2014 Monroe Community Coalition Strategic Plan

Monroe Community Coalition > > Community Prevention and Wellness Initiative Strategic Plan 2015-2017

Monroe Community Coalition is a community collaboration working to implement alcohol and other drug prevention with a community-based approach.

Contents Executive Summary ...................................................................................................................... 1 Who We Are ............................................................................................................................... 1 Our Organizing Framework ........................................................................................................ 2 Our Plan ...................................................................................................................................... 2 Organizational Development ....................................................................................................... 7 Our Mission ................................................................................................................................ 7 Key Values .................................................................................................................................. 7 Decision-making process ............................................................................................................ 7 Communication ........................................................................................................................... 8 Role of Members....................................................................................................................... 10 Role of the Leadership Team .................................................................................................... 12 Role of the School District ........................................................................................................ 12 Coalition Engagement ............................................................................................................... 12 Sectors of Support ..................................................................................................................... 13 Cultural Competency ................................................................................................................ 15 Sustainability in Organizational Development ......................................................................... 18 Capacity Building........................................................................................................................ 19 Outreach .................................................................................................................................... 19 Training ..................................................................................................................................... 20 Cultural Competency in Capacity Building .............................................................................. 21 Sustainability in Capacity Building .......................................................................................... 22 Assessment ................................................................................................................................... 23 Needs Assessment ..................................................................................................................... 23 Summary of Key Data .............................................................................................................. 25 Prioritized Risk and Protective Factors and Contributing Factors............................................ 32 Risk Factor – Community Disorganization (Community Domain) ...................................... 33 Risk Factor – Availability of Drugs (Community Domain) ................................................. 33 Risk Factor - Community Laws and Norms (Community Domain)..................................... 34 Risk Factor – Favorable Attitudes (Peer/Individual Domain) .............................................. 36 Risk Factor – Favorable Parental Attitudes (Family Domain) ............................................. 37

Resource Assessment ............................................................................................................... 37 Cultural Competency and Sustainability in the Assessment Process ....................................... 42 Planning ....................................................................................................................................... 44 Goals and Objectives ................................................................................................................ 44 Community Disorganization/Connectedness ........................................................................ 44 Availability of Drugs ............................................................................................................ 45 Friends Who Engage in the Problem Behavior..................................................................... 46 Academic Failure .................................................................................................................. 46 Favorable Parental Attitudes ................................................................................................. 47 Action Plan ............................................................................................................................... 47 Summary of Programs and Activities ................................................................................... 47 Selected Direct Service Programs ......................................................................................... 48 Cultural Competency and Sustainability in Planning............................................................ 50 Implementation ........................................................................................................................... 51 Structural Support for Implementation ..................................................................................... 51 Strategies and Activities ........................................................................................................... 51 Selected Direct Service Programs ............................................................................................. 53 Budget Considerations .............................................................................................................. 56 Role of Staff, Coalition Members, and Partnering Agencies.................................................... 56 Process for Recruiting and Confirming Partnerships................................................................ 56 Media Engagement ................................................................................................................... 57 Cultural Competency in Implementation .................................................................................. 57 Sustainability in Implementation .............................................................................................. 57 Evaluation .................................................................................................................................... 59 Performance Based Prevention System – State MIS Reporting ............................................... 61 Improving the Way We Work – Local Evaluation ................................................................... 61 Cultural Competency in Evaluation .......................................................................................... 61 Sustainability in Evaluation ...................................................................................................... 62 Appendices ................................................................................................................................... 63

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Executive Summary

Who We Are Monroe Community Coalition is a grassroots volunteer organization dedicated to improving the health and wellness of our community by reducing risk factors and enhancing protective factors associated with underage drinking and other substance use. We are a community collaboration working to implement alcohol and other drug prevention with a community-based approach.

Monroe has a history of successful collaboration in prevention initiatives including providing support for ongoing Student Assistance Prevention-Intervention Services.

The Coalition serves the geographical reach of the Monroe School District’s boundary lines.

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Executive Summary | Monroe Community Coalition

Our Organizing Framework Anchored by J. David Hawkins and Rico F. Catalano’s risk and protective factors approach to substance abuse prevention, the Coalition is engaged in a community change model called the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF). To be successful, the framework pushes the Coalition to answer five basic questions that align with the model’s five step process: 1. Are we ready to participate in the Community Prevention and Wellness Initiative?  Stage: Getting Started  Action: Confirm partnerships 2. What is the Problem?  Stage: Assessment  Action: Analyze Local Data 3. What is our plan for addressing the problem?  Stage: Planning  Action: Develop a thoughtful, data-driven plan 4. What are we going to do to get the work done?  Stage: Implementation  Action: Put effective prevention programs and policies in place 5. How will we know if we have succeeded?  Stage: Evaluation  Action: Measure our efforts for positive changes This model of the Strategic Prevention Framework requires the Coalition to continually assess whether or not we have the tools to accomplish our goals, and – if not – build our prevention knowledge and capability. The SPF is an ongoing process for the Coalition to make meaningful connections between people, data and effective interventions.

Our Plan Utilizing the processes in this framework, the Monroe Community Coalition prioritized five risk factors across four domains that science has demonstrated to be predictors of adolescent substance abuse and other problem behaviors: 2|Page

Executive Summary | Monroe Community Coalition Domain: Community (R) Community Disorganization (R) Availability of Drugs (Alcohol, Marijuana and E-Cigarettes) Domain: Peer/Individual (R) Friends Who Engage in the Problem Behavior Domain: School (R) Academic Failure Domain: Family (R) Favorable Parental Attitudes Our analyses show we should concentrate our efforts on changing these risk and protective factors by implementing the following strategies and activities: 

For Community Disorganization o Strategy  Community Based Process o Activities  Monroe Community Coalition  Complete a data-based strategic plan based on the Strategic Prevention Framework and renew assessments on a schedule negotiated with DBHR  Monthly full membership and workgroup meetings  Conduct outreach and targeted recruitment, including continued support and coordination of the Youth Coalition Subcommittee  Evaluation of Coalition strategies and activities  Enhance Coalition communication information platforms on the internet, including the Coalition website and Facebook group  Conduct community and Coalition focused training  Raise awareness of the Coalition and its efforts by participating in community events like National Night Out.

