Thursday, November 21, 2024
11/21/2024
The West Haven Community Alcohol Prevention Project will increase the capacity of the recently created West Haven Prevention Coalition to reduce underage alcohol use in a diverse and high-need Connecticut community. Activities include a youth-led virtual town hall, in-person presentations in Spanish to parents, outreach to Hispanic, Black, and LGBTQ youth, and steps to reduce youth alcohol access in low-income communities. Schools targeted serve 3,550 students. West Haven, Connecticut, is a city of 55,000 located in the Greater New Haven area of southern Connecticut, with a population just over 50% minority, almost a fifth foreign-born, and a per capita income less than $35,000. Our focus is on the West Haven middle and high school student population, which is 76% minority, 33% low income, and 13% LGBTQ. Some current measures of alcohol use for 9th and 11th graders include: No clear parental rules on alcohol use 37%; easy access to alcohol 33%; and perception of harm only 66%. The first project goal is to increase coalition capacity by means of quarterly presentations by youth representatives, including Black, Hispanic, Muslim and LGTBQ youth, at coalition meetings (Objective 1.1); train coalition members through CADCA, PTTC, and SPTAC, as well as local supportive agencies (1.2); and negotiating an allocation of revenue from nip bottle deposits to youth prevention activities with local government (1.3). The second goal is to increase community outreach to target populations, by means of at least two virtual town hall meetings per year, one led by youth (2.1); reaching out to minority youth groups in target schools, including Hispanic, Black, Muslim and LGBTQ+ student groups, to learn what programming will be most effective and to secure collaboration on joint activities (2.2); hosting two Spring speakers - one for student athletes and one before prom and graduation (2.3); hosting at least two informational presentations for parents/adults on topics related to underage drinking, one in English and one in Spanish (2.4); order community billboards in English and Spanish on social host and social norms on underage drinking. The third goal is to reduce underage drinking among West Haven youth by limiting underage access to alcohol, to be achieved by hosting TIPs trainings at a central location to make them more accessible to small retailers and increase currently low merchant response (3.1); expanding our current #MentionPrevention program with local liquor retailers by translating all proper ID checking and CT Liquor Laws information to Spanish and Arabic for use by local liquor retailers (3.2); and collaborating with the West Haven Police and Department of Consumer Protection Liquor Control Division to increase alcohol compliance checks during increased alcohol consumption times, like winter break, Spring Weekend at University of New Haven, graduations, and proms (3.3). These measures will particularly benefit low income and minority youth, since lower income and minority youth experience disproportionately greater exposure to alcohol marketing, and together will support Objective 3.4, which is a reduction in the percentage of youth who report easy access to alcohol. These programs will target all youth at West Haven middle and high schools, totaling 3,550 students per year and 7,100 unduplicated students over the term of the grant. Of course, the program will also serve the families of these students and educate the community at large about the importance of reducing underage drinking in the community.
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).
