“Together, youth and adults can help to prevent substance abuse by increasing awareness of alcohol and other drugs, creating supportive relationships, improving communication/social skills, developing areas of personal interest, success and hobbies, and contributing to one’s community through service learning projects.”
New Hope Manor’s Crossroad Prevention Program is a well-established, child-centered and community based program that offers several free-of-charge services to the children, families and larger community it serves. Crossroads collaborates with other Manchester area social service agencies and schools and continually looks for new networking opportunities.
Crossroads most comprehensive service is its after-school school program, a support service that has been a key resource to at-risk children and families in the Manchester community for many years. Crossroads also conducts a 6-week summer program, community outreach workshops for parents and substance abuse evaluations for the larger community.
Crossroads afterschool program is staffed by a social worker and a recreation associate whose mission is to provide children with a safe, fun environment where kids can share time with healthy adults, build positive peer relationships while having the opportunity to be successful academically, provide resources and curriculum that focuses on substance use and prevention and participate in program community service and cultural enrichment activities. The afterschool program operates during the school year, when school is in session, and serves elementary, middle and high school age youth. Crossroads programs are either operated on-site at the school or transportation is provided.
Crossroads 6-week therapeutic recreational summer program is offered in collaboration with the Manchester Housing Authority and its youth residents. Children enjoy many fun-filled activities including: Swimming, sports, field trips, picnics, hiking, arts and crafts, movies, and a summer reading program. Educational prevention curriculum combined along with these recreational activities helps to build childrens’ self-confidence and sense of belonging to the community.
Other services include community outreach, parenting workshops and substance abuse evaluations for the larger community. Throughout the year crossroads offers parenting classes and/or workshops where parents can learn healthy parenting strategies and behaviors. Substance abuse and alcohol and drug informational sessions and evaluations are also offered and scheduled by the crossroads team.