Enfield sober truth on preventing underaged drinking act (stop act)grant - the enfield together coalition (etc), an initiative within the department of social services, division of child, youth and…

The Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded $240,000 to the Town of Enfield Board of Education on September 30, 2025, under the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Projects of Regional and National Significance program (CFDA 93.243, STOP Act funding) to reduce youth alcohol use and promote mental health in Enfield, Connecticut through September 29, 2029.

The Enfield Together Coalition, an initiative within the Department of Social Services, Division of Child, Youth and Family Services, will use funding to decrease past 30-day alcohol use among students in grades 6–12 from 7.7 percent to 5.7 percent and increase perception of alcohol harm from 64.4 percent to 70 percent (moderate to great risk). The coalition will apply a trauma-informed, intergenerational prevention approach targeting youth aged 12–20 and their families and professional networks, addressing shared risk factors between alcohol use and mental health concerns through the Strategic Prevention Framework process. Activities include enhancing coalition infrastructure and capacity, breaking stigma around underage drinking and mental health, and building community buy-in through intergovernmental cooperation and increased citizen participation. The program targets the town of Enfield (population 40,792), located in north central Connecticut on the Massachusetts border.

Enfield sober truth on preventing underaged drinking act (stop act)grant - the enfield together coalition (etc), an initiative within the department of social services, division of child, youth and family services, serves the town of enfield, CT. To continue the work started under the DFC grant, etc plans to use stop act funds to continue decreasing youth alcohol use rates in enfield while building capacity and infrastructure of the etc. The town of enfield, with a population of 40,792, is in north central connecticut, on the border of massachusetts. The town is predominantly white (80%), with a median household income approximately the same as the state. The population focus is youth aged 12 to 20 years. The program will also work across the lifespan to be inclusive of all persons with direct familial or professional ties impacting youth. Etc will use a trauma-informed, intergenerational approach to prevention and will look to break stigma, draw connections between mental health and underage drinking, and change the rates of acceptability of alcohol use in the community through intergovernmental cooperation and increased citizen participation and buy-in. Etc's stop act grant application has 2 primary goals: 1. Enhance the etc infrastructure and capacity for effectiveness by addressing shared risk factors that drive alcohol use and mental health concerns across ages 12-20 by using the SPF process to develop a plan for on-going coalition efforts and impact. 2. Prevent and reduce underage drinking while promoting mental health and wellness in enfield youth/young adults ages 12-20. Among the key measurable objectives are: etc leadership will increase capacity to implement the SPF as evidenced by a one-point increase in scores of the coalition vitality self-assessment. Reduce past 30-day use of alcohol by students in grades 6-12 from 7.7% to 5.7%. Increase perception of harm of drinking alcohol of students grades 6-12 from 64.4% to 70% (moderate to great risk) as measured by the youth risk behavior survey. Increase capacity to provide sbirt screening among high-risk ages 12-20 as evidenced by completed mous and operationalized sbirt workflows. To accomplish these goals, etc plans to design a social marketing campaign to move the needle towards changed perceptions and behaviors. Activities include a social norms campaign utilizing samhsa's talk they hear you campaign targeting parents, policy adjustments inclusive of sbirt training and prevention and education rather than punishment in the courts, and collaboration with local organizations on training and education efforts to increase capacity for coalition members and formalize the structure of the coalition. Annually, the program anticipates having contact with 85% of attending 6TH-12TH grade students through the school survey, 100 community college students (18-20 years old) through fresh check day, and 70% of student families through material sent home and on social media. In addition, through the enfield youth services show on 107.7 wacc, public service announcements, and social and written media, etc's stop act grant work will touch approximately half the residents in the town of enfield