Old Colony YMCA is the lead applicant for the Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking Act Grant as the fiscal agent for the Drug Free Communities-funded Easton Wings of Hope Coalition. Easton Wings of Hope's mission is to prevent youth substance use through education, awareness, and policy change in the town of Easton, MA. For this project, the coalition will focus on the prevention of underage alcohol use of youth ages 12-20 in Easton by implementing evidence-based strategies through community collaboration to address local conditions and root causes that lead to underage alcohol use. The target population consists of students in grades 7-12 in Easton Public Schools (1,646 students), and college students ages 18-20 enrolled at Stonehill College (about 1,245). The coalition will be making efforts to reduce underage drinking by addressing norms regarding alcohol use, reduce opportunities for underage drinking, create changes in underage drinking enforcement efforts, address penalties for underage use, and reduce negative consequences associated with underage drinking. The work will build off of the current Drug Free Communities Grant by continuing to us the Strategic Prevention Framework and Seven Strategies for Community Change to implement evidence-based strategies to achieve the following goals:
-Establish and strengthen collaboration among community stakeholders and organizations to address underage alcohol use.
-Reduce underage alcohol use among youth by addressing the factors in the community that increase the risk of substance use and promoting the factors that minimize the risk of substance use.
Under goal one, the coalition's objective is to build the capacity of the coalition to impact youth substance use by increasing adult engaged membership by 5% and youth engaged membership by 20% each year, as measured by participation & attendance at community meetings, community events, and/or volunteer opportunities. Under goal two, the coalition's objective is to reduce 30-day use rates of alcohol in students in grades 9 through 12 by 1% and increase perception of risk for use of alcohol in grades 7 through 12 by 3% each year as measured by the Youth Healthy Survey, and reduce 30-use rates of alcohol by 1% each year in college students ages 18-20 and decrease use of alcohol as a coping and social tool in college students ages 18-20 by 3% each year, as measured by the BASICS and E-Check Up To Go Assessments conducted through Stonehill Collège.
The coalition aims to achieve these goals and objectives by completing activities outlines in the Strategic Prevention Framework, including provide information, enhance skills, provide support to increase opportunities for healthy, drug-free activities, enhance access and reduce barriers to systems and services that help prevent underage alcohol use, change consequences and physical design in the community, and educated on and modify policies.
