Project Grant H79SP085474

LAWRENCE COUNTY STOP PROJECT: PREVENTING UNDERAGE DRINKING THROUGH COMMUNITY AND YOUTH ENGAGEMENT - LAWRENCE COUNTY COALITION (LCC) WILL IMPLEMENT THE STOP PROJECT TO PREVENT AND REDUCE UNDERAGE DRINKING AMONG YOUTH IN GRADES 6-12 ACROSS LAWRENCE COUNTY, SOUTH DAKOTA. BUILDING ON LCC'S HISTORY OF COMMUNITY-BASED PREVENTION WORK, THE PROJECT WILL ENGAGE YOUTH, PARENTS, SCHOOLS, LAW ENFORCEMENT, AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT TO STRENGTHEN ALCOHOL-SPECIFIC PREVENTION CAPACITY COUNTYWIDE. ACTIVITIES INCLUDE YOUTH-LED PREVENTION PLANNING, RETAILER ALCOHOL MANAGEMENT TRAINING, PARENT EDUCATION, AND DATA-DRIVEN COORDINATION WITH LOCAL YOUTH-SERVING SYSTEMS. THE PROJECT AIMS TO REDUCE YOUTH ACCESS TO ALCOHOL AND INCREASE RECOGNITION OF THE RISKS OF BINGE DRINKING AMONG LAWRENCE COUNTY YOUTH. THE PROJECT WILL BE IMPLEMENTED ACROSS THE ENTIRETY OF LAWRENCE COUNTY, AN 800-SQUARE-MILE RURAL COUNTY IN THE BLACK HILLS REGION OF WESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA COMPRISING SPEARFISH, LEAD, DEADWOOD, CENTRAL CITY, AND WHITEWOOD, WITH A RESIDENT POPULATION OF 28,809. THE POPULATION OF FOCUS IS ALL LAWRENCE COUNTY YOUTH IN GRADES 6-12, WITHIN SAMHSA'S TARGET AGE RANGE OF 12 TO 20. THIS IS A CAPACITY-BUILDING PROJECT; NO DIRECT CLINICAL OR TREATMENT SERVICES ARE PROPOSED. PREVENTION ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING TRAINING, EDUCATION, AND COMMUNITY PLANNING, ARE DELIVERED TO THE POPULATION OF FOCUS AND TO THE COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS, INCLUDING PARENTS, RETAILERS, AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT, WHO INFLUENCE YOUTH ACCESS TO ALCOHOL. LCC WILL BUILD CAPACITY THROUGH STRATEGIES INCLUDING EXPANSION OF TECHNIQUES OF ALCOHOL MANAGEMENT (TAM) TRAINING TO ALL THREE SPEARFISH BREWERIES AND OTHER INTERESTED RETAILERS, FORMAL CO-DEVELOPMENT OF AN ALCOHOL-SPECIFIC LOGIC MODEL AND ACTION PLAN WITH LCC'S EXISTING YOUTH EMPOWERMENT TEAM (YET) CHAPTERS, ALCOHOL-SPECIFIC PARENT EDUCATION MATERIALS, COMMUNITY LISTENING SESSIONS/TOWN HALLS, AND A NEW QUARTERLY DATA-SHARING PARTNERSHIP WITH NORTHERN HILLS DIVERSION. LCC'S TWO PROJECT GOALS ARE TO INCREASE ORGANIZATIONAL AND COMMUNITY CAPACITY TO PREVENT UNDERAGE DRINKING IN LAWRENCE COUNTY, AND TO REDUCE YOUTH ACCESS TO ALCOHOL AND INCREASE PERCEIVED RISK OF BINGE DRINKING AMONG LAWRENCE COUNTY YOUTH IN GRADES 6-12. MEASURABLE OBJECTIVES INCLUDE INCREASING THE PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS WHO PERCEIVE GREAT RISK IN BINGE DRINKING FROM 41.4% TO AT LEAST 46.4%, DECREASING PERCEIVED EASE OF ALCOHOL ACCESS AMONG 12TH GRADERS FROM 30.9% TO 25.9%, AND INCREASING COMBINED YET MEMBERSHIP FROM 13 TO AT LEAST 18 YOUTH BY PROJECT END, CONSISTENT WITH SAMHSA'S STRATEGIC PRIORITIES OF DATA-DRIVEN PREVENTION SCIENCE AND EXPANDED ACCESS TO PREVENTION SERVICES.