Leaders Empowered as Advocates with Dignity (LEAD) Project
The Leaders Empowered as Advocates with Dignity (LEAD) project proposes to serve families and individuals of childbearing age for whom their children or future children are at risk of preventable I/DDs, specifically FAS/FASD. The project proposes to serve individuals in the Southern NJ counties of Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Ocean by building community capacity to enhance engagement in leadership opportunities to increase awareness of preventable I/DDs. The profile of families and individuals who will be identified/recruited to participate in the peer leadership training and become peer leaders in the Southern NJ targeted region population includes immigrant families, black and people of color, LatinX, LGBTQ+ and others who have experienced disproportionate risk of negative health outcomes, mental health diagnosis, intellectual/developmental disabilities, social/economic disparities, live in communities with food deserts and other underlying health and social determinants that impact their health and well-being.