This resource corresponds to Module 7.

The Community

Somerset County (pop: 50,000) is situated on a beautiful part of the New England landscape, and tourism has long been an important industry. It has a predominantly white and a slightly growing Hispanic immigrant population; most residents of the county live in villages and very rural areas. For some time residents have been concerned about an increase in teen pregnancy rates and alcohol abuse: This is six-pack country, where even bass fishing on the lake seems to include a strong beverage component.

The largest town, Winslow Falls (pop: 5600), includes a 100-year-old private liberal arts college. Downtown, economically disadvantaged youth mingle with college freshmen, intrigued by the possibilities of experimentation. The presence of the drug ecstasy and the illicit use of oxycontin have heightened community concerns; there has been an upsurge in heroin use as well. HIV infection rates have increased, partly as the result of an informal prostitution ring, which has expanded as the local economy has suffered in the wake of September 11. The state department of public health is seeing more connections between the sex trade and the drug trade.

Out in the country, rural folk—who have always tended to be self-sufficient—became more fearful of another attack like anthrax. The mailbox was once their main connection to the larger community, but it now became a source of fear. A normal reluctance to spend too much time in town grew into a deeper suspicion of congregating in a public place.

One exception: Across the county, churches continue to draw parishioners on Sundays. Bible study classes, quilting bees, picnics, and “family video nights” provide recreation for many. In the economic downturn, churches have been taking the lead in helping families who are in trouble. Volunteers run a soup kitchen, organize family activities, visit the sick and depressed and run youth activities. Following September 11, they also took the step of forming several support groups for families and youth under stress. One church member who took an active role is Jonathan Kowalski, a social worker at the multi-service health center in town. The county has a long-standing interfaith council and a rich history of collaboration among its religious institutions.

The Media
The local media consist of a community cable access channel, a daily paper in Winslow Falls, several weekly community papers in other parts of the state, and a few local radio stations. The county also benefits from a neighboring media market that has three network-affiliated stations, a number of radio stations, and a daily newspaper.

The Health and Social Service Network
The county is fortunate to have fairly strong resources. Winslow Falls has a 30-bed community hospital that includes a family planning clinic, a teen pregnancy program, and an emergency shelter for adolescents. Besides the multi-service mental health center in town, there is another one in the less-populated western part of the state. Each multi-service center holds a number of state contracts to deal with issues of substance abuse, HIV prevention, school retention, youth employment training and violence prevention.

A 10-year-old youth development council called Kids First serves Winslow Falls and also outlying areas in the county. Under Director Phil McKenzie, it has developed and conducted a number of alternative activities that focus on keeping youth and families connected. For instance, in collaboration with Head Start, they’ve held family management classes; they’ve also sponsored classes to help adults cope with being laid off and help children learn to take on extra responsibility at home. With the Senior Citizens Council, they offer a program that brings high school kids and senior citizens together several times a year. Last year Kids First conducted a youth risk behavior survey; students in grades 8–12 reported that 43% of them consumed at least one drink of alcohol during the past 30 days, 23% binged on alcohol, 27% smoked marijuana one or more times, and 18% smoked cigarettes. While alcohol use rates dropped slightly, there has been an increase in the use of heroin among high school students, girls in particular.

The Schools
Winslow Falls has a high school, two middle schools, and four elementary schools. The county’s public schools have a dedicated faculty. Most of the teachers have been there a long time (the district has had a difficult time attracting new teachers because of financial problems and isolation). Some long-term teachers taught their current students’ parents. Their undergraduate teacher preparation did not address the many contemporary personal and social issues that students bring to the classroom. They feel the increasing tension between their concern for the problems students bring to school and the pressure they feel to respond to the public’s demands for higher achievement scores.

Please return to Activity 7: Applying Prevention in a Rural Setting.