Project Grant H79SP083500

THE WELLNESS COALITION OF RURAL LINN COUNTY (WCRLC) STOP ACT PROGRAM - PROJECT ABSTRACT SUMMARY THE WELLNESS COALITION OF RURAL LINN COUNTY (WCRLC) STOP ACT PROGRAM WILL ADDRESS UNDERAGE DRINKING IN IOWA AND WILL PROVIDE SERVICES TO SIX RURAL TOWNS: MOUNT VERNON, LISBON, SPRINGVILLE, CENTER POINT, ALBURNETT, AND CENTRAL CITY; WITH A COMBINED TOTAL POPULATION OF 12, 262. THE WCRLC STOP ACT PROGRAM GOALS ARE TO REDUCE UNDERAGE DRINKING BY INCREASING ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS INCLUDING RESTORATIVE JUSTICE PRACTICES AND DECREASING NORMS FAVORABLE TO UNDERAGE DRINKING. THE STRATEGIES INCLUDE: IMPLEMENTING ALCOHOL COMPLIANCE CHECKS IN THE TOWNS OF MOUNT VERNON AND LISBON, INCREASE THE NUMBER OF SCHOOLS WITH RESTORATIVE JUSTICE POLICIES, IMPLEMENTING STUDENTS AND STAFF TRAININGS ON UNDERAGE DRINKING BEHAVIORS AND A NORMS CAMPAIGN AT KIRKWOOD COMMUNITY COLLEGE (KIRKWOOD), INCORPORATION OF PRI OR ANOTHER EVIDENCE-BASED PROGRAM INTO THE ALCOHOL EDU PROGRAM AT KIRKWOOD AND CORNELL COLLEGES, AND INCREASE PERCEPTION OF RISK ON UNDERAGE DRINKING AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS. THE 2020 CENSUS DATA WAS USED TO PROVIDE THE MOST UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION FOR EACH OF THE COMMUNITIES SERVED BY THE WCRLC STOP ACT PROGRAM. MOUNT VERNON HAS THE LARGEST POPULATION OF 4,498; INCLUDING 28% UNDER THE AGE OF 19, 14% AGED 60 AND OLDER, AND 3% BELOW THE POVERTY LINE. CORNELL COLLEGE, IN MOUNT VERNON, IS A LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGE WITH 1,074 STUDENTS. THE COMMUNITY OF LISBON HAS A POPULATION OF 1,924; INCLUDING, 27% UNDER THE AGE OF 19, 21% AGED 60 AND OLDER, AND 7.4% BELOW THE POVERTY LINE. CENTRAL CITY HAS A POPULATION OF 1,197; INCLUDING 26% UNDER THE AGE OF 19, 23% AGED 60 AND OLDER AND 7% BELOW THE POVERTY LINE. THE COMMUNITY OF SPRINGVILLE HAS A POPULATION OF 1,265; INCLUDING 27% UNDER THE AGE OF 19, 17% AGED 60 AND OLDER AND 11.7% BELOW THE POVERTY LINE. ALBURNETT HAS A POPULATION OF 796; INCLUDING 33% UNDER THE AGE OF 19, 17% AGED 60 AND OLDER, AND 6.1% BELOW THE POVERTY LINE. LASTLY, CENTER POINT HAS A POPULATION OF 2,582 INCLUDING 29% UNDER THE AGE OF 19, 19% AGED 60 AND OLDER, AND 6.1% BELOW THE POVERTY LINE. ALL OF THESE COMMUNITIES ARE KNOWN FOR THEIR MULTI-GENERATIONAL FARMING EFFORTS. EACH TOWN CONTAINS ITS OWN SCHOOL DISTRICT, WITH POPULATIONS THAT GO BEYOND CITY LIMITS DUE TO OPEN ENROLLMENT. KIRKWOOD PROVIDES CLASSES TO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS THROUGH PARTNERSHIP WITH THE LOCAL HIGH SCHOOLS AND HAS A TOTAL ENROLLMENT OF 16,821FOR THE 2022-2023 SCHOOL YEAR. THE WCRLC STOP ACT GRANT PROGRAM GOAL 1: IS TO INCREASE ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS INCLUDING RESTORATIVE JUSTICE PRACTICES. OBJECTIVE 1.1: BY 9/29/2027 INCREASE ALCOHOL COMPLIANCE CHECKS IN THE TOWNS OF MOUNT VERNON AND LISBON FROM 0 TO 2 IN EACH COMMUNITY EACH YEAR. OBJECTIVE 1.2: BY 9/29/2027 INCREASE THE NUMBER OF SCHOOLS WITH FORMAL RESTORATIVE JUSTICE INTERVENTIONS FROM SUSPENSION (DUE TO ALCOHOL INFRACTIONS?) FROM 1 TO 3 SCHOOL DISTRICTS WITH POLICIES. GOAL 2 OF THE WCRLC STOP ACT PROGRAM IS TO DECREASE NORMS FAVORABLE TO UNDERAGE DRINKING. OBJECTIVE 2.1: BY 9/29/2027 INCREASE THE NUMBER OF STAFF TRAINING ON UNDERAGE DRINKING BEHAVIORS FROM 0 TO 2 PER YEAR AT KIRKWOOD MEASURED BY SCHOOL IN-SERVICE TRAINING RECORDS. OBJECTIVE 2.2: BY 9/29/2027 INCREASE THE NUMBER OF STUDENT TRAININGS ON UNDERAGE DRINKING BEHAVIORS FROM 0 TO 2 PER YEAR AT KIRKWOOD AND CORNELL COLLEGE MEASURED BY SCHOOL TRAINING RECORDS. OBJECTIVE 2.3: BY 9/29/2027 30% OF KIRKWOOD STUDENTS WILL REPORT SEEING THE SOCIAL NORMS CAMPAIGN AS MEASURED BY THE SOCIAL NORMS CAMPAIGN SURVEY WITH CURRENT KIRKWOOD STUDENTS. OBJECTIVE 2.4: BY 9/29/2027 INCREASE PERCEPTION OF RISK ON UNDERAGE DRINKING AMONG KIRKWOOD STUDENTS BY 5% MEASURED BY COLLEGE CAMPUS SURVEY. BASELINE TO BE ESTABLISHED IN 2024. OBJECTIVE 2.5: BY 9/29/2027 INCORPORATE PRI OR ANOTHER EVIDENCE-BASED PROGRAM INTO ALCOHOL EDU PROGRAM AS MEASURED BY AN INCREASE FROM 0 TO 2 COLLEGES.