Neshaminy Coalition for Youth (NC4Y) - The Neshaminy Coalition for Youth (NC4Y) is a community prevention coalition that serves the geographical area within the 27.4 mile confines of the Neshaminy School District in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. There are six municipalities within this district: Hulmeville Borough, Langhorne Borough, Langhorne Manor Borough, Lower Southampton Township, Middletown Township and Penndel Borough. The area encompasses an estimated 75,347 residents, over 9,000 of whom are students in the Neshaminy School District, a public school district that comprises six elementary schools, three middle schools and one high school. The geographic area includes two private schools and three parochial schools. Further, Bucks County Technical High School is located on the border of the school district’s parameters but does include students living within the boundaries of the Neshaminy School District.
The Neshaminy Coalition for Youth engages the community and empowers youth to lead healthy lives by avoiding, and thus reducing instances of, negative behaviors, such as substance use and misuse. The coalition employs evidence-based strategies and comprehensive programming to reduce factors that put young people at risk and increase factors that buffer them from harm. The goals of the coalition are to establish and strengthen community collaboration in support of local efforts to reduce and prevent youth substance use. Neshaminy Coalition for Youth includes twelve local community partners representing youth, parents, businesses, media, healthcare providers, schools, youth-serving organizations, civic groups, mental health and substance use prevention and treatment providers, faith-based providers and government agencies. The coalition seeks to achieve its goals and vision of helping kids thrive by providing information, enhancing skills and providing support to help youth make informed, healthy decisions about substance use. This is accomplished by implementing environmental strategies and activities to shift traditional consequences and perceptions related to substance use and reduce youth availability of and access to the targeted substances of nicotine/tobacco and marijuana through effective practices and policies. Planned activities and interventions by Neshaminy Coalition for Youth will target all youth with emphasis on grades 5-12, with a focus on the disparate population of those with reduced economic stability. The service approach of the Neshaminy Coalition for Youth encompasses each of the Seven Strategies for Community Change which include providing information, enhancing skills, providing support, enhancing access/reducing barriers, changing consequences, physical design and modifying or changing policies and practices, all of which are incorporated into the coalition’s Action Plan.
