FY 2003 Drug-Free Communities Support Program Application for Continuation Funding

Breaking Free, Inc. is the fiscal agent for the West Chicago Youth Commission. The coalition serves DuPage County, a diverse community with a population of 23,469. The goals of the coalition are to: 1) reduce substance abuse among youth and, over time, adults by addressing the factors in the community that serve to increase the risk of substance abuse and the factors that serve to minimize the risk of substance abuse; and 2) strengthen the collaboration among communities, governments, and private non-profit agencies to support community coalition efforts to prevent and reduce substance abuse. To achieve these goals, the coalition will implement the following strategies:
1) develop collaborative community strategic planning effort;
2) recruit and strengthen community coalition by recruiting new members from underrepresented sectors of the community;
3) support after-school prevention programming at four elementary schools in an effort to reduce the onset of substance use and abuse; and
4) provide community training in drug education and awareness to engage all sectors of the community in reinforcing protective factors for youth.
CA/NCF