Community:

Snowflake

Contact:

Lisa Figueroa

Problem Statement:

Lack of parental involvement

Proposed Strategies or Steps to Address this Problem:

1. Inform parents of dangers of meth use, through police and fire departments, Towns of Snowflake and Taylor, churches, and sporting events.

2. Use SFHS data for social norming messages via banners and business marquees.

3. Implement a 24-hour information and resource hotline.

4. Sponsor parent discussion groups to encourage open discussion of their children and substance use issues.

Recommendations:

For Strategy 1:

·      Information Campaign: Using the AYS and other information at your disposal (including gathering new information via focus groups or interviews, if information is lacking), really specify the type of dangers of meth use that need to be included in a messaging campaign. It’s likely that parents already know that meth use is dangerous to the health and safety of their children. Other topics may include: the risk of jail time; loss of scholarship opportunities; sexual abuse and exploitation of girls; negative effects on the skin or one’s looks.

For Strategy 2:

·      Social norming—or using local data to tell the “truth” about meth use among students—may be an effective strategy among students in a school setting if it has been shown that the students believe meth use is higher than is actually true. The Arizona Meth Project implements a social norming/social marketing message and can be found at  http://www.arizonamethproject.org. Successfully using the same method to develop social norms among parents is not so clearly demonstrated, however, if a message were consistently employed over a long enough period of time and through multiple means, such as with Strategy 1, then some positive effect might be realized.

For Strategy 3:

·      A hotline or warmline can be an inexpensive way to inform callers of treatment resources that are available locally or to identify other treatment referrals. This line may be attached simply to an answering machine or voicemail that gives basic information for referral and provides the caller an opportunity to leave a message.

·      This line may act as an anonymous tipline to report crimes or other information to local law enforcement. Local law enforcement agencies often have such a tipline, but it would be useful to check.

·      Both lines require: regular checks of messages and a community-level public relations or ad effort to inform the community of the existence and purpose of the line.

For Strategy 4:

·      Parent Discussion Groups: This strategy also indicated the implementation of parent focus groups. The key to this strategy appears to be finding ways to get parents interacting in a positive and informative setting about drug use issues that affect their children. Several options come to mind:

o   Discussion groups for parents of children involved with meth. This would be facilitated by a licensed counselor.

o   Focus groups with parents. These focus groups could find out what parents know about meth use in their communities or families, how parents’ view differ from those of students, and suggestions for future directions for the community.

o   Community forum(s) for parents and family members. Similar to the Summit, these forums would focus on parents and include a panel of speakers that would best inform parents and be able to answer their questions.

o   While this was not mentioned, it would be useful to conduct focus groups and discussion groups among young people, too.

Community:

Heber/Overgaard

Contact:

Ken Van Winkle or Lance Heister, 535-4622 x5002 kvanwinkle@h-o.k12.az.us or lheister@h-o.k12.az.us

Problem Statement:

Lack of trained professionals and resources to aid in interacting with our students in schools.

Proposed Strategies or Steps to Address this Problem:

1. Find out what is available (talk to Arno)

2. Bring JLA team in

3. Peer speakers

4. Using Student Resource Officer—making her more involved at school

5. Prevention at earlier grades—4-8

Recommendations:

For Strategy 1:

·      Assuming that the professionals are substance abuse counselors and resources are drug prevention related, coordinate with the schools, local nonprofits and other child-serving organizations in the community to learn about the available resources. Some resources that are not available on the school site could perhaps be offered after school hours by community providers, through linkage with the school.

For Strategy 3:

·      Social norming—or using local data to tell the “truth” about meth use among students—may be an effective strategy among students in a school setting if it has been shown that the students believe meth use is higher than is actually true. The Arizona Meth Project implements a social norming/social marketing message and can be found at  http://www.arizonamethproject.org. Peer leadership/speakers can be a way to share the social norming message.

For Strategy 5:

·      Provide students with the developmentally appropriate knowledge, skills, and motivation to resist peer and other pressures to drink. One program, Too Smart to Start, is designed to educate 9- to 13-year-olds about the harms of alcohol use and to support parents and caregivers as they participate in their children’s activities. http://www.toosmarttostart.samhsa.gov/default.aspx

·      Also, see the guide: Reach Out Now: Talk With Your Fifth Graders About Underage Alcohol Use http://teachin.samhsa.gov/materials/fifthteacher.aspx This program can help educators to: provide students with factual information about the effects of underage alcohol use.

