RENEW I-III

A Capacity-Building Project to Provide Secondary Transition Services for Youth with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

Jonathon Drake assisting with a "Dreams" map.

Youth with emotional/behavioral disorders (EBD) experience poor outcomes in the transition from high school to post- high school life, including high rates of academic failure, high dropout rates, high rates of incarceration, lower employment rates, high rates of mental health utilization, and high rates on the public assistance rolls. The services provided by community mental health centers are typically provided based upon reducing the symptoms of mental illness or serious emotional disorder, and the centers do not have a model for assisting youth with EBD to function effectively in the community.

These grants addressed this issue by building the capacity of community mental health centers to provide a community-based, youth centered planning and support model that addresses the youth’s need for support in school, at home, and in the community.

The RENEW Capacity Building Projects were funded by the NH Endowment for Health in order to provide training to staff members in the children’s programs in seven community mental health centers across the state to provide the RENEW (Rehabilitation for Empowerment, Natural Supports, Education, and Work) secondary transition model to over 200 youth with emotional and behavioral disorders. The project included training, coaching, mentoring and systems support services to the participating mental health centers and staff.

Project Outcomes:

  • 72 mental health staff were trained as RENEW Facilitators.
  • 8 mental health staff were trained as RENEW Coaches.
  • 189 youth have been provided RENEW services.

Project Partners