Together we can... Collaboration to stop underage drinking - the hampden-wilbraham partners for youth coalition will implement together we can, collaboration to stop alcohol use among youth in our…

Together we can... Collaboration to stop underage drinking - the hampden-wilbraham partners for youth coalition will implement together we can, collaboration to stop alcohol use among youth in our communities. In response to recent data, our program will focus on grades 5-12, supporting additional evidence-based prevention education, increased involvement and education of parents and community stakeholders, and a coordinated set of activities that will bring awareness to the problem of underage drinking and the collective role in its solution. The project will be located within the western massachusetts- based hampden-wilbraham regional school district. While the focus will be primarily on widening targeted prevention efforts during the pre-teen and later teen years, the project will build upon and expand substance use prevention efforts currently underway and will benefit the over 2900 students enrolled in the district, their parents, teachers, school administrators and community partners who share the investment in keeping students safe, healthy and substance free. Most recent survey data show that although alcohol use among high school students had dropped incrementally over a five=year period of time, indicators are pointing to increased vulnerability with a post-covid 6% rise in 12TH graders 30-day use (with steady increasing rates through the high school years) and increased perceptions of parent/peer acceptance and decreased perceptions of risk. Expanded efforts will target earlier grades, working to change norms and conditions that appear favorable towards use. Through expanded data collection, communication and community education, our project will allow US to better assess critical decision points at younger ages, engage parents in prevention sooner, and create and implement a more comprehensive communication strategy that educates and mobilizes the larger community in the prevention f underage drinking. The specific goals will be to reduce the number of 7TH through 12TH graders reporting 30-day use of alcohol by at least 20% from baseline by the project's conclusion in 2026, and to see steady corresponding rises in the percentage of students who believe alcohol use is harmful and perceive that their parents and/or peers disapprove of use. Successful efforts will also be demonstrated using an age-appropriate new survey to show an increase in the percentage of students in grades 5-6 who report that their parents have spoken with them about the risks of underage drinking and have established clear expectations. Activities include strategies that decrease risk factors and increase protective factors such as: expanding an evidence-based social norms approach to engage students in earlier grades and emphasize good decision-making for our older teens,; a community outreach effort that includes comprehensive media including social media; expanded lifeskills and youth mental health first aid trainings to educate parents of younger students on issues related to alcohol use and help them build stronger prevention communication skills; engaging more community partners in sponsoring safe and healthy activities that appeal to youth in the pre-teen and early teen years; annually hosting town hall meetings that maintain a community conversation about underage drinking and a shared responsibility of adults as the mvps (most valuable people) in the lives of our children. The project will enhance the long-term capacity of the coalition and its many partners to work together to promote the physical, social and emotional well-being of hampden-wilbraham youth through the prevention of underage drinking.