Drug Free Communities Support Program

The Partners Acting as Change Agents serves Woodward County, OK, a rural area with a population of 11,853, which is 92.0% White 0.25% Black 1.94% American Indian and 5.81% Other including Hispanic Origin. The goals of the program are to: 1) reduce substance abuse among youth and adults; and 2) strengthen collaboration among community agents responsible for serving youth and families. To achieve these goals, the coalition will implement the following strategies: 1) implement a comprehensive evaluation plan for assessing the effectiveness of community substance abuse reduction initiatives directed toward youth; 2) develop a research-based, long-term strategy sufficiently documented to ensure program successes can be replicated in other communities; 3) facilitate training among coalition members; 4) plan and implement proposed primary prevention initiatives with school faculty, counselors, and administrators; 5) conduct middle and high school youth surveys to assess incidence and prevalence of substance use and assess risk and protective factors among youth; 6) utilize existing Partners Acting as Change Agent youth representatives to recruit a diverse group of youths to the youth council; and 7) develop a website for sharing information about coalition activities and schedules.CA/NCF