History of The Flagship Program:
In 1995, The Missoula Prevention Coalition began reviewing local and statewide data on young people. They were looking for ways to assist youth with their positive development and avoid high-risk behaviors that sometimes occur and block successful completion of school and/or progression to adulthood. They realized that schools alone could not meet all the social and development needs of young people.

The Research Behind The Flagship Program:
Research shows that the highest incidence of risk behavior occurs between 3- 6pm. Research also shows that significant adult relationships are critical to a child's positive development. Best practices, including mentoring and skill development (social, cultural, and academic) were adopted as core components to The Flagship Program.

Community Partners:
Flagship is based on collaboration among nearly existing community "partner" agencies and organizations that bring their programs to the schools. A complete list of Flagship's community partners can be found here.

How Flagship Works:
At each Flagship school, Prevention Specialists work with principles to arrange, schedule, recruit for and oversee the after-school and summer programs. These coordinators also work with site teams made up of parents, teachers, principals, and students to determine what activities meet the needs of that particular school community. 
Examples of activities include tutoring, mentoring, skill development classes, sports, art classes, cooking/nutrition/gardening classes, conflict resolution groups, youth theater, job shadowing, community volunteer service, and service learning projects. They also arrange for food and transportation for students to and from activities.

All Flagship services and activities are provided free of cost to students.

Having services at school sites, not only allows populations of students (i.e. low-income or at-risk) to participate, who may otherwise not have these services available, but also eliminates the barrier of transportation to community facilities.
Flagship is currently operates in Big Sky High School, Hellgate High School, Willard Alternative High School, C.S. Porter Middle School, Washington Middle School, and three elementary schools (Lowell, Franklin, Hawthorne).

Evaluation of the work Flagship does:
A professional research corporation completed a three-year study of after-school programs in six cities across the U.S., including Missoula. Their research revealed that students who participated in the programs improved their school attitudes and behaviors, with 2/3 of participants reporting that the programs helped them do better in school. Parents substantiated these responses. Participants also reported learning new skills and improved self-confidence. They engaged in fewer at-risk behaviors and strengthened their social networks by reportedly interacting better with adults and getting along better with their peers. Four Flagship schools are currently participating in a two year national study of promising after-school programs, financed by the Mott Foundation. Flagship also tracks results of the Montana Prevention Needs Assessment Survey for Missoula County. This survey is given to 8th, 10th, and 12th graders every two years in all MCPS schools. In tracking data since 2000, we have seen an increase in attachment to school and community, decrease in overall alcohol use, and a rise in the age of onset of first drug use among our youth- all largely attributed to The Flagship Program.

The Cost of The Flagship Program:
The cost of Flagship, per school site, is approximately $50,000 per year. This includes salary for a school- based Prevention Specialist, as well as a site budget for transportation, supplies and food and some administrative costs associated with the program. These costs have been covered through a combination of private and public dollars from local, state, and federal sources. All Flagship Programs are offered free of cost to participants. But the cost for The Flagship Program for a student to participate in the program is just over $110 annually. 

Flagship is a program of Western Montana Addiction Services (Turning Point), which is a legal subsidiary of the Western Montana Mental Health Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.