TRANSFORMATION
(The Floyd Taylor Story)

 

This is a 3 part series detailing the story of Floyd Taylor a youth member of the
Forward South Bronx Coalition.  

 

by Cedric McClester

Sometimes coming together can be transformative.  Such was the case for 20 year old Floyd Taylor, a Sports Foundation (SFI) alumnae and youth member of the Forward South Bronx Coalition (FSBC).  FSBC is a newly formed coalition of interested community parties, representing various segments of the South Bronx community, that have joined together, in order  to have a positive impact on youth surrounding the issues of alcohol tobacco and other drugs.  Alcohol tobacco and other drugs have negatively impacted Bronx youth in general and the Longwood section of the Bronx in particular.  Floyd was recently given an opportunity of a lifetime, when he was asked to represent the Forward South Bronx Coalition at the CADCA Mid-Year Conference, in Tennessee this past July.

Since being exposed to the SFI, Taylor has grown tremendously as an individual.  He’s gone from a somewhat shy youth, into the articulate outgoing person he is today.  Like many New York youngsters, he has had little exposure outside of the Bronx.  His world primarily consisted of his neighborhood.  By his own admission, he used to be influenced by the crowd with which he associated.  It was through hanging out with the wrong kinds of individuals, that resulted in the court referral that brought him to SFI in the first place.  When this observer met him, he was conflicted.  He knew he needed to make a change but found it hard to disassociate from the people places and things  to which he was accustomed. 

Interestingly, Floyd was no stranger to change.  At one time in his life, in the not so distant past, Floyd who is approximately five feet, eleven inches hit the scale at a whopping 340 pounds.  He is now a svelte 198 pounds.  The kind of intestinal fortitude it took for him to lose 142 pounds was what it took to change the trajectory of his life. Enter Sports Foundation counselor Segundo Lopez who conveyed to Floyd his sincere concern with how his life was going.  At the time, because of his frequent marijuana use and his experimentation with other substances, in addition to the crowd he was hanging with, there was reason for concern.  Lopez  enlisted the aid of this observer in trying to convince Floyd to enroll in a residential substance abuse treatment program, where he could get his high school equivalency diploma and get away from the people, places and things that were contributing factors to his predicament.  Floyd wrestled with the decision he had to make, which for him was monumental.  In the end he opted to stay at home.  To his credit, he found a program that offered GED training and testing and became the first person in his family to graduate high school.

End of Part One

About the Contributing Blogger

Cedric McClester is the Director of Community Relations for SFI (formerly Sports Foundation, Inc.).  Sports Foundation Inc. is a social service organization that provides free counseling, sports, health and education programs and activities for today's youth.  He is also the coordinator of the Forward South Bronx Coalition.  The vision of the Forward South Bronx Coalition (FSBC) is to create a culture within the South Bronx that promotes healthy living, hopefulness, and connectedness within the community to instill a sense of present and future possibilities.

Giving Voice to Alcohol & Substance Abuse Through Pictures

Thanks to our friends at the Partnership for a Healthier NYC, I had the opportunity to view a fantastic tool to help  immunities illustrate the problem of alcohol and substance abuse to others...called PhotoVoice.  First Developed in 1995 as a means for women living in rural China to communicate important health messages to policy makers,  the process puts cameras into the hands of community members and uses pictures and captions to document the social, political, and economic realities of our  neighborhoods.  It is an often visually stunning way to capture a problem and it's consequences that simple data cannot give.

Currently, Photo Voice projects are used globally as an effective strategy to involve young people into the conversation about what they face daily when dealing with drugs, alcohol, and other public health and safety concerns.  It has served as a catalyst to inform the about issues and gather feedback on ways to address the problem.

Projects can be both short and long term and incorporate other  community engagement events and media campaigns.   PhotoVoice is definitely a useful tool that can have a major impact on your neighborhood.   The PRC will have more information on starting a PhotoVoice project in your community soon...stay tuned!

Until next time,

-Scott

P.S. - Never heard about the Partnership for a Healthier NYC?  Come to our Community Networking Seminar and learn more about their work.

Check out a few examples of PhotoVoice projects

Scanning for the Problem

Scanning for the Problem

How Environmental Scans Can Lead to Neighborhood Action

I attended a wonderful training this week on incorporating effective media strategies into community outreach efforts.  It was conducted by David Jernigan, Director of the Center for Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY) & Michael Sparks, Alcohol Policy Specialist and CADCA trainer.  They provided very useful information on ways to engage coalitions to immediate action through the use of environmental scans.  Scans are short surveys that can provide information about a range of topics including: local attitudes towards drinking, determining the number of alcohol billboards and their effects on youth and adults, and finding out where kids are obtaining alcohol and the most common places they are drinking them.  Scans are easy ways to get others involved; are great tools for engaging youth in your efforts, and provide relevant data in a short period of time.  Once obtained, this data can be used to help decide on specific activities and strategies that your coalition would like to take. 

