Programs

The programs have been broken down into categories for your convenience.
Alcohol Related::
Project Sticker Shock:Teams of youth, accompanied by adult chaperones such as an Assistant District Attorney, law enforcement, and school personnel placed stickers in the form of a stop sign that detailed the consequences of providing alcohol to minors. The Sticker Shock Program is designed to reach the adults that might purchase alcohol and illegally provide it to minors.

Are you interested in becoming involved in this program for next year? Please contact us and we will keep you updated on how you can help.

Parents Who Host Lose The Most: Throughout the month of June, Partners for Prevention works with the Drug Community Grant monies to launch “Parents Who Host, Lose the Most: Don’t be a party to teenage drinking” public awareness campaign for Wyoming County. The campaign informs parents and other adults of the legal ramifications and health/safety risks of serving alcohol to teens. Parents who knowingly allow a person under 21 to remain on their property while consuming or possessing alcoholic beverages can be prosecuted and face jail sentencing, fines and/or loss of property.

Research shows that parents tend to dramatically underestimate underage drinking generally and their own children’s in particular. Although it is illegal to sell/give alcohol to youths under 21, youth do not have a hard time getting it. According to the recent report Reducing Underage Drinking - A Collective Responsibility by the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, more that 90% of twelfth graders report that alcohol is “very easy” or “fairly easy” to get. Youth usually obtain alcohol directly or indirectly-from adults. And when underage youth drink, they drink more recklessly than adults.

The “Parents who Host Lose the Most” program is sponsored by the Wyoming County Mental Health Department and funded by a Drug Free Community Grant with support from the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services and the Ohio Department of Public Safety. Are you interested in becoming involved in this program for next year? Please contact us and we will keep you updated on how you can help.

Training for Intervention ProcedureS ® (TIPS): The TIPS® program is offered to the community and businesses in Wyoming County. The program is offered for those who serve alcohol on premise and seeks to reduce intoxicated behaviors, including driving while intoxicated. The program also reduces underage drinking by the recognizing of false and fraudulent IDs.

Each server who attends the training receives their own manual and they must pass a written test to become TIPS certified for three years. Training are also available for off-premise sales and other vendors. Contact us for more information.

The next TIPS® Training will be August 04, 2008, 5:30P-9P at the Warsaw Moose Lodge. The fee is $10.

21 or Bust: 21 or Bust is a program designed to educate local bar owners on the ramifications of serving alcohol to a minor. This program was developed by SADD. Posters, coasters and window clings are distributed throughout the county to all who choose to participate. This program is sponsored by Partners for Prevention, Reality Check, The Mental Health Department and Stop DWI. Contact us for more information.

Drug Related::
Rite Aid Drug Quiz Show: The Rite Aid [formerly Eckerd] Drug Quiz Show strives to heighten school, home and community awareness by providing middle school students (grades 5 to 8) with the opportunity to have fun while gaining the knowledge, skills and self –confidence to make safe, healthy, real life choices regarding the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. Each year the program challenges nearly 30,000 students from New York State by testing their knowledge in the broad area of substance abuse issues through a game-show style competition. Students compete in teams of four, with two or three alternates. They review comprehensive study guides and special Learning Centers created specifically for the Rite Aid Drug Quiz Show. The teams advance through school, regional and state competitions throughout the spring. Contact us for more information.

Towards No Tobacco: Towards No Tobacco is a ten session science-based program that is offered at the 5th grade level. In “TNT” students learn the physical and social consequences of tobacco use. They also learn life skills such as listening, clear communication, and refusal skills. Students also learn about Media Literacy and how to critically examine advertising pitches used by the tobacco industry. Contact us for more information.

Towards No Drug Use: Towards No Drug Abuse (TND) is a 12-week interactive program designed for high school students. This program provides motivation skills, decision-making skills, information on the use of cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, hard drugs and violent behavior related to drug use. Contact us for more information.

AprilAge® Aging Simulation Program: The software program lets you easily and dramatically show the aging effects of chronic tobacco use on the face in real time. Using a baseline digital photograph - morphing and overlay tools are used to apply the common characteristics of a "smoker's face" aging as the subject watches. The threat of illness or death does not often dissuade children and adolescents from the abuse of tobacco. Simulating the aging affects of tobacco abuse on the face can be a persuasive and powerful visual tool. The software also has the ability to show the effects of obesity and UV (sun) exposure over time. This program is jointly supported by Partners for Prevention and Reality Check. It is a great program to use for health fairs in businesses and school locations. Contact us for more information.

