Boys and Girls Clubs asks TIP to back opioid-prevention curriculum for Brevard youth

Jamie Merrill, representing the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Florida, asked TIP members to consider funding or otherwise supporting the organization's Smart Suite opioid-prevention curriculum so it can be implemented across Brevard clubs.

Merrill described the organization's reach across five counties and quoted program metrics, including a claimed 100% high-school graduation rate for seniors in their program and high self-reported protective factors among teens. "A 100% of our seniors graduate high school every single year," Merrill said, framing those outcomes as evidence the curriculum pairs well with existing social-emotional learning programs.

The Smart Suite is age-banded (Start Smart, Stay Smart with Teens Up) and includes parental guides; Merrill said the club can provide a detailed proposal and budget on request. He said previous pilot funding at the state level led to successful evaluations and local uptake in Orange and Osceola counties and that Brevard and Lake were nearly ready for rollout.

Members recommended partnership channels and potential funding routes: diversion programs within the courts and state attorney's office, CareerSource workforce connections, mentoring groups (including aviation-club mentoring), and the county's opioid-abatement procurement process. Merrill agreed to provide the written proposal and budgeting details after the meeting.

The presentation and discussion positioned the Smart Suite as a prevention complement to treatment, with members emphasizing cross-agency implementation, parental components and the need to align procurement procedures if county opioid-abatement funds were to be used.