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For Availability of Drugs (Alcohol, Marijuana and E-Cigarettes) o Strategy:  Information Dissemination  Environmental o Activities  “Talk. They Hear You.” Locally adapted information dissemination campaign

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Executive Summary | Monroe Community Coalition 

Municipal and local agency policy education and advocacy to reduce availability of alcohol, marijuana and e-cigarettes.  Adapt “Talk. They Hear You.” messaging for local relevance  Develop local partnership with Monroe Monitor, Galaxy 12 and Pandora.  Run ads in high visibility media sources, including theater, newspaper, internet, mailings and community message boards.  Implement community, student and parental training designed to reinforce information dissemination campaign goals  Track and evaluate message diffusion through attendance, ticket sales, web hits, annual Community Assessment Survey, and other locally developed evaluation tools  Attend City Council, School Board and other public meetings to build capacity for understanding Monroe’s prevention needs  Develop strategic partnerships and recruit key leaders as advisory members  When necessary, mobilize the community to advocate for policy change

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For Friends Who Engage in the Problem Behavior o Strategy  Education, Information Dissemination o Activities  Life Skills Training – Middle School  School-based Prevention/Intervention Specialist Services  Locally developed information dissemination campaign, “You are not alone” to connect students with helping adults and build capacity for implementation of Peer Assistance and Leadership  SPORT – Middle School and High School  Build capacity of community partners to implement direct services with fidelity to the intended design of each program  Develop partnerships to find programming that addresses the priorities of the Coalition as they fit within the context of individual school buildings  Track participant data and evaluate outcomes

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For Academic Failure o Strategy  Education, Information Dissemination o Activities 4|Page

Executive Summary | Monroe Community Coalition  

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Peer Assistance and Leadership (PAL), and Good Behavior Game  Build capacity and commitment for implementation of direct services strategy prior to funding training or purchasing programmatic supplies  Work with program developer to identify appropriate levels of training  Develop relationships with other CPWI coalitions to increase likelihood of sharing the cost of training  Build capacity of community partners to implement direct services with fidelity to the intended design of each program  Promote programs to increase participation  Track participant data and evaluate outcomes  Adjust and improve programming as evaluation dictates

For Favorable Parental Attitudes o Strategy  Education o Activities  Parenting Wisely  Guiding Good Choices  Build capacity of community partners to implement direct services with fidelity to the intended design of each program  Promote programs to increase participation  Track participant data and evaluate outcomes  Adjust and improve programming as evaluation dictates

The Monroe Community Coalition formed in order to find ways to reduce youth substance abuse in the community. We developed a staggered implementation schedule for these strategies and activities based on the capacity and readiness of our partners. As the Coalition matures, its capacity for implementing all of its identified programming will increase.   

Phase 1 – In process and/or ongoing Phase 2 – Implemented during 2015/2016 school year Phase 3 – Implementation TBD w/ community partners

By using data to identify problems and set goals, our Coalition has an objective way to build support for our efforts, recruit and develop partnerships, and measure the progress and success of our strategies and activities. We evaluate our efforts through a variety of means, including community and Coalition assessments and through direct service process and outcome evaluation.

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Executive Summary | Monroe Community Coalition This plan contains our roadmap to creating lasting community change in Monroe. Each section documented in this plan aligns with a corresponding step of the Strategic Prevention Framework: Getting Started, Assessment, Planning, Implementation and Evaluation. Each of these sections also addresses our need to build capacity, enhance cultural competence and address issues of local sustainability.

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Organizational Development Organizational Development

Our Mission The Monroe Community Coalition (MCC) is a community collaboration working to implement alcohol and other drug prevention with a community-based approach.

Key Values Our key values define how the Coalition will work to achieve its mission, and they reflect the values and ideals we want to see upheld in our community. The Coalition’s values define our conduct and how we want to be viewed by our partners in the community.

The Monroe Community Coalition (MCC) models the values of multi-cultural, civically responsible behavior and professionally respectful interactions. We embrace research-based prevention principles and practices – particularly where we are called to act on behalf of the youth of our community – as the foundation of our Coalition’s efforts.

MCC is a grassroots volunteer organization dedicated to improving the health and wellness of the community by reducing risk factors and enhancing protective factors associated with underage drinking and other substance use. The organization is guided by a Leadership Team that sets the tone for collaboration and keeps the Coalition’s scope of work focused by ensuring fidelity to its strategic plan and operating principles. The Leadership Team also guides policy development and provides assistance to Coalition members, including support to the Coalition’s subcommittees and in responding to day-to-day responsibilities.

Decision-making process All Coalition decisions are made by simple majority of the Coalition voting membership. In this regard, simple majority is considered a group discussion where everyone's opinions are heard and understood, and action is taken in a manner that respects those opinions. Although consensus is the goal, achieving a simple majority is the surest route to accomplishing the Coalition’s objectives.

When a majority votes against a proposal, a discussion is conducted to determine if the proposal under consideration is in the best interest of the Coalition; if the proposal should be set aside; or where clarification about a concern is needed and what adjustments should be made in order for the proposal to be presented for a second majority vote. Members have the right to abstain from voting for any reason. Despite one’s personal feelings on a given issue, Coalition members agree to publicly support the activities of the Coalition regardless of how they voted.

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Organizational Development | Monroe Community Coalition Monroe Community Coalition Decision Making Model Action Item

Discussion

Item Reserved pending future discussion

Call for Vote

Item Passes

Majority Votes YES

Implement Item

Majority Votes NO

Item Tabled

Discuss Issues and Provide Clarification if necessary

Re-Vote with adjustments if necessary

2015 Update – Fiscal Agent The Coalition conducts business through a fiscal agent, the Monroe School District, which serves as a pass-through agency for Community Prevention and Wellness Initiative funding for staff, strategies and activities. While the school district provides fiscal oversight and limited administrative management, the Coalition retains discretion and control over fiduciary decision making.

