Purpose

Community Action of Southern Indiana coordinates the Grassroots Prevention Coalition to reduce youth alcohol, tobacco and other drug abuse.

Description

Community Action of Southern Indiana (CASI) operates the Grassroots Prevention Coalition that is comprised of a group of community agencies, organizations and concerned youth and adults who are working together to reduce youth alcohol, tobacco and other drug use.  The Coalition uses materials and methods that have been proven to prevent drug use by working with youth and their families in the schools and community.

In February 2005, the Coalition conducted a two-year strategic planning process that resulted in the creation of two teams, composed of Coalition members, to address the major objectives and actions for the following two years under the respective goals of (1) Reducing Youth Drug Abuse and (2) Expanding/Enhancing Collaboratives to Support the Work of the Coalition.

Specific initiatives carried out include under the Coalition include:

• Botvin Life Skills Training (LST) designed to prevent tobacco, drug and alcohol use.  CASI provides training to teachers who then conduct either an Elementary School LST Program or a Middle School LST Program focusing on Personal Self-Management Skills, General Social Skills, and Drug Resistance Skills. LST has been proven to help students develop essential skills found to significantly reduce tobacco, alcohol, drug abuse and violence – i.e. cut tobacco use by up to 87%, cut marijuana use by up to 75%, and cut alcohol use by up to 60%.  Note – A High School Program and a Parent Program are also available through LST, along with Bullying Prevention Programs and Substance Abuse Prevention Programs. 
   
• Local Neighborhood Block Watches - publications and strategies.  

• Social Marketing with a newsletter, middle school poster contests, and public service announcements developed by high school students.  Various resources are available through the Social Marketing National Excellence Collaborative to help develop social marketing including:
  • The Basics of Social Marketing: How to Use Marketing to Change Behavior
  • Manager’s Guide to Marketing: Using Social Marketing to Improve Health Outcomes
  • Social Marketing: A Resource Guide   

• Anti-Drug Billboards to counter advertising for alcohol and tobacco

• Project Family Prevention that works with families on drug prevention strategies.  Note – Two examples of family drug prevention initiatives are Parents. The Anti-Drug and the Back-to-School Campaign through notMYkid.org.  Tips to help create a Family Prevention Plan are available through Project 7th Grade.  National Families in Action (NFIA) also offers resources to promote drug prevention movements such as links for local, state, and national drug prevention organizations including:

  • Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America 
  • Partnership for a Drug-Free America 
  • American Council for Drug Education (ACDE)

The Coalition has also sponsored various community forums to build further support for prevention initiatives including:

• Town Hall Meeting on Teen Alcohol Abuse – News Article on Town Hall Meeting and Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free also highlighted the Coalition’s Town Hall Meeting.
• Full-Day Conference on the awareness and prevention of inhalant, prescription and over-the-counter drug abuse.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration/SAMHSA (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) is an important source for planning and development of prevention programs with information regarding Funding Opportunities and other specific items including:

• Drug Free Communities Support Program (DFCSP)
• Communities That Care® Community Planning System – Extensive materials can be accessed such as just a few of the examples below:
  • Prevention Strategies Guide
  • Tools for Community Leaders: A Guidebook for Getting Started
  • CTC Youth Survey Instrument 2006
  • Risk and Protective Factors Scale Construction Summary

The Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools (U.S. Department of Education) administers the prevention programs listed below and also offers numerous related Reports and Resources:

• Health, Mental Health, Environmental Health, and Physical Education
• Drug-Violence Prevention – State Programs
• Drug-Violence Prevention – National Programs
• Character, Civic, and Correctional Education
• Policy and Cross-Cutting Programs

Outcomes

A total of 3,035 elementary and middle school students participated in the Botvin Life Skills Training Program during the 2006 school year.  Four elementary and four middle schools participated in this initiative.