Community:

Winslow

Contact:

Gus Percuoco, Phone: 288-8100 x 8235 gpercuoco@wusd1.org

Problem Statement:

Underage drinking

Proposed Strategies or Steps to Address this Problem:

1.     put together alcohol education program, primarily aimed at grades 4,5,6 but to include grades 7-8 & 9-12

2.     Through a series of skits, flyers, poster contests (at each of our five schools) and by networking with local and tribal law enforcement, students will set up information stands, we will effort to involve students at those grade levels through a reward program, i.e. (1) certificates of attendance, (2) student awards for posters.

Recommendations:

For Strategy 1:

The following are strategies for school staff to decrease the risk of adolescent alcohol use and the associated negative consequences. It is best to sponsor interventions that research has confirmed are effective in preventing and reducing underage alcohol use.

·      Alcohol education: Provide students with the developmentally appropriate knowledge, skills, and motivation to resist peer and other pressures to drink. One program, Too Smart to Start, is designed to educate 9- to 13-year-olds about the harms of alcohol use and to support parents and caregivers as they participate in their children’s activities. http://www.toosmarttostart.samhsa.gov/default.aspx Education on knowledge, skills and attitudes is an individual strategy unless it is mandated across the community, in this case, the school.

Changes to the school environment through policy enforcement:

·      Discourage violation of alcohol rules by consistently enforcing them.

·      Establish and enforce strict policies against alcohol use on school property and at school events.

Access to treatment for those identified:

·      Identify and refer students using alcohol for appropriate interventions. Ensure that school nurses are trained to recognize alcohol-related problems, to intervene appropriately when problems are found, and to be familiar with the referral network.

·      Work with the community to ensure that the necessary infrastructure is in place so students in need of services and treatment can be referred to appropriate personnel or health care providers.

Source: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/underagedrinking/EducatorGuide.pdf

For Strategy 2:

·      Information campaign- Using the AYS and other information at your disposal (including gathering new information via focus groups or interviews, if information is lacking), really specify the type of dangers of underage drinking that need to be included in a messaging campaign. It may be helpful to assess what the youth know about the risks of underage drinking when designing the message (risks such as drinking and driving, or riding with an impaired driver, accidents/injuries/death; the risk of jail time; sexual abuse and exploitation of girls; negative effects on brain development.)

Community:

Holbrook

Contact:

Stephanie Lynn, 524-3959 slynn@holbrook.k12.az.us

Problem Statement:

(No problem statement. Possibly meth use.)

Proposed Strategies or Steps to Address this Problem:

Item 1:  Community events

Item 2:  Public service announcements at sporting events

Item 3:  CEU credits to doctors or professionals on subjects in the community

Recommendations:

For Strategy 1:

·      Community events- One strategy that may be used is providing community events as an alternative activity that is drug- and alcohol- free. Examples include sober prom and graduation parties, sober, family-focused Cinco de Mayo events. Such events serve to establish strong community norms against misuse of alcohol and use of illicit drugs. Although a single community event may not change the behavior of participants, events can serve as strong community statement that supports and celebrates a no-use norm. Events also draw public and media attention to alcohol and drug issues and therefore increase awareness and support for other important prevention efforts. Ideally, the event would be a component of an integrated, comprehensive prevention strategy, rather than a standalone event. A best practice is to involve the target group in the development of alternative community events, so that it is tailored to their interests and to increase interest and attendance.

·           For Strategy 2:

·      Public Service Announcements (PSAs): The Arizona Meth Project offers PSAs for TV, Radio and in printed format:  http://www.arizonamethproject.org. See the advertising link. Ideally, the PSA would be a component of an integrated, comprehensive prevention strategy, rather than a standalone message. If a message were consistently employed over a long enough period of time and through multiple methods, then some positive effect might be realized.

For Strategy 3:

·      CEU credits for healthcare professionals- free CEU credits available through http://www.jointogether.org/ , http://www.jointogether.org/keyissues/medications/continuing-ed/ Topics include: Helping You to Help Your Patients: An Introduction to Medication for Alcohol Dependence. Training healthcare professionals to better understand and identify substance abuse is a best practice. It allows individuals to seek help in a normalized, community-based setting.