Communication Effective communication – literally, the process of sending and receiving messages – is important to the Monroe Community Coalition. As each Coalition member develops understanding and respect for one another, they build a foundation on which members may challenge each other to think differently to find the best possible strategies with which to build protection against our vulnerability to underage drinking and other substance abuse.

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Organizational Development | Monroe Community Coalition To mitigate breakdowns in the communication process, MCC strives to be culturally competent and mindful of the environment in which meetings occur. The Coalition membership includes skilled facilitators with the experience to direct difficult conversations, including members from community-facing agencies like Monroe Public Schools and the Faith Community. Each member of the Coalition, from Voting Members to Guests, is responsible for:   

Respectful interaction; Acknowledging different communication methods and styles; Actively participating in conflict resolution when necessary.

All official communication with the community begins as a Coalition discussion item or with the Coalition Coordinator and is directed to the voting membership and/or the appropriate subcommittee for dissemination.

The Monroe Community Coalition benefits from a strategic partnership with the Monroe Public Schools Communications Office, which consults with the Coalition before engaging the community in critical messages to key constituents and stakeholders. The Coalition is also focused on developing its own strategic communications leaders in order to translate the language of prevention into clearly articulated and accessible community messaging that will advance the goals and priorities of MCC.

2015 Update – Coalition Structure and Organizational Chart MCC continues to refine its organizational structure as it grows into the Coalition that our members want it to be. This included the addition of the Community Relations, Financial Secretary and At-Large leadership positions, the deletion of the “Secretary” leadership position since its duties are performed by the Coalition Coordinator, and a refinement of our standing subcommittees to reflect current practice.

Membership:  Voting Members  Advisory Members  Guests Standing Subcommittees:  Leadership Team  Youth Coalition  Community Relations  Communications, Media and Internet  Ad-hoc

Leadership Team Positions:  Chair (voted)  Vice Chair (voted)  Financial Secretary (voted)  Community Relations (voted)  At-Large (voted)  District Liason (appointed)  Coalition Coordinator (staff)

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Organizational Development | Monroe Community Coalition

Coalition Meetings The Monroe Community Coalition meets monthly in accordance with our Coalition By-Laws.

Ongoing workgroups, including the Leadership Team, also meet regularly, at intervals determined by each workgroup. Ad-hoc workgroups form and meet as an issue, strategy or activity dictate, with workgroup leads stepping forward on a volunteer basis.

Role of Members Membership in the Monroe Community Coalition is open to any person or organization in the Monroe area that wishes to participate in developing and implementing local strategies to reduce underage drinking and other substance abuse.

The Coalition has developed three tiers of membership: Voting Membership, Advisory Membership and Guest.

Voting Member To become a Voting Member, an interested person must apply for membership after attending three consecutive Coalition meetings, and then be approved by a majority vote of the MCC voting membership. There is no limit to the number of voting members who can be a part of the MCC. Once accepted, Voting Members support the work of the Coalition by providing ongoing attendance and guidance to the Coalition through their voice, knowledge, experience and skills.

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Organizational Development | Monroe Community Coalition Their regular attendance and active participation at monthly meetings provide accountability to the group and the Coalition’s work. Voting Members:      

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Support the key values and mission of the Monroe Community Coalition.

Make every effort to attend regular and special meetings of the Coalition.

Commit to joining at least one coalition subcommittee.

Learn about prevention science and how it applies to our work in the community.

Attend trainings and events supported by the Coalition when possible, and bring knowledge back to share with the Coalition.

Serve as ambassadors by speaking the message of the Coalition throughout the community, promoting the Coalition’s work, seeking community input, and communicating Coalition priorities to other groups in which the voting member is involved.

Are respectful of fellow coalition members by being open and welcoming of diverse community voices and opinions.

Agree to publicly support the decisions of the Coalition once they have been approved by the membership.

Advisory Member: Advisory Members of the Coalition are considered to be key liaisons between the Coalition and the external groups or agencies they represent. An Advisory Member does not vote, but supports the work and projects of the Coalition to reduce underage drinking and other substance use in the community.

Advisory Member status is a mechanism for the Coalition to remain formally connected to important community allies and partners that might otherwise be too busy to commit to regular participation. Advisory Members:    

Publicly support the mission of the Coalition.

Agree to be on the Coalition distribution list.

Serve and function as a resource when called upon by the Coalition.

Attend meetings as their schedule allows.

Guests: Guests are interested members of the community who attend and participate in Coalition meetings, but who have not been approved as a Voting or Advisory member. Guests are an important Coalition resource, as each has the potential to become a Voting or Advisory member and also has sway within their external spheres of influence. Guests may participate in Coalition subcommittees, full membership meetings and special projects, but do not vote on Coalition matters.

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Organizational Development | Monroe Community Coalition

Role of the Leadership Team The Leadership Team sets the direction of the Coalition and its subcommittees in alignment with the goals and priorities identified in the strategic plan. It emphasizes making decisions as a group, instead of as individuals, to ensure proper coordination and operation of the Coalition.

The Leadership Team also sets the full membership meeting agenda and supports the Coalition Coordinator to ensure the Coalition is operating within the bounds of the Community Prevention and Wellness Initiative. It is comprised of an elected Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Financial Secretary and a Community Relations position, as well as the appointed school district liaison and the Coalition Coordinator. Leadership Team meetings are open to participation by any voting member.

Role of the School District The role of the Monroe School District is to work with the Monroe Community Coalition while allowing them to make decisions that fulfill CPWI requirements. The Coalition Coordinator is an employee of the District, is not a member of the Coalition, and shall not serve as an elected officer. School District tasks include: 

Ensure that all provisions of CPWI are met in a timely manner: o Serve as the Coalition’s fiscal agent. o Employ and provide oversight for the CPWI Coalition Coordinator o Participate in monthly technical assistance meetings with DBHR

Role of Educational Service District (ESD) The role of the ESD is to implement school-based prevention and intervention student support services. ESD Staff are important Advisory Members of the Coalition but cannot serve as elected officers. ESD tasks include:  

Supervise Prevention-Intervention Specialist in cooperation with district and building level administrators.

Participate in monthly CPWI Learning Community Meetings.

