Traditionally,
schools have been primarily responsible for developing instructional
programs to address substance abuse, violence, and other problems
young people face. School-based instructional programs have
shown to be effective in imparting knowledge, developing skills,
and changing some behaviors, but these programs alone are not
sufficient to effect far-reaching, long-lasting change. Schools
are one of many settings trying to prevent and reduce substance
use among youth, along with state level organizations, community
groups, hospitals, health maintenance organizations, social service
agencies, law enforcement, and the media. Solutions to substance
use among youth lie in comprehensive approaches that draw on the
many important roles schools can play in collaborating with communities
to affect the availability of and youth access to alcohol, tobacco,
and other drugs. Increasingly, many government agencies are providing
funding and guidance to schools to implement multiple strategies
for preventing substance use.
As
a first step, investigate whether there are individuals in your
community that have interest in, or are in the process of forming
a coalition to address substance use. If an effort is already
under way, it makes the most sense to partner with these individuals
in preparing to apply for government funding.
Once
a coalition has been formed, contact the single state agency in
your state (SSA) that is responsible for allocating funding for
prevention efforts at the local level. Find out when your state’s
SSA will be releasing their next Request for Application, and
whether they will be conducting sessions to inform potential applicants
about guidelines for the application. Also inquire about current
or future SSA initiatives that will support collaboration at the
local level.
Finally,
investigate whether there are any agencies in your region that
can provide technical assistance to a community in the process
of developing and implementing a comprehensive prevention plan.
Our
center has developed several written products that address these
particular prevention issues. You can access the following documents
directly on our web site:
Changing
the Larger Environment: Critical Components
Science-Based
Prevention Strategies
Family-Based
Prevention: Critical Components
School-Based
Prevention: Critical Components
Please
contact us at 1-888-EDC-CAPT or at capt@edc.org
if you would like these materials to be sent to you.
Also,
visit our web site to search the model programs database for programs
that focus on school-based prevention. This database contains
contact information and web sites for inquiring about specific
programs. The web address for this section of our site is: http://www.northeastcapt.org/science/pod
