FY 2004 Continuation Drug-Free Communities Support Program

Deschutes County is the fiscal agent for the Deschutes County Prevention Partners Coalition. The coalition focuses on three geographically disadvantaged communities - Redmond (population 11,728), LaPine (population 15,000), and Sisters (population 836) - which lack resources to adequately serve local youth. The target population is 9,140 children of school age who live in these three communities.

The coalition will work towards its first goal of reducing substance abuse among targeted youth and correlating objectives by implementing the following strategies:
1) provide parent education;
2) implement targeted counter-advertising and public awareness/education campaigns;
3) focus on the continuation and expansion of youth competency development, evidence-based programs such as LifeSkills Training and Friendly PEERsuasion; and
4) enhance positive youth development activities such as mentoring programs, student action teams, and parent-volunteer programs.

The second goal of continuing to strengthen community collaboration to prevent and to reduce substance abuse among youth will be addressed by implementing the following coalition strategies:
1) recruit key community members and youth to serve on local action teams;
2) establish programmatic priorities and activities; and
3) survey and evaluate action team work plan activities and develop plans for sustainability for action teams. Each action team will prepare an annual evaluation and survey of progress and effectiveness of both the projects implemented and the action team efforts. CA/NCF