Central Kansas Partnership coalition will mobilize the 12-sectors and Youth Crew, a peer youth prevention team, to prevent and reduce substance use among youth in Barton County, Kansas. - Central Kansas Partnership (CKP) is a community coalition dedicated to youth prevention, as evidence by its mission: To join in a common effort to build healthy and safe communities, to reduce the use of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs, especially among our youth, and to promote healthy attitudes and behaviors. CKP’s vision is to create healthy, caring communities. Since 1991, CKP has been building a vibrant culture of programs and grassroots efforts that promote health, wellness, and rural prosperity. CKP works to prevent and reduce substance use among youth in Barton County, Kansas, which is a rural county and home to 24,835 residents. Data from the Department of Education indicates 5,436 students attend school in Barton County (2025-2026 enrollment data). CKP incorporates multiple Task Forces that work on specific issues, such as youth prevention, addressing emerging issues in the community. CKP’s Youth Crew Task Force is comprised of members of all 12 sectors and includes a robust collaboration with Barton County Sheriff’s Office, Barton County Health Department, Juvenile Services, and Central Kansas Community Corrections. CKP first received DFC funding in 2021 and through this application proposes to continue addressing youth prevention efforts for alcohol and marijuana. CKP’s proposed project purpose is to use the Strategic Prevention Framework and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMSHA) Seven Strategies for Community-Level Change and incorporate evidence-based strategies for youth prevention, such as engaging a community task force focused on prevention to create a framework of change. CKP’s project goals include: Goal #1: Strengthen collaboration among community stakeholders and organizations to address youth substance use. Goal #2: 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, in alignment with the DFC statute. Project objectives and anticipated outcomes include: 1) Expanding the coalition, adding two new active coalition members. 2) Reducing Barton County youth (ages 11-18) availability of alcohol (very easy/sort of easy) from 26.9 % (baseline 2025) to 25% as evidenced by the Kansas Communities That Care (KCTC) Youth Survey. 3) Reducing Barton County youth (ages 11-18) 30-day marijuana use below the state average of 2.6% (2025 baseline) for teen marijuana use across Kansas, as evidenced by the KCTC Youth Survey.
