Saturday, December 7, 2024
12/7/2024
Austin Positive Action Coalition (APAC), under the fiscal host of the Parenting Resource Center (PRC) in cooperation with the Austin Public School District (isd492), is applying for the Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program to continue working to reduce youth alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use and abuse. APAC is requesting 5 years of funding at $125,000 per year with the coalition providing a 1:1 match. APAC was formed in 2016 when our community recognized the need to leverage resources to combat alcohol and drug use, which was negatively impacting our community. Austin School District, Austin Drug Task Force and Parenting Resource Center partnered in order to address the problem. In 2016, Austin was awarded a Planning & Implementation (P & I) grant through the Minnesota Department of Human Services, Behavioral Health Division. The P & I Grant implemented several prevention strategies to reduce underage consumptions, including a unique strategy which used Positive Community Norm (PCN) messages to highlight the norm that MOST students are making healthy choices instead of using illegal substances. This PCN strategy has been used by the Minnesota Department of Human Services, Behavioral Health Division for the past fifteen years with proven results in reducing underage alcohol use. Since the organization of APAC, many partnerships have been formed with local and regional organizations as well as community members in order to reduce youth substance use by raising awareness of the problem, providing education and training to communities, and by altering the environmental factors that contribute to youth substance abuse. We are pleased with the positive impact the P & I Grant has made on our community as well as the foundation it has built in reducing alcohol use among middle and high school students. We are to continue making progress in changing perceptions as well as reducing substance misuse with the DFC Support Program Grant. The DFC funds will help APAC continue to focus on further reducing youth alcohol use as well as adding a renewed focus on reducing tobacco use, especially electronic cigarettes (Vaping), among area youth. The 2019 Minnesota Student Survey recently revealed that, although students are using alcohol at lower rates than they were six years ago, there is still work to be done. The survey shows that around 18% of 11th-grade students used alcohol within 30 days of taking the survey. It also revealed that around 35% of 11th-grade students used an e-cigarette (vaping device) within 30 days of taking the survey, which is well above the national average reported in a recent CDC study. Lastly, 30-day use of marijuana was around 17% of 11th-grade students . Marijuana vaping increased significantly and substantially in 2019 according to Monitoring the future and it also had shown a significate increase in Austin. According to our local PCN Survey, students who stated that they used marijuana in last 30-days, 55% reported that the used it in a vaping device . The DFC grant will help APAC leverage the necessary resources and develop the necessary social capital to continue its work at addressing these challenges. The funds, as outlined in the budget narrative, will be used to hire and retain a Project Coordinator and to train coalition members, community members, and youth about ways to reduce youth substance abuse. The funding will be used for travel and entry expenditures to attend local, regional, and national trainings and conferences. APAC will use the funds to purchase the appropriate materials to educate students and community members about the challenges facing our communities. The funding will also help purchase materials aimed at attaining the necessary materials to continue our Positive Community Norms messaging campaigns aimed at using the power of the positive to create a common narrative of healthy choices in our communities.
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).
