Santa cruz county bridge coalition will prevent and reduce youth use of alcohol, marijuana, and vaping (THC) in rural, underserved border communities through education and collaboration. - the santa…

The Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded $125,000 to Constructing Circles Of Peace on July 1, 2026, under the Drug-Free Communities Support Program (CFDA 93.276) to establish and strengthen youth substance use prevention across Santa Cruz County, Arizona through the Santa Cruz County Bridge Coalition.

Constructing Circles Of Peace, a nonprofit based in Nogales, Arizona, will coordinate a countywide cross-sector coalition serving youth ages 18 and under and their families in Nogales (85621), Rio Rico (85648), and Patagonia (85624), with emphasis on rural and underserved communities. The Bridge Coalition represents all 12 required sectors: youth, parents, schools, healthcare, law enforcement, media, civic and community organizations, business, faith communities, and local government.

Prevention activities include community education forums, youth-led prevention messaging and campaigns, evidence-based programming and skill-building for youth and families, youth mentorship and prosocial alternatives, and systems-level work with schools and partners to strengthen prevention infrastructure. The coalition will prioritize prevention of marijuana, THC vaping, and alcohol use among youth while monitoring local presence of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and emerging substance use trends. Outreach will expand through trusted community anchors, including local faith communities, to address community stressors unique to this rural border county with limited access to structured prevention services.

The award covers the period July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2031. Place of performance is Arizona.

Santa cruz county bridge coalition will prevent and reduce youth use of alcohol, marijuana, and vaping (THC) in rural, underserved border communities through education and collaboration. - the santa cruz county bridge (building resilience, impact, development, growth & empowerment) coalition seeks drug-free communities funding to strengthen and expand youth substance use prevention across santa cruz county, arizona. Bridge is a countywide, cross-sector coalition representing all 12 required sectors, including youth, parents, schools, healthcare, law enforcement, media, civic and community organizations, business, faith communities, and local government. The coalition serves youth ages 18 and under and their families in the ZIP codes of 85621 (nogales), 85648 (RIO rico), and 85624 (patagonia), with a focus on rural and underserved communities where youth face elevated risk factors and limited access to structured prevention services. Santa cruz county is a small, rural border county with unique environmental conditions that influence youth substance use, including community stressors, cross-border exposure, and limited prevention infrastructure in outlying areas. Bridge will prioritize prevention efforts addressing marijuana, THC vaping, and alcohol use among youth, while also responding to the local presence of fentanyl and methamphetamine and emerging substance use trends as they arise. The coalition will implement a comprehensive, data-informed prevention approach grounded in the seven strategies for community-level change. Activities will include community education forums, youth-led prevention messaging and campaigns, evidence-based programming and skill-building for youth and families, youth mentorship and prosocial alternatives, and systems-level work with schools and partners to strengthen prevention practices. Bridge will also expand its outreach through trusted community anchors, including local faith communities, to increase prevention reach and engagement among families. The coalition's primary outcomes are to increase community collaboration and reduce youth substance use. Bridge will track progress through the DFC national cross-site evaluation core measures, including past 30-day use, perception of risk, perception of parental disapproval, and perception of peer disapproval. Data will be assessed using the arizona youth survey (AYS) and complemented by additional local measures such as pre and post surveys for evidence-based programming and ongoing coalition performance monitoring. Bridge will share findings with the community through youth-friendly data products, bilingual outreach, coalition reporting, and regular partner briefings to support continuous improvement and sustain community-level change. Through this project, the bridge coalition will close prevention service gaps, strengthen local capacity, and build safer, healthier environments that support youth and families across all regions of santa cruz county.