Heidi Tucker, Project Director at Westbrook Communities that Care was our speaker on February 3. WCTC has been around since 2011.  It is committed to reducing teen alcohol and drug use and in supporting positive youth development. Working with a recent Drug Free Communities Support Program grant is just part of what WCTC does. It brings together community members and partner organizations that work together to support youth in Westbrook to help them grow up healthy and safe. It works to strengthen the net of support for our young people by bringing people together to focus on one issue at a time, starting with youth substance abuse.

 
 
 
WCTC has partnered with Opportunities Alliance, which is in year 9 of a drug free grant.  They have mentored WCTC for one year so far, which helped secure the recent grant. The mentor will remain involved for two years.
 
The Drug Free Communities grant is guaranteed for 5 years and can be renewed for an additional 5 years.  By 10 years, the community’s efforts must be self-sustaining.  Community collaboration is extremely important to drive towards sustainability and parental involvement is key to the process.  WCTC sponsors parent “meet ups” for all parents, not just for those with kids having issues, to discuss local culture and ideas for changes. This provides a consistent message and accurate information about the harms and risks of youth substance abuse.  They also create opportunities for community members and school staff to come together and identify strategies and actions to support positive youth development.
 
All middle and high school students take a MIYHS survey (Maine Integrated Youth Health Survey).  This survey is anonymous and questions are controlled to assure valid results, so there is a high level of confidence in the results.  The results are used to craft the message on topics such as marijuana. It also helps develop tools that parents can use with their kids to prevent drug and alcohol use.
 
There are sixteen Drug Free Communities grantees in Maine.  Maine is ranked third in the country for its level of grants. Since its inception, DFC has funded more than 200o grants across the United States.  It supports nearly 11 million middle and high school students representing about 36% of all youth in the US.  The program has resulted in reduced use of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs in grantee communities.
 
You can learn more by finding them on FaceBook. Search for westbrookctc .