Our team at C4 Innovations has led Project Amp development, refinement, implementation, training, and research and evaluation since 2014. We have worked with a wide range of youth, young adults, peers in recovery, community partners, researchers, and other stakeholders in school, primary healthcare, substance use, mental health, and other youth-serving systems and settings.
Project Amp was developed to fill a gap in effective, scalable, person-centered prevention and early intervention strategies designed specifically for youth. Created as a flexible, time-limited, multi-session model, Project Amp can meet youth “where they are” related to substance use risk by supporting youth who range from no risk to low and moderate risk and also serves as a bridge to additional clinical or community supports for youth who may have a higher need for mental health or substance use services.
Building on established evidence-based practices such as motivational interviewing, peer support, and trauma-informed care, young adult near-age peer mentors incorporate their own lived experiences of recovery and resiliency to engage and educate adolescents in ways that are most meaningful to their lives.
Peer mentors add valuable, skilled capacity to communities that want to reach more youth, identify individual needs related to substance use and behavioral health concerns, and follow up to provide individualized support and connection.