Coalition Engagement The Coalition Coordinator tracks membership and involvement in Coalition initiatives through sign-in sheets, minutes and in-person, telephone or email follow-up. Subcommittee assignments occur on a volunteer basis. Progress and completion of assignments are tracked through word-ofmouth, targeted surveys and implementation of the pre- and post-survey Coalition Assessment Tool. Additionally, involvement in Coalition subcommittee meetings – like the Leadership Team

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Organizational Development | Monroe Community Coalition – and other activities are entered in the State’s management information system, the Performance Based Prevention System, as recurring or single services, or as environmental strategies.

The Leadership Team also develops purpose driven and strategic agendas prior to each Coalition meeting. As the primary document most members will see before deciding to attend a meeting, our action-oriented agendas are designed to engage the membership in planning, capacity building, and delegating tasks for activity or strategy implementation. The Coalition’s goal is to avoid agenda stagnation and develop meaningful agenda items to keep members engaged.

Sectors of Support The MCC recognizes that a diverse membership is the foundation upon which its strength, effectiveness and future success is constructed. As a prevention-focused Coalition, it prioritizes finding members from 14 key sectors of the community, which include:     

Youth  Parents Media  Schools Law enforcement  Healthcare Religious/Fraternal organization  Mental Health Treatment State, local or tribal government with expertise in the field of substance abuse

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Businesses Organizations serving youth Civic/Volunteer Groups Substance Abuse Treatment Other organizations involved in reducing substance abuse

Minimally, the Coalition reviews member participation annually to determine if at least eight of the twelve key sectors of support are represented. If they aren’t, the Coalition begins targeted recruitment within the community, led by the Community Relations Leadership Team member and the community relations subcommittee.

2015 Update MCC continues to develop broad support from across sectors of the Community. In spring, 2015 we established a Leadership Team position called “Community Relations” in order to bring a recruitment focus to our steering committee. The Coalition has also focused on bringing chemical dependency treatment, mental health and the media to the table. Sectors with primary members on the Coalition are highlighted in blue below: Youth Civic/Volunteer Group Media Mental Health Chemical Dependency Treatment

Parent Business School Religious/Fraternal Organization Other Substance Abuse Org.

Law Enforcement Healthcare Youth Serving Organization Local Government

The Coalition will continue to engage in targeted recruitment and is committed to bringing business leaders to the table during this strategic plan period.

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Organizational Development | Monroe Community Coalition

Prevention/Intervention Specialist Engagement The CPWI project-funded Prevention/Intervention Specialist is stationed at Park Place Middle School, but there is ample need for P/I services across the district. The P/I is regarded as a vital Coalition leader who provides key information and perspective to Coalition members at every Coalition meeting.

The CPWI-funded Prevention-Intervention Specialist implements an adaptation of the Project SUCCESS model, a recognized best-practice listed on the National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP) and the Washington State Excellence in Prevention Strategies (EPS) list. Monroe has replaced a component of Project SUCCESS, the classroom education series, with Dr. Gilbert Botvin’s Life Skills Training program. Life Skills Training is also a recognized best-practice prevention program listed on the NREPP and EPS list, and is completely funded by the University of Colorado at Boulder Blueprints program. The CPWI Prevention-Intervention Specialist:        

Provides screening and referral information to students and parents involved in intervention services; Conducts early intervention educational support groups for selected and indicated students; Attends and participates in community Coalition meetings; Provides information and increases awareness of available prevention, intervention, and treatment services to school staff, parents, and students; Attends stakeholder meetings and delivers presentations; Participates as integral member of the school multi-disciplinary team; Assists in developing alcohol, tobacco and other drug policies when needed; and Provides regular verbal reports and updates to the Coalition.

Grassroots Engagement While there are no simple answers or strategies for ensuring the participation of grassroots Coalition members, the Coalition and its’ Leadership Team consider a number of issues to accommodate the broadest possible participation, including: establishing regular meeting days and times; sending out advance meeting notices and calendar invitations through the most efficient means of communication; ensuring an accessible and neutral meeting location; considering competing community and school events; ensuring meeting topics and content are relevant and action oriented; and even by inspiring its members.

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Organizational Development | Monroe Community Coalition The Coalition believes effective communication is an essential first step in maintaining involved and engaged Coalition members. Coalition agendas, minutes and emails are designed to keep members aware of MCC’s needs, projects and progress.

The Coalition strives to match the strengths and interests of each Coalition member with the specific tasks of the Coalition and the Community Prevention and Wellness Initiative through a membership strengths and interests inventory.

Recruitment Although the Community Relations subcommittee is specifically tasked with recruiting new members, partners, agencies and stakeholders to support the Coalition’s efforts, each Voting Coalition member has also committed to engaging in recruitment efforts within their own spheres of influence.

Recruitment begins with promoting the Coalition throughout the community, which occurs through Coalition media releases, social norms messaging, community presentations, word of mouth, and dissemination of public awareness materials.

Targeted face-to-face recruitment efforts are initiated once a specific membership need or gap has been identified. In general, the Membership Recruitment and Retention subcommittee considers these questions before initiating targeted recruitment efforts:       

Why do we want or need more representation from the community in our underage drinking and other substance abuse prevention efforts?

How many more people or organizations do we need?

What kinds of people or organizations should we include?

Do we already have representation from this sector of support on the Coalition?

Who is going to find and recruit the new people or organizations we need to partner with?

When is a good time to recruit new people from these organizations?

What are some of the obstacles that we may encounter?

Cultural Competency Monroe has increasingly diverse demographics and is experiencing a population explosion that began nearly two decades ago. In fact, the city’s population only grew from 1,500 residents to 4,000 residents in the 80 years comprising the period 1910 to 1990, then grew to more than 17,000 residents between 1990 and today.

The 2010 Decennial Census reveals significant change in the community’s racial and ethnic composition during the previous 10 years: 78.6% White compared to 86.1% in 2000; 3.5% 15 | P a g e

Organizational Development | Monroe Community Coalition African American compared to 3.2% in 2000; 1.4% Native American compared to 1.3% in 2000; 2.8% Asian compared to 2.4% in 2000; 0.4% Pacific Islander compared to 0.3% in 2000; 9.6% from other races compared to 4.0% in 2000; and 3.8% from two or more races compared to 2.1% in 2000. Hispanic or Latino of any race is reported as 17.1% of the population compared to 9.7% in 2000.

