Coalition Capacity and Youth Leadership Initative

The OJJDP FY 10 Earmarks Program furthers the Department's mission by providing grants, cooperative agreements, and other assistance authorized by the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, as amended, to organizations identified in the Conference Report to accompany the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010 (P.L. 111-117), H.R. Conf. Rep. No. 111-366 at 702-714.

The goal of this project is to foster the growth and development of future leaders in community-based drug and crime prevention while building the capacity of community coalitions to support youth in their development. There are four objectives: (1) train 220 youth and 880 adult leaders in community-based drug prevention at eighteen regional, state, and national events; (2) advocate for legislative change to provide a sustainable funding source for West Virginia community coalitions; (3) enhance coalition infrastructure and increase capacity of coalitions; and (4) conduct ongoing data assessment on the extent and nature of youth risk and protective factors. Community Anti Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA), the national leader in developing community responsiveness to substance abuse issues, will implement the first-ever statewide National Youth Leadership Initiative (NYLI). Through a combination of classroom instruction and web-based distance learning, youth leaders will participate in the design, implementation and evaluation of action strategies to address major community problems which will ultimately result in changed community norms and environments to achieve population level reductions in drug use and crime. As a result, the youth will become more integrated into the fabric of communities across West Virginia as the next generation of prevention leaders. The initiative will allow approximately 220 youth and 55 adult sponsors to participate in three, 4-day residential trainings, as well as nine monthly distance learning sessions from CADCA.

NCA/NCF