HOPE Chautauqua Coalition Implementing Strategies to Reduce Youth Substance Use - Project Abstract Summary Chautauqua County is a rural, low economic, high poverty-stricken community with a poor health ranking. The most impacted by the above determinates are the Hispanic, Black, LGBTQ populations and outer rural communities who have limited access in receiving service and information surrounding Youth Substance Use. Based on a thorough collection of quantitative and qualitative data over the past 5 years the coalition has been working to strengthen collaboration with community organizations and key stakeholders to address alcohol and marijuana use amongst youth 12-18 years old in middle and high school. As a result of the data the coalition will focus on the problem of underage drinking, the root causes on the availability and favorable adult attitudes of youth consuming alcohol and the local conditions impacting the problem in our communities of youth obtaining alcohol at community events, at home with adults providing space for youth to drink and parents who do not have rules about drinking alcohol. The other targeted substance problem will be youth marijuana use, the root causes on perceived risk/harm and accessibility of marijuana for youth and the local conditions impacting the problem; youth unaware of the effects of marijuana and their overall health, early initiation of marijuana us, no consequences when a youth is caught using marijuana and parental attitudes favorable towards marijuana. The project will provide outreach to the adult and senior adult populations who interface with youth on a regular basis and who serve as key influences on the development of youth in our society. To assist with the coalitions efforts surrounding the risks associated with underage alcohol and marijuana use, the coalition will continue to work with the 12 Sectors/Key Stakeholders on strategies to address the risk of underage alcohol and marijuana use concerns with the goal to build and enhance protective factors in the community. The coalition will utilize the Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Strategic Prevention Framework’s (SPF) and the Seven Strategies for Community-Level Change by enhancing skills with youth, coalition members, key stakeholders and the community at large through multiple initiatives including but not limited to Media Messaging, a Countywide Youth Leadership Summit, the coalition’s Annual Hope and Healing Conference that includes community partners from prevention, treatment, recovery and mental health. The Coalition will also utilize a mobile prevention unit to reach the most outer lying rural communities with limited access to resources. Other planned trainings include ongoing use of all components of the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF), and other presentations and trainings relevant to the function, sustainability and cultural responsiveness of the coalition. In addition, the coalition will continue to focus on creating a youth driven adult guided coalition for grades 7th -12th . Youth leaders will focus on leadership training and developing youth advocates to assist, create and implement messages on youth misperceptions of risk related to alcohol and marijuana use while focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion to all disparate populations and communities.
