Downeast Maine Partnerships for Success - Our project, titled Downeast Maine Partnerships for Success, will implement community- driven, collaborative efforts to prevent substance use and promote the health of youth aged 9 to 20 in the high-needs region of rural Downeast Maine. Through the use of evidence-based programs, policy changes, and systems development, and with a data-driven approach, we will significantly increase protective factors and reduce risk factors associated with substance use.
Based on the evidence-based Icelandic Model for youth substance prevention and tailored to the needs and opportunities in rural Downeast Maine, we will utilize multiple strategies to increase protective factors and decrease risk factors associated with youth substance use, specifically alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana. Project goals include: 1) Increase parental/caregiver, school, and community awareness of and capacity to reduce risk factors and increase protective factors associated with youth substance use through implementation of a comprehensive evidence-based approach; and 2) Implement evidence-based programs, policies and practices to increase protective factors and decrease risk factors for substance use among youth.
Objectives for Goal 1 include to: 1.1) increase coalition member participation by 30%; 1.2) conduct media campaign to raise awareness of protective and risk factors to reach 30,000 people; 1.3) provide educational forums to reach 500 individuals; 1.4) increase capacity of at least 40 schools and community-based entities to provide pro-social activities to youth through partner subawards; and 1.5) increase capacity of at least 10 schools/ community-based entities to provide peer-based mental health / social-emotional supports. Objectives for Goal 2 include: 2.1) deliver evidence-based resilience trainings to at least 1,000 youth; 2.2) engage at least 2,000 youth in structured, pro-social activities; 2.3) engage a minimum of 300 students in peer mental health / social-emotional supports through partner subawards; 2.4) engage at least 750 parents/caregivers to increase their time spent with children through a pledge card; 2.5) expand the Downeast Teen Leadership Camp to engage 300 youth in building leadership skills and preventing substance use; 2.6) engage 250 student leaders in local policy-boards and a region-wide Youth Leadership Team to increase their self-efficacy and influence positive policy, systems, and program changes; and 2.7) coordinate an annual region-wide Prevention Day.
Annually, we will serve 10,000 people indirectly through media campaigns, and 1,510 youth, parents/caregivers, educators, and community members directly through in-depth programs and services. Over five years, we will engage 30,000 people indirectly and 6,100 youth, parents/caregivers, educators, and community members directly.
