Unite for Youth: Building HOPE in Lincoln County - Project Abstract - STOP ACT NOFO SP-26-01 Lincoln County Unite for Youth: Building HOPE in Lincoln County Lincoln County Unite for Youth (UFY) will strengthen its capacity to prevent and reduce alcohol use among youth and young adults ages 12-20 in Lincoln County, Montana by advancing hope, resilience, and wellbeing. Although youth alcohol use has declined over the past 16 years, local data show a concerning decrease in youth connections to trusted adults - a key protective factor against substance use. In response, UFY will establish a Youth Advisory Committee and implement Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs), Developmental Relationships, and Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences (HOPE) frameworks to strengthen youth-adult connections, increase protective factors, and support sustained reductions in underage drinking. Lincoln County is a frontier county of 3,612 square miles, population 21,525, with nearly 1 in 6 residents below the poverty level. The population of focus is youth and young adults ages 12 to 20; while 2022 PNA data show long-term declines in early substance use and binge drinking, fewer than one in three local youth report a trusted neighborhood adult, and youth-reported depression, suicidal ideation, and bullying exceed Montana state averages, identifying a population needing strengthened developmental relationships alongside continued environmental prevention work. UFY will implement evidence-based strategies including SAMHSA's Sources of Strength program and Montana Institute’s Positive Community Norms (PCN) training. Consistent community outreach will adapt SAMHSA's Talk. They Hear You campaign and utilize the Communities Talk platform. Youth and trusted adults representing area schools, the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office/Northwest Montana Drug Task Force, and Lincoln County Health Department, will work collaboratively to strengthen relationships, promote healthy lifestyles, and elevate wellbeing during National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week, Alcohol Awareness Month, and SAMSHA’s Prevention Week. A youth advisory committee will co-create programming from design through implementation. UFY anticipates serving approximately 800 to 1,200 youth and young adults annually through direct programming, and reaching the full population of focus, approximately 3,600 to 4,000 youth and young adults ages 12 to 20 countywide, annually through indirect, population-based prevention efforts over the life of the project. Project Goals: Increase UFY's organizational capacity to design, implement, and sustain relationship-centered prevention strategies that elevate hope, resilience, and wellbeing and prevent/reduce alcohol use among youth and young adults ages 12 to 20 in Lincoln County. Strengthen cooperation, coordination, and citizen participation among local, state, tribal, and federal prevention partners through a documented Logic Model and Action Plan grounded in positive youth development. Measurable Objectives: Within 120 days, establish a youth advisory committee (10+ members, ages 12-20) to co-create the STOP project. By project end, increase by at least 10 percentage points the proportion of Lincoln County youth in grades 8-12 reporting a trusted adult relationship outside the family, vs. the 2022 PNA baseline. Annually, reach at least 3,600 individuals through indirect/population-based prevention efforts and serve at least 800 individuals through direct/individual-based prevention efforts.
