LOUISIANA CHILDREN & YOUTH PREVENTION COALITION SERVING ST. TAMMANY

Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Program | Community Coalition

LAUNCHING 2024

The Seymore D’Fair Foundation expands its mission by launching the new Louisiana Children & Youth Prevention Coalition serving St. Tammany Parish. This children and youth prevention coalition will be based in St. Tammany Parish, serving the Northshore and collaborating with fellow coalitions throughout Louisiana and the United States.

CHILDREN & YOUTH PREVENTION

In today’s world, barriers to improving the lives of children, youth, parents, and their communities are challenging.  Solutions to address and overcome the effects of drug, alcohol, and tobacco use and abuse are complex and nearly impossible for one organization to tackle. To overcome these barriers, the Seymore D’Fair Foundation brings together organizations throughout the Northshore in collaborative partnerships to form the Louisiana Children & Youth Prevention Coalition, serving St. Tammany Parish.

  • The Children & Youth Prevention Coalition of St. Tammany Parish is an alliance of organizations working under the SDF Foundation, dedicated to a shared vision of giving all stakeholders an opportunity to cultivate and promote a drug-free community.

    We are community-based, operating within a formal agreement arrangement for cooperation and collaboration among membership and sectors of our community. Each participant retains its identity, but all agree to work collectively towards a shared goal of building a safe, healthy, and drug-free community.

    Prevention coalitions are a proven model for creating sustained partnerships across diverse sectors to tackle both long-standing and emerging issues in drug, alcohol, and tobacco prevention.

  • The purpose of the Children & Youth Prevention Coalition of St. Tammany Parish is to allow all participants equal standing in all discussions, enabling them to provide their perspectives and ideas freely and fully. The coalition is designed to encourage knowledge sharing and peer exchange and provide a forum where community stakeholders learn what other fellow members are working on. As such, the Coalition will help build a sense of cohesion in the community.

    Program goals include:

    Establish and strengthen collaboration among communities, public and private non-profit agencies, and federal, state, local and tribal governments to support community coalitions working to prevent and reduce youth substance use.

    Reduce substance use among youth by addressing the factors in a community that increase risk for substance use and promoting factors that minimize risk for substance use.

  • The coalition provides members the opportunity to learn more about other organizations in the community, to network and discuss issues, develop opportunities, and implement strategies with the aim of improving support for programs and people affected by drugs, alcohol, and tobacco.

  • The coalition provides members the opportunity to learn more about other organizations in the community, to network and discuss issues, develop opportunities, and implement strategies with the aim of improving support for programs and people affected by drugs, alcohol, and tobacco.

    Coalition membership is open to any resident or employer. Members decide the level of/time commitment and are encouraged to attend meetings, participate in work groups, and support coalition initiatives and efforts. Additionally, volunteers are needed on a periodic basis to assist with specific projects and events that the coalition has arranged.

    The coalition is comprised of multiple organization that collaborate and develop strategies to:

    1. Raise awareness about prevention and alcohol and other drug trends
    2. Educate children, youth and adults in the community
    3. Create a community environment that discourages children’s first-use and supports youth's non-use
    4. Introduce or improve local policies or practices to prevent or reduce use
    5. Organize advocacy initiatives

COALITION STAKEHOLDERS

Monthly Meeting include a diverse range of stakeholders.

WORKING TOGETHER FOR BETTER OUTCOMES

Together, we can work on developing effective strategies to confront drug, alcohol and tobacco issues and improve outcomes for our community.

Coalition work is guided by evidence-based frameworks such as the Seven Strategies for Community Change developed by the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) and the Strategic Prevention Framework  developed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and includes activities like

  • Changing community-wide policies

  • Changing school policies

  • Designing communication campaigns

  • Hosting drug-free social events

  • Identifying opportunities for youth to engage in community change.

  • Offering youth and parent education and training

COMMUNITY CHANGE THROUGH EFFECTIVE STRATEGIE

Community change can be achieved through effective individual and environmental engagement. Within these two sectors, the coalition utilizes seven strategies.

Individual & Environmental Strategies:

  • Providing information

  • Change Incentives / Consequences

  • Enhancing Skills

  • Reduce Barriers / Enhance Access

  • Providing Support

  • Change Physical Design

  • Educate about Policies and Laws

Working together, the Coalition empowers our leaders to build a community that foster a safe environment for young people to learn, grow, and thrive.

These policies and activities can help address risk factors for youth substance use, such as the availability and cost of alcohol and drugs, and promote protective factors, such as strong relationships with trusted adults.

Working in conjunction with the DFC National Cross-Sight Evaluation, the Coalition will report on the following core measures for alcohol, tobacco, and prescription drugs for three grade levels (6th-12th).

OUR COALITION CAN MAKE AN IMPACT

Youth engagement is critical to youth substance use prevention. Over two-thirds (67%) of coalitions reported hosting a youth coalition, and these same coalitions reported significantly higher levels of youth, law enforcement, parent, and school sector involvement.

Evaluation findings reported annually indicate that coalition programs are making a difference in local communities. Coalitions reported that substance use declined among young people living in their communities and that they significantly increased the number of young people who choose not to use substances.

DRUG-FREE COMMUNITIES (DFC) PROGRAM | BACKGROUND

The Seymore D’Fair Foundation and the new Louisiana Children & Youth Prevention Coalition, serving St. Tammany Parish is privately funded through donations, sponsorships, and various fundraising campaigns. Working in conjunction with the Drug Policy, Office of John Bel Edwards, and Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA), the Children & Youth Prevention Coalition of St. Tammany will apply for DFC funding to assist with building organization capacity during the 2024 grant cycle.

The Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Program is the only Federal Drug Prevention Program that provides funding directly to local communities to prevent and reduce substance abuse among youth. The main objective of the program is to establish and strengthen the collaboration among communities, public and private non-profit agencies, as well as federal, state, local, and tribal governments to support the efforts of community coalitions working to prevent and reduce substance use among youth. Since 1998, the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) has awarded thousands of DFC grants to local communities in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, Palau, American Samoa, the US Virgin Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia.