Thursday, December 26, 2024
12/26/2024
Laconia Youth Alliance (LYA) Drug-Free Communities Coalition is located in Laconia, New Hampshire (NH). We are hosted by the Partnership for Public Health (PPHNH), a non-profit health and human services organization that operates the Winnipesaukee Public Health agency, addressing the full range of public health and social determinants needs. In 2014, LYA evolved from a workgroup dedicated to addressing substance use to create community change. The mission of Laconia Youth Alliance is to bring together youth, families, schools, individuals, community partners and community leaders to work collaboratively to prevent youth substance use, to improve the health and well-being of all members of the Laconia community. Laconia has a population of 16,532 including 3,000 youth 18 years of age or younger. Our residents are 95.9% white, 1.2% Black or African American, 1.1% Asian, 1.5% of two or more races, and 1.6% Hispanic of any race. LYA Coalition has two objectives, to (1) strengthen collaboration among Laconia youth, families, and stakeholders from all community sectors to prevent substance use among youth 18 and younger; and (2) minimize risk factors and promote protective factors, to reduce youth substance use. We will reach Laconia’s youth with environmental prevention, leveraging parental and community engagement to change the culture and context for youth substance use, and engage middle and high school students in targeted youth prevention and empowerment programming. Located in the Lakes Region of central NH situated between Lake Winnipesaukee and Winnisquam Lake, Laconia is an old mill city whose economic base has transitioned from manufacturing to recreation and tourism. Our tourism makes up 22.8% of NH’s tourist visits, while reflecting only 8.5% of the state’s population. Our economy is a mostly seasonal one, creating fluctuations in economic hardship for families. A largely tourist and recreational economy creates contrast between the “haves” (summer visitors) and “have nots” (year-round residents including service employees), and often does not impart rich financial benefits to the year-round residents/seasonal workers who make tourism possible. Laconia has more than double the NH rate of children living poverty, with more than half living in low income families. In addition to economic challenges, our youth experience higher than state average levels of adverse childhood experiences that put them at greater risk for substance use. To promote health equity, we will work to engage youth at higher risk due to low income and/or trauma. LYA will address alcohol and marijuana prevention, which our Coalition has prioritized based on community needs assessment. NH has the highest rate of per capita consumption of alcohol in the US. Nearly a third of our youth are current drinkers, and, compared to the NH average, 27% more of our youth initiate alcohol use before age 13. The number of Laconia youth first using marijuana under age 13 is more than twice the state average; 28% are current users, 20% above state average. We will also address prevention of vaping, a growing and serious problem impacting our youth because of ease of access and multiplication of marijuana’s risk to youth. The LYA Coalition will regularly convene community leaders from each of the 12 sectors to collect data and assessments, conduct strategic planning, and collaborate on prevention activities. Our comprehensive Action Plan will increase risk perceptions among youth and promote protective factors through implementation of strategies for community level change, guided by the Strategic Prevention Framework. Using evidence-based prevention strategies, we will limit access to substances, change the culture and shift the consequences of youth substance use, to create change specific to Laconia’s youth substance use problems.
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).