Coalition of Excellence (Celebrating Intermediate Outcomes)

The Communities for Positive Youth Development (CPYD) Coalition, founded in 2014, serves the suburban communities of Schaumburg, Hoffman Estates, Palatine, Elk Grove Township, and Hanover Park, Illinois. Through the Drug-Free Communities Program, the coalition targets e-cigarettes, marijuana, and opioid use by improving the community’s capacity to identify and address youth substance use, engaging youth in healthy activities that increase community connection, and providing access to resources. To increase community collaboration and support of the DFC program, staff have collaborated with key stakeholders to provide substance use prevention resources, capacity-building opportunities targeting coalition members, parents, youth, and other community members. Key coalition accomplishments include youth taking a central role in the coalition and prevention and the coalition thriving as a visible community resource. The coalition is unique in that it approaches all activities with the end goal of providing culturally competent, evidence-based programs and interventions based on local needs and priorities. Through the input of all sectors, the coalition has successfully engaged the community in substance use prevention.

Coalition of the Year (Honoring Long-term Outcomes)

The East Providence Prevention Coalition has been established in East Providence, RI since 1987 when the Rhode Island General Assembly passed the Rhode Island Substance Abuse Prevention Act (RISAPA) to promote comprehensive prevention at the community level. With over 3 decades of community presence, the EPPC dedicates itself to our mission of promoting healthy lifestyles for all of our city’s residents, with a special focus on reducing youth substance misuse and promoting improved mental health. The East Providence Prevention Coalition (EPPC) has been a driving force in reducing past 30-day cannabis use among East Providence teenagers over a six-year period from 2016 to 2022. In 2016, 22.7% of youth aged 12-17 reported past 30-day cannabis use, triggering EPPC’s focused interventions. By 2022, the coalition achieved a significant milestone, with the percentage of youth engaging in past 30-day cannabis use reaching a notable low of 9.4%. This substantial reduction showcased the coalition’s dedication and indicated a remarkable overall decrease of 13.3% from the baseline year of 2016, exemplifying EPPC’s effectiveness.

EPPC employed a multifaceted approach to achieve these outcomes, including advocating for strengthened ordinances prohibiting cannabis consumption in parks, enhancing school chemical health policies through programs like InDepth, and increasing signage in recreational areas. The coalition also prioritized increased patrolling and enforcement, along with comprehensive training for law enforcement, parents, and teachers. Changing the perception of harm and disapproval surrounding youth cannabis use was a formidable challenge. EPPC addressed this by focusing on training youth leaders, founding a prevention and community-focused youth group (East Providence Youth Council – EPYC), holding very successful sports clinics for all ages of East Providence youth to engage youth during dormant summer weeks, and initiated a life skills program in our secondary schools, to assist students with a multitude of necessary daily living functions to help with making healthy life choices. In founding and facilitating EPYC we have worked closely with East Providence youth to address their needs and have implemented a variety of innovative strategies to empower the youth of East Providence in creating community change. The coalition’s emphasis on parental involvement through programs like LifeSkills Training, Stronger Together, community workshops like Hidden in Plain Sight, and public service announcements successfully increased parental concern and enforcement of consistent guidelines and consequences. These collective efforts have contributed significantly to fostering a healthier and safer environment for all East Providence’s residents, particularly our Townie youth.