Monroe residents have a median age of 33 years, but nearly 36% of the population is comprised of 0-24 year olds. The gender makeup of the City is 56.3% male to 43.7% female. Data regarding transgender individuals and sexual orientation was not available.

Monroe has also been home to the Washington State Reformatory since 1910, which became the Monroe Correctional Complex in 1998 when the institution merged with the Special Offender Center, Twin Rivers Correctional Center, and the Minimum-Security Unit. The City is home to many families with an offending partner or parent serving sentences in the Correctional Center.

Although median household income is reported as higher than the State average, School District data show a free and reduced lunch rate of 27.1% as of May, 2014.

Stakeholders report the City’s growth and changing demographics as significant contributors to problems with underage drinking and other substance abuse; however, they also identified permissive community norms, family management problems (particularly with regard to unmonitored youth while parents are at work), an increase in retail tobacco outlets, a deteriorating sense of “neighborhood,” and increasing levels of social isolation as contributing factors.

Conversely, stakeholders emphasize that Monroe’s people – diverse and possessing a strong sense of community – are its greatest resource. They have repeatedly demonstrated a strong local desire to build partnerships that benefit the community, including having a robust Monroe Diversity Council. The community also has a history of successful participation in prevention initiatives, maintaining longstanding ties with the Snohomish County Federated Health and Safety Network, Snohomish County Human Services Prevention Unit and numerous other community organizations.

Monroe’s geography in rural Snohomish County creates barriers to accessing culturally, linguistically and developmentally appropriate local services and resources for families and students in need. This includes difficulty accessing bilingual services as well as specialized services for families in crisis.

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Organizational Development | Monroe Community Coalition

Building a Culturally Competent Coalition The Monroe Community Coalition recognizes our efforts will be most successful when our strategies, activities and programs are respectful of the group experiences, traditions, values and beliefs of the people and communities we serve. We embrace a model of cultural competency that recognizes six stages within a Cultural Competence Continuum.

Internally, our Coalition members believe thoughtful planning and meaningful dialogue are keys to enhancing our relationships with one another, creating a culturally responsive environment for prevention and fostering a Coalition atmosphere where everyone feels valued and respected.

Monroe Community Coalition formed with the understanding that we would be addressing issues too big for any one person or agency to solve on their own. This fundamental acknowledgement necessitates that our Coalition engage in creative and cooperative problem-solving by considering diverse perspectives, ideas, and strategies.

Our organizational standard is valuing diversity, conducting self-assessment and addressing issues that arise when different cultures interact. We recognize the value of shared knowledge and local wisdom.

We do this by offering members online surveys, educational materials and training for selfassessment and growth. All Coalition efforts will be vetted through a framework of cultural competency.

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Organizational Development | Monroe Community Coalition

Representative Membership Monroe Community Coalition is developing strategic partnerships with diverse community leaders and businesses throughout the school district. Several coalition members are recognized as community liaisons to newly and non-english speaking families. Additionally, all members have the responsibility to recruit new members from among their individual spheres of influence to enhance Coalition participation.

Sustainability in Organizational Development Monroe Community Coalition believes an engaged and representative membership is the key to sustaining a viable and active Coalition. The Community Relations subcommittee is specifically tasked with recruiting a diverse membership representative of our community’s composition and required sectors of support. We do this through strategic partnerships, media messages, personal invitations, digital and print materials like flyers and follow-up on requests for information through our website and Facebook pages.

In addition, the annual Coalition Assessment Tool is used to measure progress, set capacity building goals, and ensure the balanced development of our Coalition.

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Capacity Building Capacity Building

OUTREACH The Monroe Community Coalition is the only organization in our community exclusively dedicated to substance abuse prevention. We share our goals through face-to-face meetings and appointments with local policy makers and key leaders, through email, print communication – including newsletters and press releases – via the internet on Facebook and at www.monroecommunitycoalition.com, and during in-person or webinar-based trainings.

While the Coalition has forged strategic partnerships with a number of key local organizations, including Snohomish County, Monroe Public Schools, Northwest Educational Service District #189, YMCA, Monroe Police Department, Cocoon House, Take the Next Step, and a host of other community and faith providers offering prevention programming, no other coordinated substance abuse prevention effort or network currently exists in Monroe.

With the absence of funding for organizations like the Snohomish County Federated Health and Safety Network, Community Mobilization, and even Health District prevention programs, the Coalition is focused on building a stable and strong local prevention infrastructure that its partners can rely on.

To this end, the Coalition believes communication and open meetings are crucial to involving the community in its efforts and initiatives. It uses web-based technology to engage stakeholders in an annual Community Survey, uses targeted recruitment to ensure diverse Coalition representation, and promotes awareness and engagement in its efforts through Facebook, local advertising, and email distribution lists.

Monroe Community Coalition also attends City Council, School Board, Parent Hub and other community meetings to engage Key Leaders and Stakeholders who are not Coalition members.

The Coalition’s bylaws established the “Advisory Member” position as a mechanism for formally engaging community leaders in the Coalition’s efforts and initiatives without requiring their regular, in-person participation.

The Coalition also engages in multiple Key Leader events designed to enhance understanding about the Community Prevention and Wellness Initiative, the Coalition’s planning framework, data, goals and activities.

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Capacity Building | Monroe Community Coalition

TRAINING In our pursuit to develop local prevention leaders, MCC sees training and capacity building as a necessary and beneficial means to achieving success in Monroe.

We have adopted a training philosophy that acknowledges our current capacity level and pushes us to grow. MCC members view training as a continuous improvement activity as opposed to single, isolated events and acknowledge that training is the foundation of success and sustainability.

As our Coalition members develop their own prevention expertise, considerable effort is also made to increase understanding and knowledge in the community. It is a goal of the Coalition not only to raise awareness about underage drinking and other substance use issues, but also to empower community members with a foundational knowledge of prevention principles and underlying issues. Our goal is to help the community to understand and respond to the unrecognized influences that place youth at risk.

