Youth Participants FAQs

The Fresno County ACEs Innovation Project is a research project to understand how to help young people in Fresno County stay out of trouble with the law. Youth will have the opportunity to share their ideas and experiences to help the Fresno County Department of Behavioral Health create better programs for youth.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are the sad or hard parts of a person’s story that happen when they are young that can affect them later in life.

Youth participants will attend a full 3-hour session that includes:

• Training: You will participate in a 1-hour training session to learn about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). These are the sad or hard parts of a person’s story that happen when they are young that can affect them later in life.

• Meal: A meal will be provided between the training and discussion.

• Discussion: After training, you will join a 1-hour group discussion with other youth to share and reflect about what you learned about ACEs and discuss ideas about how Fresno County Department of Behavioral Health can help youth stay out of trouble with the law.

To join the project as a Youth Participant, you must be between ages 15 and 17, and be currently on probation, informal probation, or have a pending case.

Please fill out the Intake Form (available in English, Hmong, and Spanish) to sign up to participate in the project. If you need any help signing up, you can email FresnoACEs@aurrerahealth.com or text/call (559) 601-0153.

You will be able to earn a $100 gift card for joining the full 3-hour session. You can also receive a stipend for up to $25 for transportation services and a stipend for up to $60 to pay for childcare services. You will also receive a meal from a local restaurant during the session.

You will also have the chance to share your story, experiences, and ideas to help other youth in Fresno County stay out of trouble with the law.

You will receive your stipend/gift card for your participation in person after you complete both the training session and focus group.

If you cannot attend the full 3-hour session, contact us at FresnoACEs@aurrerahealth.com or call/text (559) 601-0153 to reschedule. The $100 stipend will only be provided after you complete the full 3-hour session.

The training session and focus group discussion will take place at a community organization or at the Juvenile Justice Center in Fresno County, for those in custody. More information will be shared after you sign up.

You will be able to sign up to attend a session based on when you are available either during weekday afternoons/early evenings or weekends. You will be contacted with available dates and times after you complete the Intake Form.

When filling out the Intake Form, let us know your transportation needs. You can receive a bus card or an Uber/Lyft card or gas card of up to $25 either before or after the session to help you get to and from the session.

You can let us know on the Intake Form if you need support for childcare services. You can receive a stipend of up to $60 to pay for childcare services either before or after the session.

Your participation in this project will not affect your probation or legal case.

Your responses will be included in a report to help the Fresno County Department of Behavioral Health create better programs to support youth. We will not share your name or any details that can be used to identify you in the report. Any information shared will be used for research purposes only.

Your information will be kept confidential and securely stored on a protected drive that only the project team can access.

Your name or any identifying details will not be shared in any reports. Any audio recordings will be securely stored and deleted three years after the project ends.

The project team members are mandated reporters, which means we must report if you share that someone is currently hurting you, or if you talk about hurting yourself or others. If this happens, we will let you know and work together to keep everyone safe.

Yes, participation is completely voluntary. You can choose to stop participating at any time, even during a session. If you choose to leave the session, this will not affect your probation or legal status in any way. You can also access the following resources for support at any time:

• Central Valley Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988

  • For emotional distress, alcohol or drug use, or someone to talk to call this line for support.

• Mobile Crisis Response: 559-600-6000

  • For support with mental health and substance use crises.

• 24/7 Access Line: 1-800-654-3937

  • For information on services, screening, referral, and linkage and/or eligibility information for various services in Fresno County.

• CalHOPE Warm Line: 1-833-317-HOPE (4673)

  • For support by phone, video conference, or chat for anything related to stress, anxiety, depression, and any worries.

• Soluna App

  • For free, confidential mental health support, coping tools, and crisis resources designed for California teens and young adults.

You can participate in a session conducted in English, Hmong, or Spanish. You will be able to select which language you need on the Intake Form. We will coordinate to have materials translated and interpreters available during your session in English, Hmong, or Spanish. Sign Language interpretation is also available upon request.

If you need any accommodations, such as wheelchair access or anything else, please share this on the Intake Form so we can best assist you. The training sessions and focus group discussions will be scheduled in locations that are American Disability Act, or ADA compliant.

You can let us know on the Intake Form. Our project team will be available to provide additional support during the session.

You do not need to bring anything to the session. All materials, food, and resources will be provided for you.

No, due to the confidential nature of the discussion topics, only youth who have completed the Intake Form and have been invited to participate in the project may attend the training session and focus group discussion. Your parent or guardian can participate in the project by completing a voluntary survey.

No, you can only participate in one full 3-hour session.

Participants cannot attend the training and focus group sessions virtually or online; you must attend the session in-person.

Contact the project team at FresnoACEs@aurrerahealth.com or call/text (559) 601-0153.