Community Coalition for a Safe & Healthy Morris-Pequannock Twp. Taskforce - The Community Coalition for a Safe & Healthy Morris-Pequannock Twp. Taskforce (PTC), a community-based youth substance use prevention coalition, will utilize the DFC Support Program to continue its work to effect community-level change. The coalition is a community-based formal arrangement for cooperation and collaboration among sectors of the community who work together toward a common goal of building a safe, healthy, and drug-free community. PTC will choose strategies that will lead to community level change. Community level change strategies seek to: (1) limit access to substances; (2) change the culture and context within which decisions about substance use are made; and/or (3) shift the consequences associated with youth substance use. Evidence exists that well-conceived and implemented policies at the local, state, and national levels can reduce community level alcohol, tobacco, and other drug problems. PTC will utilize the Seven Strategies for Community Change, which include efforts that affect individuals as well as an entire community. PTC develops and implements a comprehensive Action Plan to prevent youth substance use. Seven Strategies for Community Level Change 1. Provide Information: Educational presentations, workshops or seminars, and data or media presentations (e.g., PSAs, brochures, town halls, forums, web communication). 2. Enhance Skills: Workshops, seminars, or activities designed to increase the skills of participants, members and staff (e.g., training and technical assistance, parenting classes, strategic planning retreats, model programs in schools). 3. Provide Support: Creating opportunities to support people to participate in activities that reduce risk or enhance protection (e.g., alternative activities, mentoring, referrals for service, support groups, youth clubs). 4. Enhance Access/Reduce Barriers: Improving systems/processes to increase the ease, ability, and opportunity to utilize those systems and services (e.g., assuring transportation, housing, education, safety, and cultural sensitivity) in prevention initiatives. Reduce Access/Enhance Barriers: Improving systems/processes to decrease the ease, ability, and opportunity for youth to access substances (e.g., raising the price of single-serve cans of alcohol, implementing retail alcohol/tobacco compliance checks). 5. Change Consequences (Incentives/Disincentives): Increasing or decreasing the probability of a behavior by altering the consequences for performing that behavior (e.g., increasing taxes, citations, and fines; revocation/loss of driver’s license). 6. Change Physical Design: Changing the physical design of the environment to reduce risk or enhance protection (e.g., re-routing foot/car traffic, adjusting park hours, alcohol/tobacco outlet density). NOTE: DFC federal funds cannot support landscape and lighting projects. As such, costs for these projects cannot be used as match. 7. Modify/Change Policies: Formal change in written procedures, by-laws, proclamations, rules, or laws (e.g., workplace initiatives, law enforcement procedures and practices, public policy actions, systems change). NOTE: Lobbying with federal dollars is not permitted. As such, costs for lobbying cannot be used as match.
