FY 2004 Continuation Drug-Free Communities Support Program

The Northern Berkshire Community Coalition serves the rural, seven-town community of Northern Berkshire County, Massachusetts. The target area population is 38,382 with 6,439 children of school age. The goals of our Drug-Free Communities Support Program are to: 1) reduce substance use among youth and 2) strengthen collaboration and coalition capacity to reduce substance use among youth. To achieve these goals, the coalition will implement the following strategies:
1) promote the Safe Homes Network, which aims to increase parental use of effective methods for discouraging youth substance use;
2) sponsor the youth development program, UNITY (United, Neighboring, Interdependent, Trusted Youth), which aims to prevent substance use among at-risk teenagers by bringing them together as active leaders in addressing community issues;
3) convene and facilitate the Community Wellness Advisory Board (CWAB) which brings together institutional partners and relevant stakeholders in working toward a community-wide strategic prevention plan; and
4) convene and facilitate the Northern Berkshire Youth Collaborative (NBYC) which brings together staff from area youth-serving organizations for monthly capacity-building, networking, and collaboration.
CA/NCF