Our Saving Face or Saving Lives Family Resource Guide can help you start the conversation.
Project Eden provides prevention, education, and treatment services for youth and families across Alameda County. Our programs support young people who may be at risk for substance use and help them build healthier, safer futures.
Project Eden was founded in the late 1960s by a Castro Valley pediatrician and a Hayward Unified School District administrator in response to growing substance use challenges among local youth.
Since then, Project Eden has provided prevention, education, intervention, and treatment services to children, adolescents, adults, families, and communities throughout Hayward, Castro Valley, San Leandro, Union City, Livermore, Dublin, Pleasanton, and San Lorenzo.
Our programs support youth who are already engaging in high-risk use of alcohol, marijuana, fentanyl, or other substances, as well as young people whose behaviors or life circumstances place them at elevated risk for substance use.
• Living in a household affected by substance use
• Conflict with parents or caregivers
• Academic struggles or poor school performance
• Behavioral challenges at home or school
• Involvement with the juvenile justice system
• Identity-related stress or social challenges
• Mental health concerns such as anxiety or depression
Understanding the risks associated with substance use is essential. Our programs help youth make informed decisions and build healthier coping strategies.
We focus on strengthening support systems, setting boundaries, identifying positive alternatives, and building protective behaviors that reduce high-risk use.
Project Eden offers multiple programs to support youth, families, and communities across Alameda County.
The Youth Outpatient Program addresses the physical, emotional, psychological, social, and educational needs of adolescents and young adults. Staff provide a supportive environment from a foundation of compassionate care, Substance Use Disorder (SUD) expertise, and unconditional welcome.
*SUD: Characterized by the recurrent use of drugs or alcohol despite the negative consequences it causes to a person’s health, social life, work, and other areas of life. SUDs are a chronic, relapsing brain disease that can affect a person’s behavior, thoughts, and emotions.
Comprehensive evaluation with youth and family to understand needs and create a personalized treatment plan.
One-on-one sessions to build coping skills, set goals, and support healthy, substance-free living.
Sessions focused on strengthening relationships, improving communication, and creating supportive home environments.
Peer-based sessions that build life skills, encourage healthy choices, and provide positive support.
Support for parents and guardians focused on communication, boundaries, and effective parenting strategies.
A personalized plan developed with the youth and family to set goals, guide services, and support long-term progress and recovery.
This program provides substance use education & supportive services to multiple Alameda County school districts. Students are referred by faculty, staff, families, or themselves for substance use prevention, education, and support for myriad issues including high-risk substance use, decision-making, a lack of refusal skills, anxiety, depression, anger management, and parental conflict.
Available services include substance use prevention and education sessions, classroom presentations, parent workshops, faculty professional development, community cultural events, and tabling at school sites as well as in the community. Our team can provide crisis intervention, information and referrals, and consultation with school staff and community members. Youth Services Program uses evidence-based curriculums such as Botvin’s Life Skills, Be Brave Be Sensitive suicide prevention, Project SUCCESS, Brief Intervention, Safety First Training, and Prime Solutions.
Tennyson High School
Hayward High School
Mt Eden High School
Arroyo High School
Conley Caraballo High School
Livermore High School
Castro Valley High School
Grenada High School
San Leandro High School
Winton Middle School
Martin Luther King Middle School
Anthony W Ochoa Middle School
Cesar Chavez Middle School
Joe Mitchell Middle School
Yes the Youth Services Program, Lambda Youth Project, and the Lambda Drop-In Center services are free to all participants.
Yes the Youth Outpatient Program services are offered on a sliding fee scale.
There is an initial $40 charge for the alcohol and other drug assessments.
Yes we accept Medi-Cal insurance.
This program supports young people who identify as LGBTQIA+, recognizing that they face significantly higher risks of alcohol and other drug use, depression, anxiety, and suicide. Since 1992, LAMBDA has offered a safe and welcoming environment where youth and their friends can connect, share experiences, and talk openly about the challenges they encounter in their daily lives.
Throughout the year, participants can enjoy a variety of clean and sober activities, including participation in Pride celebrations across Castro Valley, Dublin, Hayward, Oakland, and San Francisco. We also invite all youth to drop in for our daily groups, which provide community, conversation, and support.
Monday: Gamer Lounge (5–7 PM)
Tuesday: Adulting 101 (5–7 PM)
Wednesday: Wellness (3–5 PM)
Thursday: Creative Studio (5–7 PM)
Friday: Feel Good Friday (5–7 PM)
In addition, the Drop-In Center hosts a range of themed events—such as our December Holiday Party, November Friendsgiving, and October Halloween Party—creating even more opportunities to gather, celebrate, and build connections.
LAMBDA is pullin’ up at the Hayward Library!
Every first and third Tuesday of every month from 2-5 PM on the 1st floor (right in front of the bookstore) for a lowkey info session. Got questions about identity, support, or just wanna know what we’re about? This is a perfect opportunity to learn more.
We can connect you to mental health support, links to health care, substance use education and prevention services, and more. Our team can even help you find employment, reconnect with your school, and provide you with access to our computer for resumé writing and job hunting.
The staff includes Youth Peer Specialists, Youth Interns, a Case Manager, SUD Counselors, and a Mental Health Specialist.
We also offer a variety of Youth Engagement Programming, developed by youth themselves! These programs provide a space for you to connect with like-minded peers, explore your creativity, find a sense of self, and even engage in leadership and advocacy positions both within and outside of the Center!
The center boasts a wide range of programming, designed to: Promote healthy and supportive relationships, encourage imaginative and innovative thinking, and learn skills and tools essential to achieving personal goals and thriving within a community. Whether that’s joining an art activity, participating in interactive games, or engaging in any number of other youth-led recreational activities, you’ll find a chance to let your true self shine.
Confidentiality in Care – protecting confidentiality is vital to young people’s health and well-being and plays a key role in health throughout their lives.
