Project Grant H79SP084816

CAMPBELL COUNTY UNDERAGE DRINKING INITIATIVE - CAMPBELL COUNTY UNDERAGE DRINKING INITIATIVE THE CAMPBELL COUNTY DRUG FREE ALLIANCE (CCDFA) IS COMMITTED TO REDUCING UNDERAGE DRINKING AND FOSTERING A CULTURE OF PREVENTION IN CAMPBELL COUNTY, KENTUCKY. THROUGH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, YOUTH LEADERSHIP, AND EVIDENCE-BASED STRATEGIES, CCDFA WILL WORK TO LIMIT YOUTH ACCESS TO ALCOHOL, SHIFT COMMUNITY NORMS, AND EMPOWER PARENTS AND YOUTH IN PREVENTION EFFORTS. BY PARTNERING WITH LOCAL SCHOOLS, FESTIVALS, AND MEDIA, CCDFA WILL SERVE AN ESTIMATED 14,726 INDIVIDUALS ANNUALLY AND 58,904 THROUGHOUT THE PROJECT'S LIFETIME, WITH MEDIA OUTREACH EXTENDING ITS REACH ACROSS THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY. CAMPBELL COUNTY IS HOME TO 4,223 MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ACROSS CAMPBELL COUNTY, DAYTON INDEPENDENT, NEWPORT INDEPENDENT, BELLEVUE INDEPENDENT, AND SOUTHGATE INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICTS, WITH 61.1% FROM LOW-INCOME BACKGROUNDS, MAKING THEM MORE VULNERABLE TO EARLY ALCOHOL USE. NEARLY ONE-THIRD OF STUDENTS DO NOT PERCEIVE DRINKING AS RISKY, AND OVER A QUARTER REPORT THAT OBTAINING ALCOHOL IS VERY EASY (KIP, 2021). THE COUNTY'S STRONG CULTURAL ACCEPTANCE OF ALCOHOL, REINFORCED BY FESTIVALS AND SOCIAL GATHERINGS, PRESENTS CHALLENGES IN SHIFTING COMMUNITY NORMS. TO ADDRESS UNDERAGE DRINKING, CCDFA HAS SET TWO PRIMARY GOALS. THE FIRST IS TO REDUCE YOUTH ACCESS TO ALCOHOL BY INCREASING AWARENESS AND RESTRICTING AVAILABILITY IN THE COMMUNITY. TO ACHIEVE THIS, CCDFA WILL PARTNER WITH LOCAL RETAILERS TO IMPLEMENT PROJECT STICKER SHOCK, AN INITIATIVE DESIGNED TO DISCOURAGE ALCOHOL SALES TO MINORS, TO AT LEAST 15 LOCAL RETAILERS BY JUNE 30, 2026. ADDITIONALLY, CCDFA WILL ORGANIZE AND HOST AT LEAST FIVE ALCOHOL-FREE AFTER-PROM EVENTS BY THE SAME DATE, PROVIDING SAFE, SUBSTANCE-FREE ALTERNATIVES FOR STUDENTS. RECOGNIZING THAT FESTIVALS ARE A COMMON SOURCE OF ALCOHOL ACCESS FOR MINORS, CCDFA WILL DISTRIBUTE 20,000 OVER 21 WRISTBANDS AT COMMUNITY EVENTS BY SEPTEMBER 1, 2027, HELPING TO ENFORCE AGE RESTRICTIONS. BY JUNE 30, 2029, CCDFA AIMS TO REDUCE THE PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS WHO REPORT THAT ALCOHOL IS "VERY EASY" TO OBTAIN FROM 28% TO 23%, AS MEASURED BY THE 2028 KENTUCKY INCENTIVES FOR PREVENTION (KIP) SURVEY. THE SECOND GOAL IS TO ENGAGE AND EMPOWER PARENTS AND YOUTH TO ACTIVELY SUPPORT UNDERAGE DRINKING PREVENTION, FOSTERING A COMMUNITY NETWORK THAT WORKS TOGETHER TO REDUCE ALCOHOL USE AMONG YOUTH. CCDFA AIMS TO INCREASE COALITION MEMBERSHIP BY RECRUITING AT LEAST THREE PARENTS/GUARDIANS BY AUGUST 30, 2026, TO HELP LEAD PREVENTION INITIATIVES. TO AMPLIFY YOUTH VOICES IN PREVENTION EFFORTS, CCDFA WILL ALSO ESTABLISH A YOUTH ADVISORY COUNCIL, ENGAGING AT LEAST SEVEN YOUTH LEADERS BY THE SAME DATE. THESE YOUNG LEADERS WILL PLAY A KEY ROLE IN DEVELOPING YOUTH-LED PSAS, ORGANIZING ALCOHOL-FREE EVENTS, AND LEADING A VIDEO CAMPAIGN ON ALCOHOL PREVENTION. PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT WILL ALSO BE STRENGTHENED THROUGH COMMUNITY-WIDE AWARENESS EFFORTS. BY AUGUST 30, 2027, CCDFA WILL IMPLEMENT A PARENT-FOCUSED CAMPAIGN PROMOTING "TALK, THEY HEAR YOU" AND "NOT IN MY HOUSE", DISTRIBUTING 500 CAMPAIGN MATERIALS TO EDUCATE FAMILIES ON UNDERAGE DRINKING PREVENTION. IN ADDITION, CCDFA AIMS TO REDUCE THE PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS WHO REPORT DRINKING AT HOME FROM 38.8% TO 33% BY JUNE 30, 2029, AS MEASURED BY THE 2028 KIP SURVEY. CCDFA WILL IMPLEMENT A COMPREHENSIVE PREVENTION STRATEGY THAT INCLUDES RETAIL AND FESTIVAL PARTNERSHIPS TO LIMIT ACCESS, SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY-BASED EDUCATION TO INCREASE AWARENESS, PARENT ENGAGEMENT TO SUPPORT PREVENTION AT HOME, AND YOUTH LEADERSHIP INITIATIVES TO EMPOWER STUDENTS AS PREVENTION ADVOCATES. BY FOSTERING COLLABORATION AND COMMUNITY-DRIVEN CHANGE, CCDFA WILL REDUCE UNDERAGE DRINKING AND STRENGTHEN PREVENTION EFFORTS, CREATING A HEALTHIER, MORE INFORMED GENERATION IN CAMPBELL COUNTY.