WestCare Pacific Islands, Inc. and Thrive Coalition for a Drug-Free Dededo seek to continue serving the youth of Dededo, Guam in grades 7 through 12, through the evidence-based, culturally adapted Drug Free Communities Support Program Years 6-10. Through this program, Thrive Coalition will decrease the use of marijuana and e-cigarettes by decreasing risk factors and increasing protective factors related to substance use and abuse through evidence-based strategies and accompanying activities that are based on the Seven Strategies for Community Level Change.
After extensive research with the local schools and with five years’ experience operating this DFC program, Thrive Coalition concluded that marijuana and electronic vapor products (e-cigarettes) are the major youth substance problems in Dededo. Although alcohol was included in the initial program’s target substances, alcohol use among Guam youth has declined since the passage of the Guam Public Law 30-156, which increased the minimum legal age to purchase or possess alcoholic beverages from 18 years old to 21. However, tobacco use, vape and e-cigarette use continues to rise because of social access through adult family members or friends, and the lack of restrictive policies on mislabeling and advertising by retailers. Marijuana use remains strong because of a variety of factors, including adult recreational-use legalization in 2019 and access through adult family members or friends.
Thrive Coalition, through this funding, will serve 1,700 students in each year of the program, for a total of 8,500 students during the life of the grant, at Dededo's two public middle schools, Astumbo Middle School and VSA Benavente Middle School, and public high school, Okkodo High School. The program will also include a summer camp and an educational campaign targeted to parents and caregivers. Participants will explore the evidence-based curriculum CATCH My Breath and parents and caregivers will use the Talk. They Hear You. curriculum during Parent Nights Out.
The Mission of the Coalition for a Drug-Free Dededo (CDFD), titled Thrive Coalition, is to reduce youth substance use and misuse through education, prevention, and leadership, by creating an environment that supports the ability of individuals, families, and the Village of Dededo, the largest village in Guam, to withstand challenges. Through this program, Thrive Coalition intends to change community norms favorable to youth substance use.