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On October 12th, 2023, NUCOR Steel Kingman hosted its 3rd Annual Golf Tournament, and it was a day filled with golf, camaraderie, and most importantly, a commitment to making a difference in the lives of youth and families in Arizona. This year, Arizona Youth Partnership (AZYP) was selected as the beneficiary of the tournament. We cannot express our gratitude enough to NUCOR Steel Kingman, the sponsors, and all the dedicated golfers who participated. Their support will have a profound impact on the lives of Arizona's youth. Golfers from all walks of life came together not just to showcase their skills on the greens, but to also showcase their commitment to the community. The funds raised during the tournament will enable AZYP to expand their outreach, enhance their programs, and provide much-needed support to those who need it most. NUCOR Steel Kingman's 3rd Annual Golf Tournament was more than just a sporting event; it was a testament to the power of collaboration and compassion. It highlighted the positive change that can be achieved when individuals and businesses join forces to support a noble cause.

ARIZONA YOUTH PARTNERSHIP AWARDED GRANT TO IMPLEMENT LINKING ACTIONS FOR HEALTHY MOTHERS & BABIES PROGRAM IN GILA COUNTY [GILA COUNTY, AZ] — Arizona Youth Partnership (AZYP) is thrilled to announce that it has secured funding from the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) to implement the Linking Actions for Healthy Mothers & Babies (LAHMB) program in Gila County, Arizona. This grant marks a significant advancement in improving healthcare for young pregnant and parenting families in the area. Gila County leads Arizona in the incidence of opioid overdose and death (49.9/100,000. Rates among women of childbearing age have been steadily climbing at a rate of 2% increase per year, with Gila County reported as one of two counties with the highest Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome incidence rates in Arizona. The month of October signifies National Substance Use Prevention Month, and Arizona Youth Partnership along with community partners are coming together to address the vital role substance abuse prevention plays in both individual and community health. The LAHMB program aims to reduce Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) by implementing a comprehensive approach across the preconception, prenatal, and postpartum phases. It will engage, educate, and coordinate services for at-risk substance users, pregnant individuals, and parents in Gila County. NAS is a condition that occurs when newborns withdraw from substances, including opioids, they were exposed to before birth, leading to symptoms such as tremors, irritability, and sleep problems. The LAHMB Consortium's comprehensive approach includes the following key components: Early Identification and Intervention: Improving early identification and intervention for Substance Use Disorder (SUD) among pregnant women and mothers. Labor and Delivery Practices: Enhancing labor and delivery practices to meet the unique needs of mothers with SUD. Postpartum Support: Strengthening postpartum support for both mothers and babies. Outreach and Education: Expanding outreach and education efforts related to healthy pregnancy, parenting, and SUD disease prevention. Data Collection: Improving coordinated and uniform data collection procedures among service providers. Sara Sherman says, “AZYP is honored to receive HRSA funding for the LAHMB program, which will improve the well-being of young pregnant and parenting families.” AZYP is addressing issues like substance abuse, prenatal care, and postpartum support, and aims to enhance overall health outcomes for mothers and babies in the region. For more information about the LAHMB program, please contact Sara Sherman at 520.719.2014 or SaraS@azyp.org. ### Since 1990, Arizona Youth Partnership (AZYP) has been a leader in Arizona, providing prevention and community resources to support youth in becoming healthy, self-sufficient adults. AZYP offers a range of programs for youth and families to increase youth skills, family cohesion and create safe communities. AZYP is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Visit www.azyp.org for details.

Dear community members, Through our AIM 4 Teen Moms and Active Parenting: First Five Years programs, we will continue to offer supporting services while we transition prior pregnant and parenting programs to new and creative ones. Thank you for your unwavering support and for being an integral part of the Starting Out Right program. Contact Sara Sherman, Chief Initiatives Officer, at 520-744-9595 or by email at SaraS@azyp.org with any questions or concerns. Active Parenting: First Five Years, a multi-model parenting education program, is still available in Gila county. Visit the program webpage for more information and to sign up. AIM 4 Teen Moms, an evidence-based intervention to reduce rapid repeat pregnancies among teen moms, is available virtually across the state at no cost. Visit the program webpage for more information and to sign up. RESOURCES FOR PREGNANT AND PARENTING YOUTH Maricopa County: Phoenix Indian Medical Center - Health education for mothers https://www.ihs.gov/phoenix/contactus/ 602.364.5039 40 N. Central Avenue, Suite 504, Phoenix, Arizona 85004 Banner Health Center Maricopa - Childbirth education https://www.bannerhealth.com/locations/maricopa/banner-health-center-maricopa?y_source=1_MTE5MDczOTAtNDgzLWxvY2F0aW9uLndlYnNpdGU%3D 520.233.2500 17900 N Porter Rd., Maricopa, AZ 85138 Dignity Health - Birthing and baby classes, support groups, free car seat, etc. https://www.dignityhealth.org/arizona/locations/chandlerregional/classes-and-events/motherhood Mountain Park Health Center - Women's Health Care/Pregnancy, Pediatrics, WIC https://mountainparkhealth.org/services/ 602.243.7277 Healthy Families America https://www.healthyfamiliesamerica.org If your child is under 3 months, mention you are referred by the Starting Out Right Program and you will qualify for the Healthy Families Program Tucson: Download Tucson resources below