·      Also, Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) is a comprehensive, integrated, public health approach to the delivery of early intervention and treatment services for persons with substance use disorders, as well as those who are at risk of developing these disorders. Primary care centers, hospital emergency rooms, trauma centers, and other community settings provide opportunities for early intervention with at-risk substance users before more severe consequences occur.  http://sbirt.samhsa.gov/

Community:

Pinetop Lakeside

Contact:

Gil Alvidrez, 367-7438  gmalvidrez@hotmail.com

Problem Statement:

Item 1:  Lack of family cohesiveness

Item 2:  Lack of alternative teen activities

Proposed Strategies or Steps to Address this Problem:

·      Strategy 1

o   Sponsored activities, i.e. PLAAD, businesses

o   Develop neighborhood activities, i.e. block party

o   Promotion of existing activities, trails, parks, etc

o   Promote & develop family day BBQ

o   Partnership with schools, church, government

·      Strategy 2

o   Mentoring partnership between youth and businesses

o   Community recreation center, manned by adults, for youth

§  Grant writing

§  Bond to build

§  Community buy-in

§  Youth involvement—ownership

Recommendations:

For Strategy 1:

·      Develop neighborhood activities, Promote & develop family day BBQ: One strategy is to provide community events as an alternative activity that is drug- and alcohol- free. Examples include sober prom and graduation parties, sober, family-focused Cinco de Mayo events or BBQs. Such events serve to establish strong community norms against misuse of alcohol and use of illicit drugs. Although a single community event may not change the behavior of participants, events can serve as strong community statement that supports and celebrates a no-use norm. Events also draw public and media attention to alcohol and drug issues and therefore increase awareness and support for other important prevention efforts. Ideally, the event would be a component of an integrated, comprehensive prevention strategy, rather than a standalone event. A best practice is to involve the target group in the development of alternative community events, so that it is tailored to their interests and to increase interest and attendance.

·      Promotion of existing activities, trails, parks, etc.- this is a great, cost-effective way to advertise resources that are already available in the community. This could be bundled into a parent’s resource guide of family-friendly activities, services, and information from the coalition on drug use consequences, how to talk to your kids, etc. See this guide for more information: http://www.ncpc.org/topics/neighborhood-watch/strategies/strategy-directories-of-services/  Promotion of existing resources could also provide an opportunity to engage parks and recreation, faith-based groups, etc. to participate in coalition efforts.

·      Partnership with schools, church, government- It is a best practice to include these sectors in your drug and alcohol prevention efforts.

For Strategy 2:

·      Mentoring Partnership with business- It is a best practice to include the business sector in your drug and alcohol prevention efforts. Also, Mentoring has been linked to a reduction in antisocial behavior, such as drug use. http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles/164834.pdf Best practices for mentoring programs can be found here: http://www.mentoring.ca.gov/pdf/Best_Practices.pdf

·       Youth-Led or Youth Involvement Approaches, can be integrated into the proposed community center. These approaches can promote protective factors for drug use, such as self-empowerment, leadership, planning, decision making, opportunities for success, team-building skills, and commitments to remain drug free through school and community advocacy. It is a good idea to focus efforts on involving high-risk youth, who may respond more favorably to substance abuse prevention programs if other young people from the same community play substantial and meaningful roles in the management and operation of such programs. The idea is that youth-led approaches to prevention will be more successful than adult-led activities in reducing substance abuse and other problem behaviors.

Source: http://www.drugabuse.gov/about/organization/despr/hsr/da-pre/KumpferLitReview.html#Ayouth

Community:

Pinetop-Lakeside

Contact:

Dave Clark, 368-6328 x 802 dclark@brusd.k12.az.us

Problem Statement:

Decreased neighborhood and community identity/caring/awareness.

Proposed Strategies or Steps to Address this Problem:

Solutions:

·      Continued awareness through collaboration between our teens, businesses, schools & community groups. As everyone in the community is affected, we all need to be informed.

·      Promote a unified message—“A problem that affects us all!”—consistent, sustained, omnipresent throughout entire community

·      Utilizing recovering citizens through educating our community.

·      Redefined role for Yellow Jacket Youth Center to help with increased awareness and resources for help

·      Use schools to spread message beyond students to parents, grandparents, etc.

