Coffee County Board Of Education
211 Gaskin Ave S
Department of Health and Human Services / Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
DRUG-FREE COMMUNITIES SUPPORT PROGRAM GRANTS
COFFEE COUNTY YOUTH COALITION (CCYC) DRUG FREE COMMUNITIES - THE COFFEE COUNTY YOUTH COALITION (CCYC) IS A MULTI-SECTOR COALITION SERVING COFFEE COUNTY, GEORGIA WITH STRATEGIC PLANNING, IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION OF YOUTH SUBSTANCE USE PREVENTION. THE COFFEE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION SERVES AS THE GRANTEE/FISCAL AGENT FOR THE CCYC. COFFEE IS A RURAL COUNTY IN SOUTH GEORGIA WITH A POPULATION OF 43,000. YOUTH FACE MANY HEALTH DISPARITIES INCLUDING POVERTY, MINORITY STATUS, MENTAL HEALTH CONCERNS, ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES, FEW OPPORTUNITIES OR RESOURCES FOR POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL AND A CRITICAL SHORTAGE OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTH RESOURCES. AMONG HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH, ALCOHOL CONTINUES TO BE THE MOST POPULAR SUBSTANCE. OVER HALF OF THE YOUTH IN GRADES 6-12 WHO REPORTED ALCOHOL USE ALSO REPORTED BINGE DRINKING, AT RATES HIGHER THAN THE STATEWIDE AVERAGES. THE AVAILABILITY OF ALCOHOL OUTLETS IS HIGH IN DOUGLAS, THE LARGEST CITY IN COFFEE COUNTY AND HOME TO TWO COLLEGES. YOUTH TOBACCO USE HAD DECLINED DRAMATICALLY UNTIL THE POPULARITY OF VAPING CAUGHT ON. VAPING IS HIGHER IN COFFEE COUNTY THAN STATEWIDE. ALMOST TWICE AS MANY MIDDLE SCHOOLERS REPORT VAPING AS REPORT USING ALCOHOL, THE FIRST TIME ANY SUBSTANCE EXCEEDED ALCOHOL USE. THE MAJORITY OF SUBSTANCE-RELATED SCHOOL DISCIPLINARY EVENTS HAVE TO DO WITH TOBACCO VAPING. IN 2022-23, THERE WERE 41 SCHOOL DISCIPLINARY INCIDENTS IN GRADES 9-12 RELATED TO TOBACCO VAPING AND 78 IN GRADES 6-8. MARIJUANA USE HAS INCREASED EVERY YEAR SINCE MEDICAL MARIJUANA WAS LEGALIZED IN GEORGIA. AMONG MIDDLE SCHOOLERS, MARIJUANA USE IS EQUAL TO ALCOHOL USE. MARIJUANA VAPING IN SCHOOL LED TO 34 DISCIPLINARY INCIDENTS DURING THE FIRST FIVE MONTHS OF THE CURRENT SCHOOL YEAR. THE CCYC PLANS TO PREVENT YOUTH ALCOHOL, TOBACCO AND MARIJUANA USE THROUGH COLLABORATION, STRATEGIC PLANNING AND THE APPLICATION OF COMMUNITY-LEVEL CHANGE STRATEGIES THAT REDUCE RISK FACTORS AND PROMOTE PROTECTIVE FACTORS. THE COALITION WILL BUILD ITS CAPACITY BY COMPLETING THE NATIONAL COALITION ACADEMY AND OTHER TRAINING. THEY INCREASE PROTECTIVE FACTORS BY PROVIDING YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID TRAINING FOR PARENTS, EDUCATORS AND OTHER YOUTH GATEKEEPERS. YMHFA WILL PREPARE THEM TO RECOGNIZE SIGNS THAT A YOUNG PERSON MAY BE EXPERIENCING A CRISIS RELATED TO SUBSTANCE USE OR MENTAL HEALTH AND RESPOND APPROPRIATELY. TO PREVENT AND DECREASE YOUTH ALCOHOL USE, THE CCYC WILL REDUCE COMMERCIAL ACCESS BY CONDUCTING COMPLIANCE CHECKS AT RETAIL OUTLETS, RESTAURANTS AND BARS. SOCIAL ACCESS WILL BE REDUCED BY EDUCATING THE PUBLIC ABOUT LEGAL CONSEQUENCES FOR BUYING ALCOHOL TO GIVE TO MINORS. THEY WILL ADVOCATE FOR SOCIAL HOST ORDINANCES TO HOLD ADULTS ACCOUNTABLE FOR YOUTH ALCOHOL USE IN THEIR HOMES OR ON THEIR PROPERTY. THE CCYC WILL INCREASE PARENT AWARENESS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF PROVIDING CLEAR NO-USE EXPECTATIONS TO THEIR CHILDREN. TO PREVENT AND DECREASE YOUTH TOBACCO USE AND VAPING, THE CCYC WILL REDUCE COMMERCIAL ACCESS BY CONDUCTING COMPLIANCE CHECKS AT RETAIL OUTLETS. THEY WILL INTRODUCE EVIDENCE-BASED SCHOOL CURRICULA (BOTVIN LIFE SKILLS AND D.A.R.E.) THAT IS EFFECTIVE IN PREVENTING TOBACCO USE AND VAPING IN GRADES 5 THROUGH 9. THE CYCC WILL WIDELY PROMOTE ACCESSIBLE CESSATION RESOURCES FOR YOUTH INCLUDING TOBACCO QUITLINES AND THE TRUTH INITIATIVE’S “THIS IS QUITTING.” TO INCREASE YOUTH PERCEPTIONS OF HARM AND DISAPPROVAL OF MARIJUANA USE AND PREVENT YOUTH MARIJUANA USE, THE COALITION WILL PILOT THE EVIDENCE-BASED PROGRAM, MARIJUANA PREVENTION PLUS WELLNESS, IN THE ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL. MPPW USES SCREENING AND BRIEF INTERVENTION TO REDUCE MARIJUANA USE WHILE PROMOTING HEALTHY LIFESTYLE CHOICES AND POSITIVE IDENTITIES. THEY WILL LAUNCH THE RELATED MPPW MEDIA CAMPAIGN DESIGNED TO CORRECT COMMUNITY MISCONCEPTIONS AND NORMS ABOUT MARIJUANA USE AND INCREASE AWARENESS OF MARIJUANA HARM. THEY WILL WIDELY PROMOTE THE ONLINE RESOURCE, “CATCHING IT EARLY” TO HELP PARENTS UNDERSTAND RISK FACTORS AND RECOGNIZE EARLY SIGNS OF MARIJUANA USE.