AWARE Texas

Background

AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resilience in Education) Texas is a five-year initiative designed to strengthen community and school-based supports for the mental health and resiliency of students. Under a federal grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Texas Education Agency (TEA) has partnered with Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) and Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to design and implement this program, which deploys evidence-based mental health resources to campuses within AWARE LEAs and education service center regions.

Click here to view the Project A.W.A.R.E Texas 1-Pager

Project AWARE Texas Gulf Coast

Project A.W.A.R.E Texas Gulf Coast (2018) seeks to achieve intermediate and long-term outcomes for Advancing Wellness and Resilience in Education (AWARE) through sub grants and collaboration with education service centers (ESCs) and local education agencies (LEAs) to accomplish AWARE goals and activities. Project A.W.A.R.E Texas Gulf Coast deploys evidence-based mental health resources in fifteen schools along the Texas Gulf Coast. These LEAs were selected based on the devastating effects from Hurricane Harvey.

Map of Texas reflecting the four regions involved in AWARE. The map includes ESC Regions 2, 3, 4, and 5, along with Port Aransas ISD, Refugio ISD, Woodsboro ISD, Goose Creek ISD, and Bridge City ISD.

Project AWARE Texas Expansion Consortium

AWARE Texas Expansion Consortium (2021) seeks to achieve intermediate and long-term outcomes for Advancing Wellness and Resilience in Education (AWARE) through sub grants and collaboration with local education agencies (LEAs) and local mental health authorities (LMHAs) to accomplish the AWARE goals and activities. The project AWARE Texas Expansion Consortium deploys evidence-based mental health resources in 3 central Texas local education agencies. These LEAs were chosen due to higher rates of community impacts from the Covid-19 pandemic and high rates of population growth in these central Texas AWARE districts.

Goal 1

Increase and improve access to culturally competent and developmentally appropriate school and community-based mental health services.

Goal 2

Increase awareness and identification of mental health issues among adults working with young people.

Goal 3

Help students develop skills that promote resilience, self-regulation and pro-social behaviors, avert the development of mental health disorders and prevent youth violence.

Goal 4

Develop an infrastructure that will sustain services at LEA/ESCs and build statewide capacity for promoting mental health awareness and evidence-based practices.