Michigan Project AWARE Final Grant Report 2020-2025
Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education) is a five-year grant program funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to support collaborative partnerships between state and local educational agencies and state mental health agencies designed to develop a sustainable infrastructure for school-based mental health programs and services.
This report provides an overview of YPL’s evaluation of the program in three participating sites in Michigan: Copper Country, Delta-Schoolcraft, and Van Buren. The main focus of the evaluation was to understand project implementation and evaluate the extent to which grant activities yielded progress towards the project’s stated goals, objectives, and targets. The evaluation team measured community sites’ progress using various data collection instruments including surveys, interviews and focus groups, and worked with the Michigan Department of Education and Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to collect implementation and outcome data from the state.
Key findings
Based on the evaluation findings, the research team offers several recommendations for any similar large-scale school-based community mental health initiatives:
- Conduct a community readiness assessment prior to Project AWARE implementation
- Facilitate collaboration between participating sites as well as past/current cohorts.
- Build internal staff capacity by implementing "train-the-trainer" models.
- Ensure appropriate technology that is flexible and meets the needs of diverse communities.
- Balance autonomy and support through clear communication.
Project AWARE - Supporting Mental Health in Michigan
