Year 1
January 15, 2020 - January 14, 2021
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Overview
Overview
PROGRAM GOALS
PROGRAM STRENGTHS
In its first year, the GFOL made progress towards the goals for the grant. Significant strengths include establishing partnerships with the University of Guam and the Guam Community College to improve services for youth and young adults and the continued commitment from the agency’s administrators and staff to support the program’s initiatives.
The partnership with the two higher education institutions, UOG and GCC, has resulted in addressing the recommendations from the needs assessment to expand the service reach of the two existing programs at UOG and to begin developing policy and procedure at GCC for suicide prevention, intervention and postvention. The partnership with UOG also resulted in establishing a fellowship program that awarded 4 fellows in Year 1 who will engage in research to expand data on individuals with lived experiences. This research will identify risk and protective factors, barriers and supports among CHamoru and Micronesian youth.
GBHWC has worked to successfully standup the NSPL so that individuals in need of immediate services can have access to assistance from the crisis hotline locally. This is a milestone in meeting the goals of the grant and will be a great asset to the island community beyond the life of the grant project.
Additionally, the GFOL’s team should be commended for their ability to adapt to teleworking and finding alternate ways to reach the targeted populations in the community. The team has been resourceful with their outreach amidst the chaos of the ongoing pandemic. This is evidence of the strength of the leadership and the commitment of the staff. Although the benchmarks for natural helpers or workforce development training weren’t met in Year 1, connections were made with schools, community and religious organizations, and other government agencies to sustain continued progress to reach these goals.
PROGRAM BARRIERS
As with any program, there were also some challenges. However, the unanticipated disruption from the COVID-19 pandemic proved to be the most significant barrier to the program reaching its goals for Year 1. With the government-wide shut down in March and then reduced government services during the remainder of the year, the program was not able to accomplish key tasks especially those related to the Zero Suicide Framework and Plan and the Suicide Prevention Task Force. Training natural helpers and direct service providers also proved challenging given the mandated restrictions.
A potential barrier for the program is the sensitivity and the perceived stigma associated with suicide in the community. This barrier could result in continued low participation rates for individuals to serve as natural helpers for youth and young adults experiencing grief and feelings of pain and loss or having suicidal thoughts and behaviors.
RECOMMENDATIONS
With the uncertainty of the pandemic, the challenge will be continuing to be adaptive and innovative. The GFOL team will have to continue to find new ways to recruit natural helpers and direct service providers, deliver training, conduct outreach activities, and build capacity in Year 2. It is recommended that the team focus the first quarter of Year 2 on completing the remaining tasks from Year 1 related to the ZSF and Suicide Prevention Task Force so that they can work towards the goals set for Year 2.
The use of social media as well as leveraging established networks within the organization and other community partners will be a critical to overcoming the sensitivity and stigma barrier. Identifying key individuals in the community to help with recruiting will also be beneficial to improving the overall numbers of individuals who receive training in Year 2.
CONCLUSION
Overall, the GFOL team should be commended for their achievements in the initial phase of the grant project. Progress has been made in all three of the project’s main goals. The team is actively engaged with their community partners to increase awareness and break the stigma on suicide and mental health, generally. Plans for Year 2 have already been created for training and outreach. Continued data collection and evaluation will be used to track the program’s progress in Year 2.
annual report
annual report
Latest_Annual Report_Y1. pdf
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