Monroe Community Coalition members are trained in the risk and protective factors model of prevention and are also trained to understand the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study (ACES), which – when paired with Dr. Dennis Embry’s Prevention Kernels – can create a powerful synergy between understanding trauma and applying low and no-cost prevention strategies to enhance existing programs and structures of support. The Coalition has already given numerous ACE presentations around the community, including all-staff trainings at Park Place Middle School and Leaders in Learning Alternative School.

Training Priorities Our priorities are: 1) ensuring that direct service providers are adequately trained to deliver the programs they agree to implement; 2) identifying and responding to the training and technical assistance needs of our MCC Members, Staff and the Community, and 3) partnering with other CPWI coalitions to coordinate and share costs of regional trainings.

An overarching goal of the Coalition is to create, host and facilitate trainings that can be accessed by partners and the community on the Coalition website at any time, while also broadening participation by making community and Coalition trainings accessible via webinar.

The Coalition will also be responsive to ad hoc trainings promoted by local and statewide prevention partners. Ensuring that training materials and presentations are made available or 20 | P a g e

Capacity Building | Monroe Community Coalition translated to Spanish is also a primary Coalition strategy. Coalition members have identified key topics for future capacity building trainings:

Coalition Members

Training and T/A Completed to Date  CPWI, Planning Framework and    

Community

Coalition Staff

R&P Factors (July, 2013 and 2014) Prevention Summit (2013, 2014) Data Book Overview (October, 2013 and April, 2015) Counterproductive Strategies (December, 2013) Strategic Plan, R&P Factor Review (March, 2014 & 2015)

2015/2016 Training and T/A  Cultural Competency (Annual)  Prevention Summit/NPN  ACES and Kernels 101 (Continuous)  M/H Promotion / Suicide Prevention  Counterproductive Strategies  EBP Developer Training

 

PAX GBG PAL

 Community Crisis Response

 School Board - ACES (August, 2013)  Parent Hub - ACES (October, 2013)  Park Place Middle School - ACES (August, 2014)  Leaders In Learning - ACES (December, 2014)  Marijuana Impacts and How to Talk to Your Child (November, 2013)

      

Key Leader Events (Annual) Community - ACES Risk & Protective Factors (Continuous) Community Crisis Response Selected EBP Developer Training How to Talk to Your Child

 Monthly CPWI Learning Comm.  Prevention Summit (October 2014, 2015)

   

Prevention Summit/NPN Ongoing T/A from DBHR as needed EBP Developer Training Summer Leadership Institute

M/H Promotion / Suicide Prevention

Cultural Competency in Capacity Building Monroe Community Coalition is committed to connecting with underserved populations through inclusive outreach and capacity building efforts. These efforts begin with our key Coalition members who are able to act as a bridge between the Coalition and the community’s cultural leaders, including the faith community, School District, Parent Hub, and youth and family serving agencies. The Coalition has prioritized making its key messages, materials, trainings, programs and presentations available in Spanish, and is in the process of identifying local partners with the capacity to provide translation services.

The Coalition is also reviewing the Cultural Competency Continuum created by Frontera, Inc. and funded by the US Office of Minority Health. It is in the process of developing an online and anonymous self-assessment tool to objectively determine the Coalition’s level of cultural competency to inform our cultural competency training needs.

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Capacity Building | Monroe Community Coalition

SUSTAINABILITY IN CAPACITY BUILDING The Coalition has a robust membership and mailing list that has already shown it is capable of mobilizing the community to engage Key Leaders and Stakeholders in Coalition objectives, such as developing municipal marijuana policy that protects youth.

Additionally, the Coalition’s bylaws establish an “Advisory Member” position as a mechanism for engaging community leaders in the Coalition’s efforts and initiatives without requiring their regular, in-person participation. Similarly, our annual Key Leader Events are designed to develop “buy-in” from non-member leaders and stakeholders so they may promote Coalition efforts information within their own spheres of influence.

The Coalition also believes creating on-demand, digital, reusable trainings and materials, stored on the Coalition website, is a key to the efficient use of resources, reducing barriers to access, and the long-term sustainability of our capacity building efforts.

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Assessment Assessment

Needs Assessment Although Monroe Community Coalition is a grassroots volunteer organization, its membership is comprised of many professionals who have previous training and experience reviewing data to inform planning and programmatic decision making. Capacity building trainings also occur during regularly scheduled Coalition meetings. These trainings are generally intended to orient the Coalition to the Community Prevention and Wellness Initiative, enhance their understanding of the Strategic Prevention Framework and risk and protective factors, or to familiarize them with existing community services or principles of effective prevention.

Throughout the assessment process, Coalition partners and community stakeholders provided a local context for the data they reviewed. This included representatives from:      

Monroe Public Schools Monroe Police Department YMCA Take the Next Step Faith Community Compass Health

     

ESD 189 Snohomish County Human Services Parents Cocoon House SeaMar Behavioral Health And more…

The Coalition’s first data review process began in earnest in October, 2013 after the Coalition received the Community Needs Assessment Data Book from the State Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery. Initial data review began in subcommittee with the Coalition Leadership Team, and then expanded to include the full Coalition membership. After identifying data points of local and statistical significance, the Coalition engaged in a data carousel activity during the October, 2013 Coalition meeting, since our regular meeting time was most likely to achieve the broadest possible participation. Data displays were created for five data points of concern, each statistically significant when compared to State or prior local rates. Stakeholders rotated from table-to-table considering data, intervening variables and contributing factors, and discussing them in detail.

The following month, the Coalition analyzed the compiled results of their data carousel activity by engaging in clarifying discussion, expanding on their thoughts and adding new insights to their analysis.

The Coalition actually began collecting data in March, 2013 when community stakeholders first came together to pledge their support for forming a prevention-focused community coalition. At 23 | P a g e

Assessment | Monroe Community Coalition that time, stakeholders broke into small groups and were asked to discuss and respond to five questions:    



What’s great about Monroe?

What concerns do you have for your community?

From your perspective, what are some of the main issues influencing youth and community substance abuse?

Let’s talk about history. Have there been significant changes or other community issues that impact Monroe’s problems with underage drinking and other substance abuse? How would you describe the community’s ability to respond to these issues?

