Thanks to a recently awarded grant, Carbon and Emery counties now have the Family Advocacy Resource Team to assist families in the area. The team provides youth services, the Strengthening Families program and mentoring at no cost.
Denice Madsen, who heads the Strengthening Families program, explained a grant that was awarded in November has allowed these services to be offered for free to the community for the next three years.
“We have had a lot of success,” Madsen commented about the services that have been offered since January.
Candy Price is in charge of the youth services that are offered to the community. Services include: help with behavioral problems, crisis intervention, increased family support, weekly meetings and helping families stay together. Children ages 8-18 may take advantage of the services that are catered to individual and family needs. The program can help families find and utilize local resources and participants can stop the program at any time.
The grant also allows the Strengthening Families program to be offered to families. The program is available year-round and helps families to learn to cope with stressful situations, set rules and expectations for a successful home, and develop a happier home environment. Those who participate in the program will also learn how to create values and traditions as well as improve family relationships. Madsen is currently teaching a class Tuesday evenings and hopes to offer more classes in the future.
Finally, Kevin Anderson heads youth mentoring efforts thanks to the grant. Mentoring is for young men ages 8-18 and can take place in a school setting or on an individual basis. Mentoring services include crisis intervention, improving family relationships, identifying and helping with school issues, and assisting with behavioral problems. Anderson also specializes in transitioning young men into men. Mentoring is completely customized to assist each individual.
The Family Advocacy Resource Team can help families address their individual concerns. Some concerns that families should recognize and pay attention to are anger, lying, stealing, dropping grades, trouble with parents or friends and running away. The Family Advocacy Resource Team can help families tackle these types of issues and get families on the right track.
However, Madsen stated that the three programs now being offered to the community are not just for those who seem to be experiencing obvious problems. She stated that every average family in the area could benefit from one of more of the new programs.
For more information about youth services, contact Price at (435) 636-4747. Those interested in the Strengthening Families program should call Madsen at (435) 636-4721. For more information about mentoring services, please call Anderson at (435) 636-4721.