AZYP Newsletter Download the newsletter below

This is my first semester with AZYP. So far, I've really enjoyed it and learned a lot about health topics such as sexual health, pregnancy prevention, substance abuse, mental health, eating healthy, and youth education. Through this internship I have strengthened my skills in research, marketing, educating, and I have learned to use new platforms such as Canva and Microsoft Excel. In addition, I have improved a few of my personal characteristics, such as organization, punctuality, and communication. Communications Projects: At my internship, one of my responsibilities is to create a calendar each month that includes the public health recognition days for that month. The calendar's purpose is for everyone on the team to learn about them and implement these recognition days in the community. The calendar is also used to create educational social media posts for the followers of AZYP. On the calendar, I include the recognition day, its date, research and the significance of recognizing the day, and finally, how this public health day relates to one of the AZYP programs. Another task I've been given is to design and create posts for AZYP's social media platforms, which include Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. These posts contain educational information about community public health and youth wellness recognition days. Followers are instructed on how to participate in the recognition day and why it is so important. The public health topics are also linked to one of the programs provided by AZYP, and a link is provided so that they can easily access the website if they want to learn more or get help. Reasearch Projects: One project I worked on this semester was a research report on STDs in Maricopa County, which I then compared to the state of Arizona as a whole. I began by categorizing my research by disease, which included chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and HIV. The data was then sorted by year, from 2015 to 2020. The CDC has not yet released data for 2021 and 2022. This information is useful to the agency because it allows them to learn more about the most common STDs in Arizona and improve sexual education in their lesson plans. Another assignment I completed this semester was on pregnancy rates in Maricopa County and the state of Arizona as a whole. I organized this information by year, from 2015 to 2019. (Data from 2020, 2021, and 2022 has not been released yet by the Arizona Department of Health Sciences). Second, by age range, which included 10–14-year-olds, 15–17-year-olds, 18–19-year-olds, and a total of all females aged 19 and under. This information is important to the agency because it will help them improve their "Starting Out Right Division," which provides pregnancy and parenting support to youth and adults throughout Arizona. This semester, I worked on a third research project about the effects of COVID-19 on youth. I talked about how the pandemic has affected kids in both positive and negative ways. Moving to an online schooling format to help youth improve their technology skills and understanding is one of the benefits. This is advantageous because the world is moving toward more technology, so gaining this experience early on can help prepare them for their future. Another advantage of moving classes online is that children can stay in school and continue their studies rather than having school cancelled entirely, which would put students far behind. Unfortunately, it appears that there are more negatives than positives. Online classes significantly reduce social interaction, and students do not have the opportunity to interact with their peers on a daily basis. Also, in online classes, participation and attendance are more difficult to track because many students turn off their camera and microphone. This can lead to a lack of information retention, causing students to cheat, look up answers on the internet, or ask their peers for help. With all of the tests available online, this makes it a lot easier. Due to the closure of schools, sports teams, and public hangout areas to prevent the spread of the covid virus, youth do not have adequate places to socialize with their peers. Learning communication skills is an important part of maturing and becoming successful. With less social interaction, youth develop weaker social skills, which can harm them in many areas of their lives, including school, work, relationships, and mental health. There are many online platforms for socializing, but they do not provide the same skills that face-to-face contact does, rather learning to hide behind a screen. Online platforms and social media can cause a slew of issues, including low self-esteem and confidence. Trainings: Finally, I went to a suicide prevention training where I learned the QPR method: question, persuade, and refer. The QPR Institute, whose mission is to reduce suicidal behavior and save lives by providing innovative, practical, and proven suicide prevention training, taught this (QPR Institute). They believe that a good education allows everyone, regardless of background, to make a difference in the life of someone they know. This training was especially informative and beneficial to me. We were taught the three-step suicide prevention strategy and then given time to practice various scenarios with the instructors and other class participants. Prior to this training session, I had little knowledge of how to properly assist someone who I suspected was struggling or contemplating suicide. This class helped me understand how common suicide is around the world and why it is critical to learn and practice prevention methods as a student about to enter the public health field.

