Fit2Lead (see Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation, and Open Spaces)

Fit2Lead represent efforts to train recreation staff to leverage teachable moments inherent to recreation and to utilize sports and games to explicitly teach, practice, and reinforce targeted social skills toward improving physical and mental health trajectories for diverse and low-income urban youth. Ongoing programs  serve at-risk youth between the ages of 12-14 referred from juvenile services, schools, and parks throughout the County. The project is being conducted by Stacy Frazier and Angela Blizzard.

Social Development for Urban Youth

Social Development for Urban Youth is a collaborative project between the Miami Music Project (MMP) and Team NAFASI. Aims for the project include increasing youth’s understanding of their emotions and their ability to effectively regulate them, increase youth’s use of adaptive coping skills (e.g., effective communication and problem solving strategies), and prevent negative mental health outcomes. The project is being conducted by Erin Hedemann.

Show Our Strengths

Show Our Strengths is a universal prevention program designed to be used in high schools.  SOS offers a resource-minimal intervention tool designed be delivered in classrooms during the school year, and to improve students’ mental health and academic outcomes.  SOS is currently in the final design and program evaluation stage. The project is being conducted by Rob Ogle.

Active Grants

National Center for Education Research, IES. (R305A150166, PI: Shernoff, Rutgers University), 2015-2019
Interactive Virtual Training (IVT) for Early Career Teachers in High Poverty Schools
Role: Co-Investigator

Charles Marks’ Charitable Trust, 2015-2016
Leaders @ Play for Chicago’s Youth: Professional Development Toward Youth Employment
Role: Principal Investigator

Miami Dade County 2016-present
Fit2Lead Collaboration among Miami Dade County Parks, Recreation, and Open Spaces Department; Miami Dade County Public Schools; Miami Dade Juvenile Services Department, FIU Center for Children and Families, UM UHealth; Miami Dade College; and Flipany
Role: Collaborator / Consultant

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01 HD084497, MPI: Bagner, Comer), 2016-2020
Internet Treatment for Behavior Problems in Preschoolers with Developmental Delay
Role: Co-Investigator

National Institute of Mental Health (F31 MH106252, PI: Hedemann, FIU) 2015-2017
Emotion Regulation for Urban Youth: Minimizing Risk for Anxiety and Depression
Role: Primary Sponsor

National Institute for Mental Health (F31 HD087066 PI: Ogle, FIU) 2016-2018
Self-Concept Intervention for Urban High School Students
Role: Primary Sponsor