Wethersfield Helping Others through Prevention and Education (WeHOPE) - WeHOPE’s proposed project will expand efforts to engage and mobilize youth, parents, and community partners to reduce youth alcohol and drug use and create a safe and healthy community. Over the 5-year grant period, WeHOPE will directly impact 3,702 Wethersfield youth ages 11-18, and 1,851 family and community members. The Town of Wethersfield is a suburban town in Hartford County, Connecticut with a population of 27,180 residents. Wethersfield residents are about 51.5% female and 48.5% male. By age, children 0-9 make up about 10.8% of the population, youth 10-19 are 11.4%, young adults 20-29 are 11.2%, adults 30-59 are 37.7% and adults 60+ are 28.9%. The median household income in Wethersfield is $118,523. There are currently 1,692 middle school and high school students enrolled in Wethersfield's Silas Deane Middle School and Wethersfield High School. The stated goals of this Drug Free Communities project are to: establish and strengthen collaboration among community stakeholders and organizations to address youth substance use and reduce substance use among youth and, over time, reduce substance use among adults by addressing the factors in a community that increase the risk of substance use and promoting the factors that minimize the risk of substance use. Based on existing Wethersfield youth survey data, WeHOPE will specifically address alcohol, nicotine, and cannabis. Select long-term outcomes include: increasing community awareness of WeHOPE from 25% to 35%, increased ongoing communication and collaboration between law enforcement and WeHOPE, decreasing the percentage of Wethersfield youth in grades 7-12, who report easy access to alcohol by 11.6% (from 30.2% in 2025 to 26.7% in 2031), and decreasing the percentage of Wethersfield youth in grades 7-12, who report easy access to alcohol by 3.9% (from 30.2% in 2025 to 29.0% in 2027. WeHOPE’s objectives are to: 1) increase awareness of WeHOPE by investing in WeHOPE’s Coalition leadership role through continued attendance at community events and engagement with key leaders; 2) strengthen collaboration among coalition members and stakeholders through establishment of targeted work groups and development of educational and skill- building opportunities; 3) build on successes of WeHOPE Youth Leadership Group through investment in leadership development opportunities; 4) raise awareness of youth substance use through targeted outreach and public campaigns; and 5) decrease the percentage of Wethersfield youth who report easy access to alcohol by 11.6% (from 30.2% in 2025 to 26.7% in 2031). To achieve these objectives WeHOPE will engage in activities that increase education and provide support to Wethersfield youth and adults, including implementation of trainings, parent leadership programming, peer education efforts, youth development programming, and an anti-vape education campaign that incorporates elements that resonate with youth and focus on the risk and harm of cannabis use. WeHOPE’s approach incorporates evidenced-based practices and strengthens collaboration between community leaders and the coalition.
