Our SAFE Choices Mission:
Foster resiliency in youth development through collaborative and diversified approaches that reduce risk of substance addiction and mental health challenges while empowering SAFE Choices in all stages of youth development.
Our Vision:
ALL youth reach their fullest potential.
Our Goals:
Ensure young people have the information and tools necessary for making meaningful SAFE Choices. Our goals respect individual basic motivation and personal autonomy, as well as self-determination, and the fact that every person is one choice away from a different life.
- Goal #1: Design and implement innovative programs that build resilience and essential life skills through empowering and engaging education for disparate populations of underserved youth.
- Goal #2: Advance evidence-informed prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery strategies that enhance youth social and emotional learning and wellness in all stages of youth development.
- Goal #3: Foster life-fueling connection opportunities for youth that focus on stigma reduction and the promotion of healthy choices across the lifespan.
- Goal #4: Advocate for effective mental, emotional, and behavior interventions for the youth sector through targeted outreach and the formation of collaborative relationships.
SAFE Choices Programs Available
No Shame Education Program
“Connections” Program
Additional SAFE Choices Resources
Youth & Youth-Led Groups
Parents, Guardians, & Caretakers of Youth
Educators & Youth-Serving Organizations
Choose Knowledge: “Power to Empower”
SAFE Choices Featured Topic
January 2025: No Shame New Year – Join SAFE Project’s National Movement to combat Stigma!
A new year is a time for fresh starts and renewed beginnings. It is a time filled with anticipation for all that is to come in the months and seasons ahead.
In the new year, SAFE Project remains steadfast to our vision of saving lives impacted by substance use and mental health challenges through prevention, overdose response, education, stigma reduction, access to treatment, and the development of recovery programs. The No Shame Movement provides an invitation for everyone to join the charge – by building knowledge, changing conversations, providing a shame-free environment, and showing compassionate support through collaborations, advocacy and allyship. Together we can unite, together we can stem the tide, and together we can save lives!
According to the most recent National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 31.9% of adolescents aged 12 to 17 (8.3 million people) received mental health treatment in the past year, an increase of more than 500,00 from 2022. In the same timeframe, 23.0% of adults aged 18 or older (59.2 million people) received mental health treatment in the past year, an increase of 3.4 million from 2022. Even with the positive strides being made, one of the leading reasons that individuals do not seek help for substance use disorder and/or mental health challenges is stigma.
In an effort to combat stigma, SAFE Project invites you to join the No Shame Movement. Resources include:
- No Shame Education Program — builds knowledge on the four principles listed on the No Shame Pledge and comes with a comprehensive facilitator’s guide
- No Shame Pledge
- No Shame Social Media Graphics
Available in the coming weeks via the SAFE Project website:
- No Shame Education Program elementary and middle school activity books
- A series of virtual webinars offering new insight, inspiration, and supportive collaborations
This year, choose a resolution with a big impact. For 2025, choose to participate in SAFE Project’s No Shame New Year – join the charge to end the stigma around substance use and mental health disorders!
Additional Resources & Assistance
For more information about SAFE Choices, contact
Senior Director Ronna Yablonski at: choices@safeproject.us
Quickly find a treatment facility that matches your needs or the needs of a loved one in an easy, anonymous, and non-invasive way!
Our Technical Assistance consists of specialized services, information sharing, skill development, training, program assessment and implementation, as well as capacity building.