Are you aware of any positive ways the community has worked together in the past?

What resources are available to the community to address underage drinking and other substance abuse?

In August, 2013 a Senior Class student at Monroe High School began supporting the Coalition after learning about it through regional media coverage. She developed the Coalition’s first outreach materials and conducted a brief in-person community survey using a 3G enabled Ipad and Survey Monkey at a local National Night Out Against Crime event. This brief community survey helped to shape early Coalition conversation about community priorities and perceptions.

A more broadly administered Community Assessment Survey conducted in the Fall and Winter of 2013 expanded on the findings of the Night Out survey.

In addition to stakeholder surveys and focus groups, the Coalition’s most relied upon data resource has been the Community Needs Assessment Data Book, which compiles information from the Healthy Youth Survey, CORE (Community Outcome and Risk Evaluation) GIS, and a variety of other sources. The Coalition has also looked at decennial census data, OSPI report card and even some elections data to help inform conversations about Marijuana legalization.

2015 Update The Monroe Community Coalition met to review its Healthy Youth Survey (HYS) data on Thursday, April 16th, 2015 during a full membership meeting. Because 2014 HYS data was overwhelmingly positive, the Coalition celebrated its progress and elected to consider more broadly focused behavioral health indicators to learn how vulnerability in one domain elevated risk in others.

To do this, stakeholders broke into four work groups to examine how substance use, sexual orientation, depression, and bullying impacted rates of academic failure, school safety, substance use and mental health.

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Assessment | Monroe Community Coalition Each work group received “Student Risk Profiles” – generated through analysis of AskHYS.net’s QxQ functionality – and discussed them in a round-robin style format. Risk profiles showed consequence, consumption, and intervening variable data then showed the elevated risk-relationships facing young people impacted by these behavioral health concerns.

SUMMARY OF KEY DATA Overall, the Coalition examined data in segments that aligned with the Coalition Logic Model: Consequences; Consumption; and Intervening Variables/Risk and Protective Factors. Key data highlights colored GREEN reflect areas of encouragement; data points colored RED reflect areas of concern.

CONSEQUENCES | The Coalition considered consequence measures with the understanding that if the rates of drinking and other drug use decrease in Monroe, we should see an impact on these long-term consequences: 

 

Measures of School Performance – no statistical difference between Monroe and the State; however, significantly fewer 8th Graders reported low grades in 2012, compared to Monroe’s 2010 Healthy Youth Survey (HYS). >>> Measures of Youth Delinquency – Statistically significant reductions in 10th grade fighting and weapon carrying compared to Monroe’s 2010 HYS survey.

Measures of Mental Health – 10th grade Depression – Higher rates of depression are statistically significant when compared to the State.

CONSUMPTION | Consumption measures refer to the number of people using a particular substance. The Coalition believes consumption impacts long-term behavioral health. The number of youth using/consuming alcohol and other substances in Monroe is significantly lower than youth rates across the State:    

Measures of Alcohol Consumption – 8th grade problem/heavy drinking – statistically significant lower rates than those of the State for the past four years.

Tobacco Consumption – 10th grade use – statistically significant reduction when compared to Monroe’s 2010 HYS survey.

Illegal Drug Use – 10th grade use – statistically significant reduction compared to Monroe’s 2010 HYS and State 2012 HYS rates.

Prescription Drug Use – 10th grade use – Statistically significant reduction in 10th grade pain killer use compared to Monroe’s 2010 HYS.

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Assessment | Monroe Community Coalition INTERVENING VARIABLES AND RISK & PROTECTIVE FACTORS | These variables are characteristics of Monroe that influence underage drinking and other substance use:   

    

Enforcement of Alcohol Laws – 10th grade perception that Police don’t enforce – higher rates are statistically significant when compared to statewide rates.

Enforcement of Alcohol Rules – 10th grade perception that School doesn’t enforce – lower rates are statistically significant when compared to the State.

Perception of Harm – 8th grade Drinking Risk – no statistical significance between Monroe and the State, but statistically significant change occurred between Monroe’s 2010 and 2012 HYS. Community Norms – 10th grade Friends who drink – higher rates are statistically significant when compared to State rates.

Parental attitudes tolerant of substance use – 10th grade – higher rates are statistically significant when compared to the State and Monroe’s 2010 HYS rates.

Intentions to use drugs – 10th grade – higher rates are statistically significant when compared to the State.

Physical Fighting – 10th grade – rate of physical fighting significantly decreased and is on par with State rates reported in the HYS. Weapon Carrying – 10th Grade weapon carrying has significantly decreased and is lower than the State rate.

TRENDS | Overall, several trends emerged when the Coalition considered past administrations of the Healthy Youth Survey in our Community:       

Grades are improving Skipping school is trending down, but 8th graders continue to skip school more than 10th graders, and at an ever widening margin Suicide attempts continue to trend downward Current alcohol and other substance use (using within the past 30 days) is trending down Steady declines in perceptions of risk of harm from regular use Community norms becoming more favorable to youth use Steady decline in Family Management skills

2015 Update Monroe experienced an incredible reversal in decade-long trends measuring behavioral health concerns and intervening variables. In virtually every domain prioritized by the Coalition, local rates ceased to be statistically significant compared to the state baseline, or were at statistically significant lower rates than the state baseline. The only area of statistically significant concern arising from our assessment of the 2014 HYS data is 8th grade rates of “Low Grades in School.”

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Assessment | Monroe Community Coalition

NEEDS ASSESSMENT CONCLUSIONS To determine their priorities, the Coalition considered key data, prevalence, trends and contributing factors identified in their Community Needs Assessment Data Book and the Community Assessment Survey. They focused on data points that were different from State and prior local rates that could not be explained away by chance. They also gave added weight to the findings of the Community Assessment, and discussed each priority area in small groups, and as a full Coalition, during regularly scheduled monthly Coalition meetings. Conversation also occurred asynchronously, as email, google docs, and survey monkey were each used as tools to enhance the prioritization process.

All told, four intervening variables and one long-term consequence were prioritized by the Coalition because their differences when compared to State rates were statistically significant:  

Intentions to Use Drugs Parental Attitudes

 

Friends Who Drink Depression



Enforcement of Alcohol Laws

These priorities were reinforced by the Community Assessment Survey which had nearly 200 respondents closely representative of the community’s demographics.

