“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” – Benjamin Franklin
The adolescent brain is rapidly developing and is more vulnerable to alcohol and drugs than adult brains, which increases young people’s chances of developing a substance use disorder. What is Prevention explains that prevention is about delaying the onset of first use, or pushing it back as long as possible in order to protect young brains.
The Drug-Free Communities Support Program (DFCSP) is the nation’s leading effort to mobilize communities to prevent youth substance use. In 2023, Share Health Southeast Georgia, on behalf of the Wayne County Recovery Coalition (WCRC), was awarded the Drug Free Communities Support Program (DFCSP) to address youth prevention and substance misuse. This funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention allows the WCRC to now place greater emphasis on youth substance use prevention, focusing on alcohol, nicotine, and prescription drugs. As a DFCSP, the Coalition works to prevent and reduce substance misuse among youth by addressing the two DFCSP goals:
- Establish and strengthen collaboration among communities, public, and private non-profit agencies, as well as federal, state, local, and tribal governments to support the efforts of the Wayne County Recovery Coalitions to prevent and reduce substance abuse among youth (individuals 18 years of age and younger).
- Reduce substance use among youth in and, over time, reduce substance use among adults by addressing the factors in a community that increase the risk of substance abuse and promoting the factors that minimize the risk of substance abuse in Wayne County.
WCRC has developed and implemented a comprehensive 12-month action plan to prevent youth substance use utilizing SAMHSA’s 7 strategies for community-level change:
- Provide information: Using educational presentations, workshops, seminars, data and media (PSAs, brochures, townhalls, etc.) to share information.
- Enhance skills: Providing trainings, technical assistance, workshops, seminars, and other activities to help develop or increase the skills of participants, community members, and staff, including Youth Mental Health First Aid, parenting classes, strategic planning sessions, etc.
- Provide support: Creating opportunities to support youth to participate in activities that reduce risk or enhance protection, such as alternative activities, mentoring, support groups, and youth clubs.
- Enhance access/reduce barriers: Improving systems and processes to increase the ease, ability, and opportunity to utilize those systems and services, such as assuring transportation, housing, education, safety, and cultural sensitivity in prevention initiatives. Improving systems and processes to decrease the ease, ability, and opportunity for youth to access substances, such as raising the price of alcohol or checking for compliance with alcohol and tobacco laws.
- Change consequences: Increasing or decreasing the probability of a behavior by altering the consequences associated with that behavior, i.e., increasing taxes, citations, fines.
- Change physical design: Changing the physical design of the environment to reduce risk or enhance protection, such as alcohol/tobacco outlet density, adjusting hours, etc.
- Modify/change policies: Changing written procedures, by-laws, proclamations, rules, or laws (e.g., workplace initiatives, law enforcement procedures and practices, public policy actions, systems change).
Year 3 is underway! Here is a list of our priority items for the 2025-2026 grant year! Interested in working with us? Contact Shauna Mattingly at shaunamattinglyanchored@gmail.com to join our efforts to make Wayne County a safe and healthy place for youth.
Here is a summary of our 2024 accomplishments! We hope to continue partnering to bring youth prevention initiatives to Wayne County!