Prevention Council Receives Four-Year Federal Grant

By Nancy K. Crevier

The Newtown Prevention Council received notice of the renewal of a $400,000 federal grant ($100,000 each year for the next four years) from SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) on September 21.

The grant will allow the Newtown Prevention Council, a coalition of representatives from community agencies, the Newtown Police, PTA, school representatives, parents, and students working toward creating solutions to substance abuse in the community, to continue programs already implemented for the next four years, says Judy Blanchard, chairperson for the council and district health coordinator.

The Newtown Prevention Council, which meets five times a year at the C.H. Booth Library, has been active since 1986. Based on needs assessment gathered through reports and surveys, the group determines the areas on which the group should focus.

In 2002 the prevention council, in cooperation with the Board of Education, administered a drug and alcohol use survey to 125 children in grades 7–12. The Governor’s Prevention Initiation for Youth Survey was readministered in 2005. The Newtown Prevention Council will use renewed grant money to develop prevention measures based on the result of those surveys, Ms Blanchard explained, as an example of how grant money is relegated.

“This past year,” said Ms Blanchard, “we began a program called ‘Family Strengthening’ at Reed Intermediate. We also implemented a mentoring program at the high school, with a twist. We have juniors and seniors mentoring freshmen in peer to peer counseling.” The creation of SMAD (Students Making A Difference) at Newtown Middle School last winter provided students with a means for altruistic and community service.

Says Nancy Anderson, facilitator of SMAD and community service program manager for Newtown Youth Services, “Last year we had only a short time to do a project, so the kids raised money to buy a [theater seat] at Edmond Town Hall. This year we hope to have a long-term project to work on through the year, something a little more civic oriented maybe. The thing is, students involved in a community project are busy, so they have less time to think about drugs and alcohol. Getting involved gives them a sense of identity and raises self-esteem.”

Federal grant money, Ms Blanchard explained, must be for an approved program, one that has been proven effective. It is important to increase awareness of problems, she said, but the prevention council takes it one step further by providing a means to solutions. The grant money is vital to their being able to do so.

Nina Allred, project coordinator, works for Newtown Youth Services, the fiscal agent for the grant. How the coalition will use the grant money to strengthen their goal is three-fold, says Ms Allred, including the continued support of programs already in place.

“We will do a thorough mapping of community resources and what are our needs. This will give us a broad view of prevention programs, what challenges parents face, and what resources are in our town.” The coalition plans to do a community survey, focus groups, an in-depth questionnaire, and gather statistical data. The information will allow the Newtown Prevention Council to update a strategic plan and show where efforts in the community should go to decrease alcohol and drug abuse by minors.

The implementation of environmental strategies is another area that the coalition plans to target. “We want to make a change in the social norms in which underage drinking takes place,” Ms Allred said. Toward that effort, The Parent Connection is putting together a strong campaign for the fall of 2006 for Families Eat Dinner Together Day. It seems like a small thing, but research shows that it is a powerful antidrug action. Says Ms Allred, “Not only does eating together reduce the risk of getting involved in drinking and drug use, it also is a powerful indicator of how well a child succeeds academically.”

 “Every community in this nation is faced with these issues,” Ms Allred went on to say. “We have a dynamic environment to implement change.”