If you want to raise healthy kids you have to create
environments in which kids can grow and thrive.
Over the past 2+ years there has been a steady infusion of new members to the Dukes County Health Council Youth Task Force (YTF) expanding the coalition to represent all sectors of the community concerned with youth. The YTF has been meeting regularly to identify and address the unmet needs of the Island’s youth. The YTF has consistently established short and long-term goals based on on-going information gathered to make decisions and formulate a strategic plan. This process informs and directs all the diverse activities of the YTF. For instance, the YTF conducted the 2006/2007 YRBS and is using the data to drive our planning. There is an awareness of the problems and a readiness among people in the community to address issues of substance abuse on MV. The goals of the YTF are:
to reduce lifetime substance abuse among youth, and over time, among adults by addressing the factors in the community that increase the risk of substance abuse and promote the factors that minimize the risk of substance abuse through comprehensive individual, environmental and family strategies.
to strengthen and coordinate prevention collaboration among agencies to mobilize MV toward a culture the values sustainable substance abuse prevention. Kids don’t use alcohol, tobacco and other drugs in a vacuum.
The Youth Task Force strategic plan is focused on environmental strategies to change the environment by modifying and changing policies, enhancing skills and enhancing access and reducing barriers.
1. Modifying and changing policies:
Provide trainings in social norms theory to youth, coalition members, the police, human service providers, and the media.Members of the YTF attended a 3-day national social norms conference in Cambridge, MA July 15-17.
Provide information from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey about actual youth use through a Social Norms media campaign and in classroom sessions. (in process)
Reinstate the DA’s roundtable.
Publish school alcohol, tobacco and other drug policies and standards of behavior and consequences in newspapers.
Develop chaperone guidelines for school trips. (in process)
Conduct parent survey to assess parental attitudes about youth alcohol, tobacco and other drug use. The parent survey will be developed by the Southeast Center for Healthy Communities with the help of the DCHC UMass medical and graduate nursing student clerks who will come to the Island in Oct 2007.
Take part in the development of ordinances as towns move from ‘dry’ to ‘wet’.
2. Enhancing skills
Implement evidence based strategies in the schools and in the community
All Stars curricula in middle schools
Strengthening Families in the community
3. Enhancing access/reducing barriers
Hire a coalition coordinator to coordinate/support Youth Task Force activities and the implementation of the strategic plan. (wrote a 5-year $500,000 SAMSHA grant to support the hiring of a coalition coordinator and the implementation of the strategic plan).
Expand and diversify the coalition
Conduct cultural competency trainings for coalition members to ensure culturally competent prevention strategies
Launch and maintain website teen yellow pages. (in process)
Engage in annual strategic plan revision and updates.
