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The Brooks County Drug-Free Communities (BCDFC) coalition grouped the attendees of a Drug-Free Communities summit together by sector and each sector participated in the \u201cWhy, But Why Here\u201d \u2013 a community mapping exercise and developed a logic model based on their sector\u2019s experiences and knowledge.\u00a0 The group discussions, maps, and logic models produced by these groups have aided in community networking and the development of coalition strategy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the summit, we introduced a Community Assessment Survey.\u00a0 The purpose of the survey is to gather local-level data from every sector and socio-economic group present in Brooks County,\u201d said Erin Blanton<\/strong>, Drug-Free Communities Project Coordinator. \u201cThe data gathered will be used to enhance and strengthen our coalition\u2019s logic model. This community-wide survey has been presented throughout the community to various groups, including jail inmates, law enforcement, social workers, healthcare workers, community members and students in grades 6\u0439<\/sup> – 12\u0439<\/sup> at Brooks County Middle School, Brooks County High School, and the Delta Innovative School.\u00a0 We will conclude the survey process soon and estimate that we will have nearly 1,300 surveys to process.\u201d<\/p>\n The coalition is located in the city of Quitman in Brooks County, Georgia and serves a population of 15,685.\u00a0 The county borders the Georgia\/Florida state line on U.S. Highway 84 and is known for as a center for agriculture, the annual Skillet Festival, and the Guinness World Record for the most people tossing skillets simultaneously.\u00a0<\/p>\n The BCDFC coalition conducted a community-wide Drug-Free Communities summit that included all twelve sectors and currently are conducting a county-wide Community Assessment Survey to enhance and add more relevant and local data to aid in future planning and to provide evidence for the need for policy changes.\u00a0 The DFC Summit was held in July of this year, with over 40 community leaders\/partners in attendance.\u00a0 The all-day information and planning session was an opportunity to increase support and partnership, increase understanding about youth substance misuse in the community, and to educate community leaders about environmental\/policy change strategies.\u00a0<\/p>\n Since the launch of BCDFC, and especially since the DFC Summit, the coalition has added several key partners to their roster, including the Brooks County Sheriff\u2019s department.\u00a0 The Sheriff\u2019s Department was not previously represented at coalition meetings or events.\u00a0 After attending the CADCA National Coalition Academy, the coalition approached the Chief Deputy to discuss plans for the DFC Summit.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe presented our plan and explained the DFC grant and, as a result, the department embraced our plans and offered volunteers to help wherever necessary.\u00a0 They volunteered to present information about current drug trends at the Summit,\u201d said Blanton. \u201cThe knowledge and skills provided by the Sheriff\u2019s Department to staff and coalition members have allowed us to identify risk factors for youth substance misuse in the community.\u201d<\/p>\n The coalition utilized the information they presented as a basis for other coalition training.\u00a0 For example, at the September coalition meeting, they focused on environmental and policy changes and how these changes could impact the community.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOur focus of the DFC Summit was to listen and provide detailed information about environmental\/policy change strategies that will affect the entire community.\u00a0 The more we discuss environmental\/policy change strategies, the more our coalition members have come to understand and recognize how small changes can create the largest impact,\u201d said Blanton. \u201cWhile every coalition and community is different, our advice to other coalitions conducting community-wide information sessions and community-wide surveys is to be focused and deliberate.\u00a0 As a recipient of the Drug-Free Communities grant, we are lucky to have the advantage of time.\u00a0 We want to be deliberate in our actions and take time to really listen to all members of the community.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u00a0 The Brooks County Drug-Free Communities (BCDFC) coalition grouped the attendees of a Drug-Free Communities summit together by sector and<\/p>","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":13710,"template":"","resource_type":[281],"drug_specific_issues":[],"action_to_do":[],"class_list":["post-17345","resource","type-resource","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","resource_type-coalitions-online"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n