Communities that Care will address the urgent need to reduce vaping nicotine and marijuana. - There is an urgent need to reduce vaping of nicotine and marijuana among the youth in our community. The rates and positive perceptions of antisocial behavior (ASB) are also climbing and causing chaos in our schools, interfering with developmental growth and well-being. The heart of the data story we will be trying to shift in the next 5-10 years focuses on the youth prosocial involvement scene, which needs to be significantly augmented to address the disparities and disconnection our youth are facing. We will be integrating CADCA’s 7 strategies of environmental change within a Communities That Care coalition process to change the youth community within a community that is driving problematic perceptions, attitudes, and behavior. Our aim, in partnership with Community Schools, is to reduce barriers and create more spaces that are inclusive and relevant for youth populations. Our goal with this grant is to provide those who work with youth an evidence-based framework that will increase their efficacy as mentors to interact in positive ways with youth to reduce risk and increase protection. We will essentially be creating prevention specialists, of sorts, throughout our schools and teaching them the Social Development Strategy (SDS). This framework focuses on providing opportunities, skills, and recognition to youth to strengthen bonds to schools and families. Because we believe that SDS will be far more widely integrated if we partner with the school system and provide support and training to existing systemic structures, we will be working closely with Community Schools. Their mission is to create positive youth development (PYD) which is an intentional way to engage youth in a prosocial environment by giving opportunities, creating positive relationships, and building leadership skills. By pairing SDS with Community Schools, we will be shifting the culture around risky behavior to reduce risk and increase protection. Within 5 years, we plan to double our coalition membership, reestablish workgroups, and sustain a thriving youth group. We will strengthen our existing community partnerships through relationship building and recognition. We will increase multilevel incentivization by recognizing and rewarding youth, youth mentors, and community leaders. We will continue to provide evidence-based substance use prevention programming at no cost to our community and increase community readiness for change. We aim to give prevention a recognizable voice and name in our area that will solidify our ability to create and sustain positive environmental change.
