SOBER TRUTH ON PREVENTING UNDERAGE DRINKING ACT GRANTS (STOP) - THE PROJECT AIMS TO PREVENT AND REDUCE SOCIAL ACCESS TO ALCOHOL AMONG YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS. - PROJECT NAME: SOBER TRUTH ON PREVENTING UNDERAGE DRINKING ACT GRANTS (STOP) POPULATION SERVED: THE POPULATION OF FOCUS FOR THE STOP ACT GRANT PROGRAM WILL BE YOUTH AGES 12 TO 18 AND THE CATCHMENT AREA WILL BE FORT BEND COUNTY. PROJECT SUMMARY: FORT BEND COMMUNITY PREVENTION COALITION'S (FBCPC) OVERALL AIM IS TO REDUCE SOCIAL ACCESS TO ALCOHOL AMONG YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS IN FORT BEND COUNTY. THE PROPOSED PROJECT WILL ENHANCE THE ABILITY OF ESTABLISHED COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS TO CREATE COLLECTIVE POPULATION LEVEL CHANGE, STRENGTHEN COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE COMMUNITY AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT. THIS WILL PREVENT AND REDUCE ALCOHOL USE AMONG YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS IN UNDERSERVED AREAS OF OUR COMMUNITY. PROJECT ABSTRACT: SINCE THE 1970S FORT BEND HAS REMAINED ONE OF THE FASTEST-GROWING COUNTIES IN THE U.S. WITH AN ESTIMATED POPULATION OF 916,778 (U.S. CENSUS BUREAU, 2023). SOCIOECONOMICS RANGES FROM IMPOVERISHED NEIGHBORHOODS TO AFFLUENT MASTER-PLANNED COMMUNITIES. MOREOVER, RACIAL, AND ETHNIC DIVERSITY IN FORT BEND COUNTY IS VAST: 29.3% OF COUNTY RESIDENTS ARE WHITE, 25.5% HISPANIC OR LATINO, 22.1% AFRICAN AMERICAN, 22.1% ASIAN, AND 2.4% IDENTIFY AS TWO OR MORE RACES (U.S. CENSUS BUREAU, 2023). NEARLY ONE-THIRD OF AREA HOUSEHOLDS HAVE CHILDREN UNDER 18 YEARS OF AGE (32.5%; U.S. CENSUS BUREAU, 2023). THE GOALS OF THE PROJECT ARE TO REDUCE UNDERAGE ALCOHOL USE AND INCREASE COMMUNITY COLLABORATION SPECIFIC TO REDUCING UNDERAGE ALCOHOL USE. THE OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT REDUCE SOCIAL ACCESS TO ALCOHOL AMONG UNDERAGE YOUTH AS MEASURED BY A DECREASE IN YOUTH REPORTING THEY OBTAIN ALCOHOL WITH THEIR PARENT'S PERMISSION ON THE PRIDE SURVEY FROM 14.5% TO 14.21% FROM 11TH GRADERS; DECREASE YOUTH USE OF ALCOHOL (GRADE 7-11) AS MEASURED BY A DECREASE IN YOUTH REPORTING PAST 30-DAY ALCOHOL USE ON THE PRIDE SCHOOL SURVEY FROM 10.3% TO 9.8%; INCREASE PERCEPTION OF RISK ASSOCIATED WITH ALCOHOL USE AMONG FORT BEND YOUTH FROM 73.4% TO 71.2% AS MEASURED BY MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH IN FBISD REPORTING ON THE PRIDE SURVEY; AND INCREASE COORDINATION AND COLLABORATION AMONG COALITION MEMBERS, KEY GOVERNMENT STAKEHOLDERS AND THE CITIZENS OF THE COMMUNITY AS MEASURED BY INCREASED IN HOSTING SHARED EVENTS FROM 2 TO 4 EVENTS AS MEASURED BY NUMBER OF SIGNED COALITION AGREEMENT FORMS FOR EVENTS. FBCPC PROPOSES TO MEET THE GOALS AND THE OBJECTIVES OF THE STOP ACT GRANT PROJECT USING THE STRATEGIC PREVENTION FRAMEWORK (SPF) BY PROVIDING INFORMATION (TOWN HALLS, INFORMATION DISSEMINATION VIA PRESENTATIONS AND PRINTED MATERIAL, WORKSHOPS, PSAS, AND SOCIAL MEDIA). IT WILL ENHANCE SKILLS (STRATEGIC PLANNING TRAINING, WORKSHOPS TO INCREASE THE SKILLS OF PARTICIPANTS AND VOLUNTEERS IN SCHOOL), PROVIDE SUPPORT (PROVIDING ALTERNATIVE ACTIVITIES), REDUCE BARRIERS, AND MODIFY/CHANGE POLICIES (SOCIAL ACCESS POLICIES). THE PROJECT WILL ALSO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A YOUTH CREATED, ADULT-SUPPORTED MULTI-MEDIA CAMPAIGN, "DON'T FORCE MY FRIEND" TO PROVIDE REFUSAL SKILLS, CONVERSATION STARTERS AND REMINDERS ABOUT THE DANGERS OF UNDERAGE DRINKING.