Funding needed to enact youth substance-use reduction programs in franklin county, kentucky. - currently franklin county, kentucky faces an exacerbated rate of youth substance abuse, with tobacco…

Funding needed to enact youth substance-use reduction programs in franklin county, kentucky. - currently franklin county, kentucky faces an exacerbated rate of youth substance abuse, with tobacco and alcohol. While statewide use of these substances have generally been decreasing, recent rates in franklin county have risen, partly due to the covid-19 pandemic. The proposed project seeks to decrease substance usage among youth in franklin county and will be led by the franklin county health department and its just say yes coalition. The project will utilize the icelandic prevention model (IPM), which places a heavy emphasis on increasing access to out-of-school time activities as a key protective factor with powerful preventative potential for youth substance use. The IPM will guide the just say yes coalition and its partners through the implementation of various substance-reduction initiatives which will involve extensive education, outreach, and coalition building. This includes the expansion of the yes card program which will annually distribute $400 gift cards to pay for provider-approved youth activities which will encourage out of school involvement for middle and high school students. The project will also expand upon parental education through parent cafes and be strong families training, where parents will receive the knowledge to understand the factors that drive youth substance use and the skills to meaningfully engage with their children. Through this implementation, franklin county and the just say yes coalition aim to create positive, healthy environments for youth through data-driven, mutually reinforcing strategies and consistent messaging across various sectors and population groups. This will result in an overall reduction in tobacco and alcohol usage among franklin county youth, and ideally youth across the commonwealth of kentucky.