Barbara has Tiane Kennedy from Gap Ministries and Darien Mathews AZYP who are everywhere in this episode. Gap Ministries do an enormous amount for Foster Care and AZYP strengthening families through Arizona.
About Darien Mathews
Darien Mathews is with Arizona Youth Partnership(AZYP). AZYP was founded in 1990 by a group of concerned Pima County citizens who sought to provide rural communities in the county access to the services available in the Tucson metro area. In 2006, AZYP expanded to serve rural communities across Arizona and seeks to employ a root cause approach to fighting poverty builds healthy, self-sufficient youth and families through evidence-based prevention programs and community involvement. He serves as the Coalition Coordinator for the Copper Corridor Substance Abuse Coalition.
This Coalition was founded in 2007 and consists of 9 very small towns along Hwy 77 and 177 known as the Copper Corridor. The mission of the Copper Corridor Coalition is to prevent and reduce drug and alcohol misuse through program development, prevention through education, advocacy and services, providing youth-oriented activities so that healthy attitudes towards substance use are formed.
The vision of the Copper Corridor is: Committed to providing education and developing resources to address alcohol awareness and prevent drug abuse in the Copper Corridor while embracing and nurturing the many cultures of the area. This coalition is funded by the Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Grant to prevent youth substance use.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArizonaYouthPartnership
https://www.facebook.com/coppercorridorcoalition
Arizona Youth Partnership
7575 W Twin Peaks Rd #165
darien@azyp.org
Arizona Youth Partnership builds solid foundations for youth and families by partnering with Arizona communities to prevent and solve local issues such as substance abuse, youth homelessness, lack of educational opportunities, teen pregnancy, and challenging family dynamics.
The Copper Corridor Coalition is a community-based coalition working to prevent substance use and misuse throughout Pinal County’s Copper Corridor. Through the collaboration of volunteers like you we strive to reduce substance use and misuse that negatively impact our communities we live in. We build our mission on three core values: Educate, Collaborate, and Champion Healthy Choices. Having people like you will help drive our pursuit for change in our communities and help positively influence the next generation to make healthier choices.
We now invite you to be part of this change for Copper Corridor’s brighter future.
AZYP provides a combination of relationship education, afterschool programs and youth leadership programs. Our programs equip youth to focus on setting goals and prevent teen pregnancy, alcohol and substance abuse and anti-social behaviors.
Over the past 20 years, AZYP has grown to serve 28 school districts across 11 counties in Arizona with funding from the Arizona Department of Health Services and Federal grants from the Administration of Children and Families. Our youth programs include the following: Wake UP!™ Alcohol & Drug Prevention Education Program, Healthy Relationship Education using Choosing The Best and Teen Outreach Program curricula funded by the Arizona Department of Health Services, Classroom and afterschool programs using Botvin’s Life Skills Training and Positive Action curricula, and a 21 day shelter for homeless youth in Kingman funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children.
In early 2019, Arizona Youth Partnership integrated the programs of Teen Outreach Pregnancy Services, a Tucson based nonprofit and we now provide education and support services for pregnant and parenting teens. This year marks our 30th year building strong foundations for youth. Beginning in just 3 communities, AZYP now serves more than 22 communities across 11 counties.
In 1996, we shared with parents the importance of family time considering how much television youth were watching. Today, we work with parents on the dangers of social media and screen time. We continue to shift to address the current needs of youth. Including how many youths today are buying their drugs through snapchat. So, we continue to educate parents and youth on current trends.
Just in 2020 63 Teens died of a Fentanyl overdose. That doesn’t include November and December. All of our Coalitions goals are to provide, education, resources, champion healthy choices and activities for our youth as well.
About Tiane Kennedy
Tiane Kennedy has worked at GAP Ministries for 10 years next month. When she started at GAP they were primarily known for their SPLASH group homes. They have grown exponentially since then. Besides still having 8 family style group homes, they now also have the GAP Kitchen feeding programs, the Community Warehouse that provides food and basic needs items to struggling families, Second Chance Job Training programs. They have also added more areas impacting the foster care system - foster care licensing and training, Supervised Visitation, and Nurturing Parenting programs to help heal broken families so that they can be reunited if at all possible.
She loves all the wonderful ways GAP is able to impact and change people’s lives. Hope is the main word that comes to mind. In the book of Proverbs, it says, “Without hope the people perish”. Once a person has hope for a better future, they are able to begin to do the hard work to make it happen. When they see that there are others who will come around them, support them, and lift them up when they stumble, they begin to have confidence. That is what we try to do at GAP.
Tiane is married with two amazing grown children, 2 dogs and 2 cats, and has lived in Tucson for 41 years.
Website: www.gapmin.com
Direct links to the different areas mentioned:
GapWishList.com – Miracle Center, Foster Care, GAP Kitchen, SPLASH group homes
YouHaveWhatTheyNeed.com – information on foster care
GapTaxCredit.com – tax credit information for both GAP and Miracle Center
GAPCampusofHope.com – capital campaign for our NEW campus!!!
TucsonCommunityWarehouse.com – shopping hours and requirements
Gapmin.com/job-training – culinary or auto tech
Jobs.gapmin.com – find out all about the different positions
Volunteer.gapmin.com – individual or group volunteer opportunities
