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
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.hhd.org/capt/default.asp