Recommendations:

For Strategy 1:

·      Information Campaign: Using the AYS and other information at your disposal (including gathering new information via focus groups or interviews, if information is lacking), really specify the type of dangers of meth use that need to be included in a messaging campaign. Target all of the groups that you mention above: teens, businesses, schools & community groups. It’s likely that parents already know that meth use is dangerous to the health and safety of their children. Other topics may include: the risk of jail time; loss of scholarship opportunities; sexual abuse and exploitation of girls; negative effects on the skin or one’s looks.

·      Part of this message may include recovery speakers and the message that there is hope for those addicted.

Community:

Show Low

Contact:

Kevin Brackney, 537-6003 brackneyk@show-low.k12.us.az

Problem Statement:

Community Development, Coalition Development

Proposed Strategies or Steps to Address this Problem:

·      Organize local coalition, first meeting date Oct. 15, 1 pm.

·      Work within smaller neighborhoods

·      Nov. 4-5^th Navajo County Coalition Presentation

Recommendations:

For Strategy 1:

·      Great news on starting a new coalition! The Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) created a helpful guide on how to develop coalition efforts:

http://www.cadca.org/CoalitionResources/StartACoalition/documents/Strat29.pdf

·      Also, the following community how-to guide is helpful as you get started:

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/alcohol/Community%20Guides%20HTML/Book1_CoalitionBldg.html 

·      The established Anti-Meth Coalition in your area is another great resource.

Community:

Whiteriver

Contact:

Contact: April Olivar

Phone: 338-4831 x121, aprilfolivar@yahoo.com

Diana Butler, Blue Ridge, 368-6126 x 121, dbutler@brusd.k12.az.us

Problem Statement:

How to get parents involved? Denial by many: bring concerns, talk about

Proposed Strategies or Steps to Address this Problem:

Courts/law: training, contributing, consequences

Housing: WAT, Safety Fair, neighborhood watch (Strategy 3), class: financial/leadership

Leaders must be in place: parent advisory council (Strategy 2), school board, role models, set goals re: substance abuse (council/board)

It can start with this group:

·      Set up group from this group

·      Meet and bring someone

·      STOP Coalition status? Reactivate?  (Strategy 1)

·      Get library open (closed by vandalism)

·      Talk to my household about drugs (Strategy 2)

·      Talk to my college tenants

·      Go to community meetings

·      Sponsor school Red Ribbon Week activity

·      Use “popular/known” person to draw people to get message

·      Invite Tribal Council, Royalty, HS Basketball stars to read to kids

Recommendations:

For Strategy 1:

·      It would be great to reactivate an existing coalition. This may take reviewing the starter guides for coalitions, such as the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) created a helpful guide on how to develop coalition efforts:

http://www.cadca.org/CoalitionResources/StartACoalition/documents/Strat29.pdf

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/alcohol/Community%20Guides%20HTML/Book1_CoalitionBldg.html  The established Anti-Meth Coalition in your area is another great resource.

For Strategy 2:

·      Parent Discussion Groups: This strategy also indicated the implementation of parent focus groups. The key to this strategy appears to be finding ways to get parents interacting in a positive and informative setting about drug use issues that affect their children. Several options come to mind:

o   Discussion groups for parents of children involved with meth. This would be facilitated by a licensed counselor.

o   Focus groups with parents. These focus groups could find out what parents know about meth use in their communities or families, how parents’ view differ from those of students, and suggestions for future directions for the community.

o   Community forum(s) for parents and family members. Similar to the Summit, these forums would focus on parents and include a panel of speakers that would best inform parents and be able to answer their questions.

o   These efforts to engage parents may identify parents that are interested in forming a parent’s council.

o   While this was not mentioned, it would be useful to conduct focus groups and discussion groups among young people, too.

For Strategy 3:

·      As suggested above, Neighborhood Watch type programs are a great way to engage the community and help local law enforcement identify crimes, with the ultimate goal of reducing crime in the community, such as use of rental homes to cook meth. This strategy relies on active participation of law enforcement. It may serve as a strategy to strengthen law enforcement’s involvement in coalition efforts.  http://www.ncpc.org/topics/neighborhood-watch/strategies/strategy-citizen-volunteers-to-prevent-crime/