The north east yes drug free communities coalition proposes to increase community collaboration and reduce youth substance use in north east, MD

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded Youth Empowerment Source, Inc., $125,000 on July 1, 2026, under the Drug-Free Communities Support Program Grants (CFDA 93.276) to reduce youth substance use in North East, Maryland through enhanced community collaboration.

Youth Empowerment Source will establish and expand prevention programming targeting youth ages 12–18 across Cecil County. The coalition will operate school-based prevention clubs at North East High School, Rising Sun High School, and North East Middle School; host an annual youth prevention rally; and conduct an annual youth leadership summit in North East. Programming focuses on tobacco and alcohol, the primary substances used by the target population. Specific objectives include decreasing high school tobacco/nicotine use from 24.5 percent to 24 percent by June 30, 2027; maintaining tobacco compliance failure rates below 8 percent; increasing refusal skills training from 1,500 to 1,650 students; and reducing the percentage of students who strongly agree that alcohol facilitates stress coping from 43.13 percent to 40 percent.

The award period runs through June 30, 2031. Performance will occur in Maryland, with administrative and programmatic activity centered in North East and surrounding areas of Cecil County. Youth Empowerment Source, a nonprofit based in Elkton, Maryland, currently operates as a prime recipient on a separate SAMHSA substance abuse prevention grant and holds three sub-recipient awards from Cecil County, reflecting established capacity in youth prevention and community coalition work.

The two primary substances used by youth in north east are tobacco and alcohol. The need for enhanced efforts in these areas have been identified through both qualitative and quantitative data. Some of the issues surrounding these challenges include low perception of risk of harm, and community norms surrounding youth alcohol consumption, a lack of compliance checks in community liquor stores, limited retailer education, adverse childhood experiences and a lack of resources to equip youth with leadership and empowerment training. The focus population for this grant will be youth ages 12-18, of all racial backgrounds. Youth in the focus population will be offered opportunities to participate in school-based prevention clubs (already established at north east high school and rising sun high school, with development underway for north east middle), in an annual youth prevention rally, and in an annual youth leadership summit (held in north east). Objectives include: tobacco objective 1: by june 30, 2027, decrease the percentage of high school students who have used any tobacco/nicotine by 1% from 24.5% to 24% as measured by the youth risk behavior survey (YRBS). Objective 2: by june 30, 2027, maintain recent compliance failure rate at less than 8% (10 failures in 130), as measured by tobacco task force compliance data. Objective 3: by june 30, 2027, increase the number of students receiving refusal skills training by 10%, from 1500 in 2024 to 1650 in 2027. Alcohol objective 4: by june 30, 2027, reduce the percentage of students who strongly agree/agree that alcohol makes IT easier to cope with stress, by 3% from 43.13% (2020 maryland young adult survey on alcohol, mysa) to 40%. Objective 5: by june 30, 2027, reduce by 2% the number of compliance failing stay alert checks from 47% (36/76) in 2024 to 45% (45/100). Objective 6: decrease 30-day alcohol use among 12TH graders by 1%, from 12% in 2025 to 11% in 2027, as measured by the DFC core measures survey.