A coalition of a community-based organization (CAIRO), the Center for African Immigrants and Refugee Organization, local faith-based institution, local Bilingual Television, Xidig Tv, Bridge healing Center that is funded by Stearns County Human Services was launched in May 2023 to provide culturally appropriate information and educational services to youth and families.
The Project was dubbed Central MN Communities Organized to Prevent & End (COPE) Addiction in order to highlight the great impact of partnership between the various community stake holders. According to Bashir, Executive Director of CAIRO “This is the first time all this COPE impact partners collaborated on a project here in St Cloud Metro area to address Epidemic like the Opioid Crisis.”
The Project is designed to have trained staff members at the learning centers offer one to one counseling and wrap around youth support services throughout the lifecycle of this project in order to prevent youth from engaging in risky behaviors and do harm reduction for youth and families impacted by the Opioid Epidemic. Another signature activity of this project is to conduct Neighborhood Engagement forums in high risky neighborhoods and create awareness and opportunities of engagement with youth and families. During this event intergenerational listening sessions are conducted for youth and families and trained on Narcan and other lifesaving skills in the event that a family member or a friend is impacted by the opioid abuse. The Community was very receptive to this approach and asked questions about the status of Opioid use within our community. Two of the past neighborhood engagement were held in haws park on the South side of St Cloud and Discovery Park in Waite Park.
There is Scheduled plan to host COPE Summit in July 21, 2023 at the Nelson Mandela Center in Mid town Sqaure Mall, in St Cloud to have round table discussion from 6:30 pm – 8 pm in order to bring in professionals, Licensed Alcohol Drug Abuse Certification (LADC), Faith leaders and affected parents and youth to discuss the impact of the Opioid Crisis within our families. It is expected that local media will be there to cover this event, the first of its kind and charter away forward.
The overall goal of this project is to reduce stigma and normalize seeking services for individuals impacted by this epidemic. Now our community members have access to individuals and institutions that they can contact for support and service delivery. Community members can now contact CAIRO Office for referrals to available resources or any of the COPE impact partners and they will be given support and moral support to have individuals impacted by this epidemic to connect with service providers. Bridge Healing center is a culturally specific LADC Center that provides individual and group counselling. Huge thanks to Stearns County Human services for providing funding to this cause.
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