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Nick has been a youth educator since November of 2018. Born in New Mexico, his family relocated to Tucson when he was a baby, so he calls Tucson home. Graduating from the University of Arizona in 2018, he first attended West Hills Community College as a baseball player for two years, and eventually came back to Tucson to attend Pima Community College and the U of A to receive his Bachelors of Science degree in Public Health. Nick mainly teaches the Wyman Teen Outreach Clubs and Summer Leadership Institute. What do you like about being an Educator at AZYP: I want to be a mentor and leader to kids and help them achieve their goals Are things different for youth today than when you grew up?: I grew up in the Amphi School District and played a lot of sports. If there were programs like this, they met after school, so I couldn’t have gone if there were. I like that we teach our classes during school so we can interact with all kinds of kids. What has been a memorable moment for you in the last year while teaching: I was invited by the kids at Ha:san to attend their annual camping trip. It was great to hang out with the kids and teachers in a different setting. Another AZYP facilitator and I led the kids on the following day on an obstacle course and an outdoor, blindfolded version of the crane game and it was a lot of fun. The kids learned a bit of leadership and team work skills too. Youth from Ha:San Preparatory Academy at their annual camping trip Fun facts about Nick! He was named 2nd Team All Conference Utility Player, while attending West Hills Community College because he played so many positions while playing baseball there. Go Falcons! His favorite fictional character is: Michael Scott from the Office, because he always tries to do his best, even when it goes south so often! When he is not working he is most likely to be found working out, motorcycle riding, or hanging out with his girlfriend and their cute dogs! P.S. AZYP is a qualified charitable organization (20953) and your donation is eligible for the Arizona Tax Credit up to $400 for an individual and up to $800 for couples filing jointly. Contact your tax advisor for more information.

The Tax Reform Act of 2017 increased the standard deduction to $12,000.00 for individuals and $24,000.00 for couples. This has the potential to reduce the number of smaller donations to non-profit organizations without the incentive of a tax deduction. In 2019, Arizona Youth Partnership was pleased to join the Arizona Tax Credit Coalition (ATCCC). The ATCCC is a group of non profit organizations that qualify for the Arizona Charitable Tax Credit. The group has a website at GiveLocalKeepLocal.org. Luckily, in Arizona we have the ability to take tax credits, up to the amount of your Arizona Tax liability! Charitable Organization Tax Credit You can take as many credits as you like, UP to the amount of your tax liability. You can select a Charity to support at GiveLocalKeepLocal.org or you can make a donation to Arizona Youth Partnership at https://azyp.kindful.com/ Arizona Youth Partnership is based in Marana, Arizona and serves 11 counties in 18 locations throughout the state of Arizona. About Arizona Tax Credit Arizona Youth Partnership is a Qualifying Charitable Organization to accept Arizona Tax Credit donations because we are a 501(c)(3) charity that spends at least 50% of its budget on low income residents. What’s the difference between a tax credit and a tax deduction? A tax credit reduces your tax liability dollar-for-dollar. You can get back the FULL amount donated! Keep your Arizona state taxes local by directing your Arizona tax dollars to Arizona Youth Partnership! By making a donation to Arizona Youth Partnership as a Qualifying Charitable Organization, you may reduce the amount you owe to the state or you may increase your refund, dollar for dollar. This allows you to support Arizona Youth Partnership programs at no cost to you. How does this work? Anyone who pays Arizona state income tax is eligible for the credit and you’re not required to itemize deductions to claim the credit. Your primary residence must be within the state of Arizona. This credit is in addition to the school tax credits. You can make a Charitable Contribution Tax Credit donation AND a School Tax Credit. If you are unsure if you qualify for the tax credit, contact your tax advisor. The deadline to donate to a Qualifying Charitable Organization, and take advantage of the Arizona Charitable Tax Credit on your state taxes, is April 15th, 2019. How much can a taxpayer donate? Couples who file jointly can reduce their state taxes by up to $800; individuals or head of household filers can claim a tax credit of up to $400. Again, this is in addition to the School Tax Credit. You may donate any amount up to your limit and receive the credit; up to $800 if you are married and filing jointly, or $400 if you are married and filing separately or a single taxpayer or head of household. For example, if you give $100, you will be eligible for a tax credit of $100. If you give $1000, you will be eligible for up to a $800 tax credit (married, filing jointly), as well as a state tax deduction for any amount you donate over the tax credit limit. Charitable Contribution Tax Credit Donation Documentation Arizona Youth Partnership will send you an email immediately confirming the amount and date of your donation. This letter documents your contribution and is necessary to support your tax credit. Please make sure you include your name and home address on the donation page.

Don’t forget to take care of the important things in your life. Planning for the future ensures your family, friend or favorite charities will be taken care of no matter what happens. A Will helps you voice your values, relieves your family of the burden of trying to guess your final wishes and prevents confusion. Please join us for a free workshop with a top estate planning attorney! The Reid Park Zoological Society, together with The Drawing Studio, Humane Society of Southern Arizona, and Arizona Youth Partnership, is offering free workshops on updating and creating a will. The following are dates and locations of the workshops. Refreshments will be served. Thursday, March 12th,9:00am – 10:30am. Presenter: Travis Tufts. Location: Humane Society of Southern Arizona at 635 W. Roger Road Tuesday, March 31st, 6:00-7:30pm. Presenter: Denice Shepherd. Location: Reid Park Zoo at 3400 E Zoo Court, in the Zoofari Cafe Wednesday, April 29th, 9:00 – 10:300am. Presenter: Carrie Rednour. Location: Arizona Youth Partnership at 7575 W Twin Peaks Road #165 Note: Click date box on registration form for date selection