Stands preventing underage drinking - stands (schools together allowing no drugs) serves scott county, tennessee, a rural county nestled in east tennessee, bordering kentucky to its north and situated…

Stands preventing underage drinking - stands (schools together allowing no drugs) serves scott county, tennessee, a rural county nestled in east tennessee, bordering kentucky to its north and situated in the foothills of the appalachian mountains. Our community is made up of rural country areas, with a population of 21,850. The stop grant will impact all youth and young adults in scott county, to prevent and reduce under age alcohol use. The specific population of focus for this grant will be youth ages 12-20 who are at high risk for alcohol use; specifically, the underserved population (at risk), lgbtq+ youth, youth in rural areas, students ages 18-20 at the community college and local level. We further aim to destigmatize high-risk groups through cultural competency due to the unacceptance of marginalized groups within the region. These groups include but are not limited to the lgbtq+ community, those who are homeless/at-risk of homelessness, and individuals living in poverty. Implementing prevention strategies based on the strategic prevention framework model in the community will reduce underaged drinking by 4 percent, reduce social availability of alcohol among youth, and will increase youth and parental perception of the harm of underage drinking through programming and campaigns. Stand, funded by the drug-free communities support program over the past ten years, has strengthened successful local prevention strategies. Stand's comprehensive approach includes community education on underage drinking consequences, increasing the perception of harm associated with underage drinking, supporting local law enforcement efforts, targeting socioeconomic impacted areas and at-risk subpopulations. Stand will achieve this by launching comprehensive social media campaigns to raise awareness of underage drinking dangers, and fostering community partnerships to prioritize underage drinking prevention in the county. These strategies aim not only to reduce underage drinking but also to build stronger partnerships among local government and community organizations for sustained impact. With a focus on long-term sustainability, the plan involves engaging multiple community sectors to coordinate underage drinking prevention efforts and drive change across the county.