EXAMPLE: Your coalition organized a community scan to determine adult attitudes towards drinking at school and community sponsored events such as the prom, sporting events, or social functions. 

You enlisted the assistance of the PTA, local coaches, and area supermarkets to set-up polling sites at various dates and times over a three week period.  The goal is to gather feedback from adults and parents from the community during special events and frequented retailers.

Once completed, your scan indicated that adults don't think drinking is a problem but don't want kids binge drinking (consuming 3-5 more drinks at one time). 

As a result, your group may develop a presentation on "The Dangers of Binge Drinking & What Parents Need to Know" and conduct it at the local PTA meetings for middle and high schools; local libraries; and community health fairs.   As part of your strategy, groups should be sure to contact local officials about the presentation; local and city news outlets such as   Neighborhood papers and civic bulletins.

Remember--one strategy is not enough, groups should develop multiple approaches that increase community awareness and works towards greater enforcement of formal and informal protocols and policy changes that can offer systemic supports that help make a long term change.

Here are some links to a few samples

Access to Alcohol Messages in the Community (Credit - PIRE)

Community Scan - Looking at Retail Density (Credit - PIRE)

Until next time,

-Scott

Inclusion Takes Practice

Achieving Cultural Diversity in Your Neighborhood

Recently, the NYC Prevention Resource Center sought the assistance of the remaining five regional PRC's --Suffolk, Mid-Hudson. Western NY, Central NY, and Finger Lakes regarding ways to include the experiences and contributions of the many coalitions throughout the state into Notes from the Meeting Table.   It was our goal to encourage information sharing amongst the groups and provide another active resource for everybody to utilize.

However, creating a fully inclusive atmosphere that welcomes our friends from around NYS to the "Table"  is admittedly a work in progress.   For anyone that has engaged in resolving issues of cultural competency knows...it's always the little things that have the greatest impact.  From ensuring that various ethnic, cultural, and social groups are represented, to providing multi-lingual materials that can be used by the entire community; the ability to become and remain aware of the nuances that can make others feel and stay involved in your work is a key ingredient to achieving and sustaining success.

So, with this in mind, I am asking for your patience an indulgence as I am striving to encourage our coalitions both in NYC and NYS to tell us your ideas, thoughts, and opinions on a number of issues affecting your communities.

I hope that you will all share and use NMT as a forum for discussion, debate, and to raise the awareness of coalition members about the accomplishments and challenges that come with this work (and please excuse an occasional NYC reference instead of the more inclusive "New York" verbiage.)

Until next time...

- Scott M.

PRC Website Gets Makeover

PRC Website Gets Makeover

Launches September 18th

This summer, we have been hard at work giving our website a complete makeover so that it would be more user-friendly and interactive.  Some of the new features include:

• Reader Comments - Share your opinion about breaking news and articles we post & hear from others about what they think should be done to make a difference
• Videos - Compiled from across the web, these drug prevention clips are great visual aids offering solid information
• Drug Facts - Provides a summary of useful facts, data, and  negative effects on a variety of drugs including marijuana, tobacco, pills and alcohol
• Partnerships - view a listing of community anti-drug coalitions in the New York City & New York State
• Helpful Links - Check out a listing of organizations and tools to help strengthen your anti-drug efforts and activities.

You will still receive ongoing coverage of the latest prevention news and happenings on the local and national scene;  Can register for all upcoming workshops; and Obtain downloadable technical assistance briefs addressing many of the common challenges with coalition building/community mobilization.

Check us out today!

Community...CONNECTED!

This September, the NYC Prevention Resource Center is kicking off a brand new campaign called "Community...CONNECTED!" It's purpose is to provide the various communities we've visited over the past three years with a chance to meet each other; share ideas and resources; and  become a collective force for change in New York City.

Looking Back

This past July marked the fourth year of the NYC Prevention Resource Center.  During that time,we've had the opportunity to travel across the speaking with a variety of people about how drugs and alcohol have negatively impacted the quality of life of residents and dampened the future aspirations of young people. We heard story after story of communities at a loss about knowing where to  focus their efforts  in trying to bring about change and a sense of hope.

However, we have been emboldened by the commitment of these champions to stay the course and encouraged by the ideas and creative solutions to grab the attention of the neighborhood and show an alternative to drug use and abuse.

Become Connected

As a part of Community...CONNECTED!,  we will be hosting special events, workshops, and opportunities for you to meet,speak, share, and provide your thoughts on what needs to be done to uplift our youth and change your communities.

I encourage you to be a part of these gatherings; to tell us your opinions on the state of alcohol and drug prevention on both a local and national stage; and network with others that share your passion towards making a lasting change within their neighborhoods.

Stay tuned...there is so much more to come!

The Best is Yet to Come....

Stay Tuned for a brand new
Notes from the Meeting Table 

featuring updates and happenings directly from local coalitions throughout the five boroughs