Sunday, June 8, 2025
6/8/2025
Winooski for a Healthy, Drug-Free Community Project - Winooski for a Healthy, Drug Free Community project will serve the youth and families of Winooski, Vermont. The goal of the project is to increase collaboration between prevention coalition Winooski Partnership for Prevention (WPP) and the 12 sectors of the community, through outreach and trainings as well as address community risk factors in order to reduce youth use of alcohol and marijuana. A priority of WPP is to grow and retain youth engagement. Winooski is the poorest city in the county, with one in four persons living in poverty, and the most racially/ethnically diverse community in the state. 58% of the Winooski School District identifies as a minority. Strategies for increasing community collaboration include in-person outreach to the police department and school to grow sector participation in coalition initiatives and hosting a coalition retreat to develop skills and buy-in of the board of trustees, sector representatives and members. WPP will use evidence based interventions to address community risk factors of low perceptions of harm of marijuana use among youth and parents, high perception of ease of access to alcohol among youth, and perceived lack of enforcement of underage drinking laws. Strategies include offering an after school program to engage youth in substance abuse prevention and build leadership skills, facilitating parental skill building trainings, conducting educational community outreach, and developing a Memorandum of Understanding with the Winooski Police Department on enforcement of underage drinking laws. The objectives of the project will be measured and evaluated using a core measures survey, parent/caregiver survey, pre and post program surveys, a high school focus group, media outreach data (frequency, reach, engagement) and process evaluation. The number of people the project will reach annually includes 7 board members, 12 sector representatives, 10-12 afterschool program participants and their parents/caregivers, Winooski middle/high school student body of 412 students, 45-60 attendees of monthly community dinners, 360+ subscribers of coalition’s e-newsletter, 1,026 social media followers and every Winooski household through the School District Newsletter. The lifetime reach of the project is every Winooski household in the next five years, including youth and families.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).