Drug & Alcohol Related Programs::
SADD: SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) is an extra curricular program designed for high school students. This program is often offered in each individual high school. SADD students often organize activities for school involvement. Red Ribbon week, homecoming and community events are a few on the list. A countywide SADD group meets once a month. All schools involved in SADD send representatives to this meeting. Contact us for more information.

Project Alert: Project Alert is an 11-week program that examines the risks of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco and how such substances can negatively impact a person’s life in many ways such as health, education, life goals, and relationships with friends and family. Through skits and dialogue, 6th grade students learn and practice how to say “no” to harmful behaviors. These are referred to as “resistance skills”. Project Alert is targeted towards middle school students (6th, 7th & 8th grade). Studies indicate that this is a critical time in which the majority of youth start misusing drugs and alcohol. The program is delivered in 11 sessions with 3 “booster” sessions the following year.

The philosophy of Project Alert is based on the 5 following assumptions:

Teens start using drugs primarily due to social influences (peer media & family) because they view use as a sign of maturity and independence.

Prevention programs must motivate teens to resist use!! Teaching resistant skills alone is not enough.

Drug prevention programs should target substances that are used first and most widely by teens.

Much of teen behavior stems from modeling the behavior of those they admire (i.e. older teens).

Teens are much more likely to absorb new information and learn new skills when they are actively involved in the learning process.

Based on these assumptions, Project Alert builds in student participation throughout the curriculum. This is accomplished through group discussion, skits, rewriting advertisements, and writing projects. The facilitator models and reinforces resistance skills. They support, encourage, and validate the participants through each lesson.

Another strength of Project Alert is that it takes into account the differences of the teen-aged thought process to that of an adult. It also educated the student about external struggles (such as peer pressure) and internal struggles (desire to be popular or fit in). Helping students identify what kind of struggle they are facing aids them in determining what approach they will use to resist the desire to use. Contact us for more information.

Keep A Clear Mind (KACM): The KACM program is designed for ages 9 to 11. It is ideal for the 4th grade level and consists of four classroom presentations as well as a joint take-home component that the student and parent do together. The program is implemented for four consecutive weeks with incentive offered to encourage the students to bring their take-home materials back to class.

Upon completion of the classroom material, a series of five prevention newsletters are sent home with the student for the parent. These newsletters have appropriate information for the parent with regard to behavior tips in youth. Contact us for more information.

An Apple A Day: An Apple A Day (AAAD) is a literacy-based substance abuse prevention education program. It is used in school settings, after school sites, summer programs, and/or daycare settings. A parent-training component is also available. The curriculum can be incorporated into existing health curricula or can be implemented as an independent 6-8 week program. The strategies of AAAD include the use of trade books, student journals, characters from literary selections as examples of role models, and role-play scenarios. Reading and writing exercises, picture drawing, and brain storming activities engage students in an interactive learning process that fosters resiliency and self-determination about substance abuse. Contact us for more information.

Media Literacy: Media Literacy is defined as the ability to analyze and evaluate mass media. This includes everything from movies and television shows, to commercials, magazine and newspaper ads, radio, billboards and all point in between. Our society is immersed and surrounded by the dictates of the media. Not only does media try to define our culture by selling us their version of it, media demands our sole attention and distracts us from developing deeper relationships with our families. This is not just a consequence of too much TV, but the media empire’s attempt to insight rebelliousness and risk-taking behaviors in our children and challenge family values. The majority of children watch so much TV that they will see 500, 000 commercials by the time they are 18.

What Can You Do?

Cut your viewing in half and spend more time talking with your children.

Set up a “No TV Zone” such as during dinnertime.

Screen and Select Programs. Screen programs your children want to watch to make sure they reflect your family’s values.

Watch with your children and talk to them about what you are viewing.

Watch Taped Programs. This allows for teachable moments. Stop and discuss important scenes in programs or commercials.

Block Out Commercials. Fast forwarding through taped programs can do this and many VCR’s can edit commercials while taping as well.

Take TVs out of all Bedrooms. This takes away the implied consent to your child to watch what they want when they want to.

Turn Off Your TV – Permanently! Perhaps an option that few will choose but those who have report enjoying their families more than ever!

