Policy and Research L.L.C.

Intervention Name: Unstained

Project Overview: Unstained – developed by PCI Media – is an entertainment-education/motivational interviewing video intervention designed for youth ages 14-19 who are at risk for or involved with the juvenile justice system. It is an individual-level intervention during which participants watch a series of six short, soap-opera style videos that are designed to engage viewers in characters and storylines while communicating sexual and reproductive health messages and modeling healthy behaviors. The intervention is delivered in three virtual sessions held over the course of a 4 to 6-week period. During each session, participants watch two ~10-minute video episodes followed by a guided discussion that uses motivational interviewing techniques to personalize the themes and encourage behavior change; the sessions are facilitated virtually by a person external to the juvenile justice system. The Policy & Research Group (PRG) – the primary grantee and the external independent evaluator for this study – will deliver the intervention and facilitate the discussions. The proposed rigorous evaluation design is a randomized controlled trial (RCT). Youth will be recruited into the study through several community-based partners – including San Juan County Juvenile Services and All Faiths Children’s Advocacy Center – using innovative strategies that PRG has successfully employed in prior studies to recruit hard-to-reach populations, such as youth exposed to trauma. 

Intervention Population of Focus: Youth ages 14-19 who are at risk for or involved with the juvenile justice system and are sexually active 

Intervention Type (e.g., curriculum, web-based, training, other): Virtual facilitated sessions