The Dukes County Health Council formed the Youth Task Force (YTF) in 2004 in response to concerns over findings of Youth Risk Behavior Surveys (YRBS 2000 and 2002) that documented levels of substance use and other risky behaviors among Martha’s Vineyard youth to be significantly higher than state and national levels.
In 2004 the YTF raised funds and conducted a follow-up Youth Risk Behavior Survey.
In the summer of 2005 the YTF engaged senior associates from the Heller School for Social Policy and Management of Brandeis University to facilitate a broader community-wide assessment and planning process. Under the Heller School leadership two day long community forums brought together over 75 Island stakeholders. The forums included students, parents, teachers, therapists, guidance counselors, administrators, members of the clergy, law enforcement, and representatives from the Brazilian community and Wampanoag Tribe along with representatives of non-profits that work with youth and families. This process resulted in The Blueprint for Community Youth Development, Phase 1 of a strategic plan. Five working groups (Parent Education, Substance Abuse, After School/Out of School Activities, Mentoring, and Resource Mapping) were established to implement Phase 1 of the strategic plan, inventory existing programs and services and identify gaps in services.
In July 2006 the YTF applied for and received a technical assistance grant for strategic planning services from Southeast Center for Healthy Communities (SCHC), an organization funded through the US Department of Public Health, Bureau of Substance Abuse Services to provide assistance in planning and implementing environmental strategies for substance abuse prevention. SCHC increased the YTF Coalition’s capacity through trainings in the science of prevention, cultural competency, social norms theory and coalition development. The result of these efforts was the expansion of the Youth Task Force to represent 12 sectors of the community and the development of a 5-year strategic substance abuse prevention plan utilizing environmental strategies to address the community’s youth substance abuse problems (see attached chart of coalition members and note that we need to recruit representatives from some sectors).
In the fall of 2006 and spring of 2007 the Youth Task Force got both qualitative and quantitative data from surveys, interviews and focus groups to assess the youth Substance abuse problem. In addition to conducting a Youth Risk Behavior Survey of middle school and high school aged youth, they talked to over100 people in personal interviews and focus groups. From this process the Vineyard community identified the following risk factors that need to be addressed: 1) Vineyard parents have favorable attitudes & involvement in alcohol and other drug use, 2) Vineyard community laws and norms are favorable towards youth alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, and 3) the Vineyard community is not mobilized to prevent youth alcohol, tobacco and other drug use. To reduce adolescent substance abuse these issues have to be addressed to change the environment. Specifically, we have to 1) strengthen and coordinate substance abuse community efforts on the Vineyard and 2) mobilize the Vineyard community toward substance abuse prevention. The YTF has built a coalition of key community stakeholders who have worked together to define the problem, develop a strategic plan to address it and are mobilized to work toward the implementation. The next step is hiring a YTF Coalition Coordinator to coordinate the activities of the YTF Coalition, support the implementation of the strategic plan, and sustain the YTF Coalition’s efforts. Toward that end the Youth Task Force applied for and was awarded a one-year $100,000 grant from the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office to target 7th and 8th grade students and their parents as a first step toward achieving the long term goal to reduce youth substance abuse.
In July of 2007 The Dukes County Commissioners agreed to appoint two Associate Commissioners for Youth, one adult and two youth. The rationale for the appointment of Associate Commissioners for Youth is:
1. 20% of the Island’s year round population is youth under 18 who can’t vote and need representation/advocacy.
2. The Commission would serve as a centralized clearinghouse for information
about issues relating to youth and would serve as a sounding board to support
the development of programs/projects. Representatives from the six towns
would provide and disseminate information and be liaisons to their town
governments.
The Associate Commissioners for Youth will:
1. Represent and advocate for youth
2. Be liaisons to the County and town governments to coordinate efforts
In March the YTF is submitting 5 year grants to both the Massachusetts Department of Health Bureau Substance Abuse Services (BSAS) and the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to support the continued implementation of the 5 year strategic prevention plan to reduce youth substance abuse.
