THE STRATEGY
Our coalition, STAND UP Cass County, provides education and training.
We partner with others to raise awareness about positive youth development, design programs and campaigns for parents and mentors, host events, change laws and policies, and bring more resources to
primary prevention.
What is Prevention?
Prevention is often confused with harm reduction, but these concepts are not the same. Harm reduction aims to minimize or remove consequences of drug misuse once it has already happened.
Prevention is stopping drug abuse from happening in the first place.
Everyone is
at risk of addiction;
however,
there are certain
risk and protective factors
that increase the likelihood of addiction.
Risk Factors:
-
Lack of commitment to school and school activities
-
Judging drug use to be low risk or harmless
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Lack of community rewards recognizing teens who help others
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Lack of opportunities for positive interactions with peers
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Community norms favorable for drug use
-
Community poverty
Protective Factors:
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Having at least one positive role model
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Adults, especially parents, showing their disapproval of teen drug use; and, actively supporting teens to make good choices for their health
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Families celebrating with their teens when they help others
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Delaying all adolescent substance use - no experimenting with alcohol and nicotine before 21
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Creating opportunities in school for teens to help others
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Promoting prevention with a specific focus on youth
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Community growth
Drug Free Communities
A Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Coalition is a community-based formal arrangement for cooperation and collaboration among community groups or sectors. Each group retains its identity and agrees to work together toward a common goal.
Stand Up Cass County focuses, primarily, on two substances Alcohol and Tobacco with DFC funds. The coalition educates on the harm these substances can be when abused/used.
The purpose of the coalition and DFC funding is to address two major goals:
1) establish and strengthen collaboration among communities, public and
private nonprofit agencies, and Federal, state, local, and tribal governments
to support the efforts of community coalitions and
2) reduce substance use among youth, and over time, among adults.
The program is funded by ONDCP (Office of National Drug Control Prevention) and partners with the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) for day-to-day management. Coalitions are responsible for achieving primary goals of the program, with CDC monitoring for success while providing technical assistance, consultation, and coordinating with the coalition on the execution of the project during the funding period.
A component of the Executive Office of the President, ONDCP coordinates the nation’s $43 billion drug budget and federal policies, including prevention, harm reduction, treatment, recovery support, and supply reduction.
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