contract to St. Louis ArtWorks. The organization will use the funds it has been awarded to provide after-school paid apprenticeships to 80 eligible youth. For more information, visit www.STLArtWorks.org.
3. Peer Support – St. Louis ReCAST has awarded a contract to Community Health in Partnerships (CHIPS). CHIPS will use the funds it has been awarded to offer a series of after-school workshops for eligible children to help them develop leadership skills and life coping skills. For more information, visit www.CHIPSSTL.org.
4. Mental Health – St. Louis ReCAST has awarded a contract to CHADS Coalition (“CHADS” stands for “Communities Healing Adolescent Depression and Suicide”). CHADS Coalition will use the funds it has been awarded to increase the number of hours it provides for its three programs: 1) Social and Emotional Well-Being; 2) Signs of Suicide; and 3) Family Support. For more information, visit www.CHADSCoalition.org.

About St. Louis ReCAST

All community projects are decided on and awarded through a participatory budgeting process – meaning that the communities themselves are involved in making the decisions. Participatory budgeting is a democratic process in which Promise Zone community members vote on how to spend the ReCAST funds.

St. Louis ReCAST's goals are to:

• Build a foundation to promote well-being, resiliency, and community healing;
• Improve access to trauma-informed community behavioral health resources and youth peer support; and
• Create community change using a community-based participatory approach.