ATOD (Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs) Presentations: Partners For Prevention also provides educational seminars and trainings to groups and organizations in the community concerning the use and abuse of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. We offer a broad range of topics. Some areas of interest include Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Substance Abuse in the Elderly, Steroids, Supplements & Energy Drinks, and Media Literacy. Contact us for more information.

All Other Programs::
Communities That Care: Partners for Prevention, as a part of our collaborative effort, utilizes the Communities That Care Operating System. This system provides research-based tools to help communities promote the positive development of children and youth and prevent adolescent substance abuse, delinquency, teen pregnancy, school dropout and violence. This system is based upon research that has demonstrated the benefits to communities that use it.
Some specific ways CTC provides guidelines to assists community partnerships:

Mobilizing and engaging all members of the community including, elected officials, schools, youth, parents, law enforcement, faith and business communities along with human service organizations to name a few.

Establish a shared vision, a common language and a collaborative planning structure.

Establish priorities following collection of data.

Define clear and measurable outcomes that can be tracked for progress over time

Identify gaps in the community related to priorities.

Select programs and strategies that have demonstrated effectiveness.

Monitor implementation of programs, policies and practices.

Evaluate progress toward desired outcomes.

Partners for Prevention have been operating under this system since 2000. We have a bi-monthly partnership meeting where everyone from the community is invited to attend. Please join us at our next meeting; your input and help is crucial to our success. Contact us for more information. Please view below for recent minutes:

January 2008 March 2008

Micro-grants: Micro-grants are monies that are made available to youth-serving organizations to fund positive youth activities within Wyoming County communities.

What is their purpose?
To encourage partnerships between groups in our Wyoming County communities (youth clubs, school groups, recreational programs, youth-serving agencies, and faith-based organizations), to focus on substance abuse prevention strategies targeting underage drinking, driving while impaired, cigarette smoking, and marijuana use.

Through these partnerships, there will be opportunities for community members to promote positive messages (What Is Your Anti-drug?) within their communities reaching parents, teens, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and other adults. This will help us to achieve our goal to reduce alcohol, tobacco, marijuana use and driving while impaired incidences among our youth. Funds can only be used for expanded services or activities that will be initiated on receipt of funds.

Who is eligible to receive a Micro-grant?
Any youth-serving group/organization that is located in Wyoming County. The group/organization will be required to attend a Prevention Services Seminar that is scheduled annually. Groups must be affiliated with a non-profit organization such as a church, neighborhood school, local government, or human service agency, to which funds may be granted. If you are a faith-based organization, the mini-grants cannot fund inherent religious activities such as worship, religious instruction, proselytizing, prayer, devotional reading of texts, or purchase faith-filled materials. Faith-based organizations may not require participants of mini-grant activities to participate in religious activities. Any questions, please contact Partners For Prevention staff.

What is the Micro-grant amount?
The mini grants will range in amounts from $50 to $500. The award will depend on the complexity of the proposed project. Matching funds are also required. These can be in-kind contributions needed for the project (e.g.: the value for renting your facility is $50 a day for the activity, the value of volunteer time is $250 for the activity, etc). Contact us for more information. Click here for the 2008 recipients.

SafeHomes: SafeHomes provides the opportunity for parents to network and provide safe environments for their children. SafeHomes provides parents with three important “tools”.

The first “tool” is the SafeHome pledge. All parents and adults who are listed in the directory signed a pledge. The pledge simply states parents’ safety expectations. Wyoming County’s SafeHomes pledge is:

I will provide adult supervision for all children visiting my home.

I will provide a secure storage place for all forms of alcohol, firearms, and other hazardous items.

I will not allow parties or gatherings in my home when I am not there.

I will not serve minors nor will I allow youth under the drinking age (21) to consume alcohol or other drugs.

I wish for communication with any parent who personally observes my child using alcohol or other drugs.

The second “tool” is a parent directory. All parents, who signed up for the program, receive a parent directory. If your child has been invited to a party, the directory can provide the name and phone number of the parent whose home the party will be at. You will be able to contact the parent to find out if the party is being supervised and if any alcohol would be present.

The third “tool” is the newsletter. A quarterly newsletter will be sent to all parents who signed up. The newsletter provides current information on alcohol and drugs and any current facts or findings. The newsletter also provides information on community activities and resources available to families. Click here to fill out and send in the Safe Homes Pledge Card. Contact us for more information.