Before we started implementing the Strategic Prevention Framework, the only strategy used at our coalition was to throw a lot of mud at the wall to see what would stick and what wouldn’t. It was hardly scientific and involved shooting in the dark, no data, no plan, just an interest in keeping our members coming back to the table month to month.
A previous, broader effort in our
community called the Community Enrichment Council, failed to hold interest and
folded due to lack of action, so foremost in my mind was the need to do
something…, anything! We had an amazing group of people around this newest
table with a keen interest in the cause of doing something about drug and
alcohol prevention, and I didn’t want to lose them.
Thankfully, years later, we still
retain that same group and have added to our numbers, with many taking on tasks
and implementing strategies to the point that these initiatives take on a life
of their own.
It’s exciting to see what a
community can accomplish when they come together with a passion for serving its
young population.
Dan Stinson is the Chairman of One Island, One Team, One Dream, to be Drug free. Located in the town of Grand Island, part of Buffalo, NY, the mission of the coalition is to establish a healthy, drug free school and community. Our immediate goals are to see a marked reduction of alcohol and drug use among students within a two year period and to increase awareness of the problems and their solutions.
Learn more about One Island, One Team, One Dream, to be Drug free
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