AYPS empowers youth with the knowledge to make good choices and live healthy lives. AYPS is a youth substance abuse prevention program located at six agencies throughout San Francisco. These agencies include CYC, Filipino Community Center, Japanese Community Youth Council, Samoan Community Development Center, and Southeast Asian Development Center. The program provides school based support groups for at-risk youth in middle and high schools to prevent, delay, and reduce the use and abuse of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs among AAPI youth in San Francisco.

The CYC AYPS program consists of two subprograms: Botvin: Life Skill Training and Strengthening Families Program, both of which are statistically shown to reduce underage alcohol-usage and violence. 

The Botvin: Life Skill Training program is designed to promote mental health, social-emotional skills, and positive youth development for 6th graders. Youth are given the space to replace risky behaviors with healthy alternatives, build on greater self-esteem, learn coping skills relating to anxiety and anger, and enhance decision-making and problem-solving abilities.

The Strengthening Families Program is designed to break communication barriers between parents and their child, increase positive parent-child interactions, and improve parent-child understanding of each other. A weekly space is dedicated for parents and their child to interact in fun activities together to build stronger relationships within the family. Parents are provided the opportunity to learn about positive parenting skills and given a space to deepen their understanding of their child’s experiences while their child explores more about who they are, how they contribute to the family, and what new skills can contribute to the family as a whole.

For more information, please contact 415-775-2636 or ayps@cycsf.org