Friday, April 4, 2025
4/4/2025
Photovoice: An Innovation in Underage Drinking Prevention - The Collaborative seeks to implement Photovoice as an innovative approach to preventing and reducing alcohol use among high school students (ages 14-19) in East Bridgewater, Whitman and Rockland, MA. Goal one of the proposed program is to reduce youth alcohol use in the Collaborative’s communities by implementing Photovoice as an evidence-based approach to addressing norms and behaviors that may lead to the initiation of use and consequences related to use. Goal two is to change the culture and context regarding acceptability of youth alcohol use. The Collaborative will implement one Photovoice project per year targeting a cohort of youth that reside in each of the three communities. This approach will allow for the Collaborative to maximize engagement with the identified cohort of students to effectively increase awareness of underage drinking, reduce risk factors and increase protective factors through the Photovoice project. The Collaborative will also work towards increasing caregivers’ understanding of ways to build youth self-regulation and increase recognition of underage drinking through educational opportunities with youth and families. By the end of each year, youth and families will have participated in a call to action, community events, and a celebration of the youth’s work, all while engaging community leaders across the region to implement effective change as a result. The Collaborative plans to capitalize on existing partnerships formed through its Drug Free Communities program to engage youth and families from disadvantaged and marginalized communities in the participatory photography project and related activities. As a prevention leader in Southeastern MA, the Collaborative has extensive experience implementing Photovoice in collaboration with community partners, completing more than 20 Photovoice projects to date. The Collaborative’s geographic catchment area is located in southeastern Massachusetts (MA) and encompasses the adjoining towns of East Bridgewater, Rockland and Whitman. The Collaborative serves approximately 47,515 individuals across the three suburban towns which makes up just over 8% of Plymouth County, MA. On average, together these communities are made up of predominantly White residents (90%), in addition to 2.4% of the population being African American, 0.8% Asian, 0.33 American Indian, 4.33% Two or More Races and 3% Hispanic. There are no federally recognized tribes in the geographic area. The median household income of the region is $107,359 with 5.9% of persons living in poverty. Within the three mainstream high schools, there are approximately 2,225 students to be served in the region, 48% of which identify as female, 52% male and less than 1% non-binary. The two vocational high schools in the region include South Shore Technical and Southeastern Vocational Technical High School which serve 2,205 students, 43% female, 57% male and less than 1% non-binary. The Collaborative plans to reach 208,200 youth and adults by the end of the four-year grant period.
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).