Drug-Free Communities Support Program

PROJECT SUMMARY FOR 98-JN-FX-0093
The Shady Grove M.B. Church's "I Challenge You" program will investigate the impact of preventative educational instruction on knowledge and attitudes toward alcohol and drug consumption, incidence of alcohol/drug use, and incidence of intergroup violence among high risk youth ages 12 to 19. The programs plans to serve teens residing in Bolivar, Humphrey, and Washington counties of the impoverished Mississippi Delta region. Students will be recruited for the voluntary program through a series of presentations at local schools. A recent survey of Mississippi high school students conducted by the State Department of Education, revealed that 28.1 percent had carried a weapon in the previous month; 38.3 percent had been involved in physical fights; and 47 percent had consumed alcohol. In order to address these problems, the I Challenge program plans to: 1) develop a media campaign to promote the prevention of substance use or abuse; 2) conduct 144 or more educational workshops designed to prevent and /or decrease alcohol and drug use and reduce violence; 3) create a Substance Abuse Advisory Committee to determine ways in which to educate target groups; and 4) develop a mentoring program of community and professional leaders to work with program participants.