Survey respondents identified Marijuana use as their number one concern for youth, followed by Alcohol use and Depression.

Some Coalition members were surprised to discover that youth suicide ranked as the lowest concern among survey respondents, particularly after a recent student suicide had impacted the community.

2015 Update Excited by the results of the 2014 Healthy Youth Survey, Monroe Community Coalition members committed to upholding the priorities established in their previous assessment process to sustain the positive momentum we are building in the community. As a result, the following intervening variables remain a focus of the Coalition:  

Community Disorganization Parental Attitudes Favorable to Use

 

Availability of Drugs (Alcohol, Marijuana and E-Cigarettes) Friends Who Engage in the Problem Behavior

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Assessment | Monroe Community Coalition Because new policies have been put in place in the community to address the risk factor “Enforcement of Alcohol Laws,” and because measures of “Intentions to Use Drugs” were not reported in the 2014 Healthy Youth Survey administration, the Coalition has opted to drop these intervening variables from its list of priorities.

Instead, MCC will add the risk factor “Academic Failure” since the long-term consequence “low grades in school” was the only area of adverse statistical significance reported in the Coalition’s data book. The Coalition also emphasized its desire to integrate mental health promotion into its work, since substance use and mental health disorders share many common risk factors.

Long-term Consequences Monroe Community Coalition has set its sights on impacting several long-term consequences that negatively impact the community, including school performance, youth delinquency, overall mental health and depression. The Coalition believes that if rates of underage drinking and other substance use go down, there will be an impact on these long-term consequences, leading to healthier and more successful youth in our community.

School Performance: The Coalition’s needs assessment found no statistical difference between Monroe and Statewide measures of school performance; however, significantly fewer 8th Graders reported low grades in 2012, compared to Monroe’s 2010 Healthy Youth Survey (HYS). To some extent, the school district attributes improving middle school grades to the consolidation of Monroe Middle School and Park Place Middle School in 2011, which led to a modest increase in test scores immediately after. Stakeholders believe measures of school performance, including attendance, grades and graduation rates directly impact educational costs, the financial burden on social service providers and local non-profits, and even the community’s tax-base through individual earnings potential.

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Assessment | Monroe Community Coalition

2015 Update Low Grades in School is the only area showing an adverse statistically significant change on the Healthy Youth Survey. As a result, this area of risk has been added to the Coalition’s list of prioritized risk and protective factors.

Youth Delinquency: Although it is not known if youth delinquency leads to substance abuse, or if substance abuse leads to youth delinquency, the risk factors for both are similar. Community stakeholders cite gang-tagging, graffiti, thefts and vandalism as visible results of this long-term problem.

Although Monroe’s measures of youth delinquency are comparable to rates across the State, the community has seen statistically significant reductions in 10th grade fighting and weapon carrying between 2010 and 2012 HYS administrations. In part, stakeholders believe this reduction is attributable to programs started at Monroe High School designed to ease the transition from middle school. The School District also implemented a Safe Schools reporting system that allows youth to submit their bullying concerns to staff.

Mental Health and Depression: Substance abuse is often found among youth who have anxiety, depression or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The Coalition examined three HYS data points as indicators for measures of mental health: depression, considering suicide and attempted suicide. HYS analysis revealed Monroe youth have statistically significant higher rates of depression compared to the State.

Respondents of the 2013 Community Awareness Survey also identify rates of youth depression as their third highest concern, reinforcing the findings of the Coalition. Stakeholders report poor 29 | P a g e

Assessment | Monroe Community Coalition family management skills, high rates of transition and mobility and a lack of community connectedness as contributing factors, but also believe a lack of local mental health services adversely impact youth and families affected by depression. They also believed that Schools alone are not adequately equipped or funded to deal with communitywide mental health problems.

10th Grade Depression, Monroe SD 2012

Monroe

36%

Snohomish County

29.8%

Washington State

31% 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

2015 Update Measures of student mental health returned to rates that align with the state baseline for 2014; however, this remains an area of immense local significance to the Coalition, its partners and the community as a whole. As a result, MCC will continue to prioritize strategies and activities that reduce vulnerability to this long-term consequence, including engaging in capacity building and information dissemination efforts that better equip the community to respond to this issue.

Behavioral Health Problems Underage Drinking and Heavy Drinking According to Coalition analysis, youth consume alcohol in Monroe at statistically significant lower rates than youth across the State. Nevertheless, the community is very troubled by youth alcohol use, identifying it as its number two concern on the 2013 Community Assessment Survey. In fact, 93% of survey respondents don’t believe it’s okay for youth to drink at parties, and 96% believe there should be legal consequences in the community for adults who provide Alcohol to minors, including fines and community service.

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Assessment | Monroe Community Coalition

Underage Marijuana Use, Prescription Drug Misuse, Heroin and Other Illicit Drug Use: Like alcohol, consumption rates for marijuana, prescription medicine, heroin and other illicit drugs remain on par with, or significantly lower than, youth rates across the State; however, there is growing local concern for each of these consumption measures in light of the increasing availability of each of these substances throughout Monroe and the Skykomish Valley.

Indeed, among consumption measures identified in the Community Assessment Survey, youth marijuana use ranked as Monroe’s number one concern, followed by alcohol and prescription drug abuse. Our law enforcement stakeholders identified Heroin as one of their chief concerns during key informant interviews.

2015 Update Monroe students are reporting the lowest level of current use rates for alcohol, marijuana and other drugs in over a decade. Coalition members attribute these changes to the efforts of the Coalition and its partners in the Community. Specifically, stakeholders indicate community mobilization efforts that led to the banning of retail marijuana sales, production and processing by an ordinance of the City Council, information dissemination and training activities that equipped parents to talk about substance use with their children, and the implementation of evidence-based programming, including the LifeSkills Training program, as strategies that are helping to change the social norm in order to achieve this turn-around.

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Assessment | Monroe Community Coalition

Despite our success around these consumption behaviors, one emerging issue caught the attention of the Coalition: significantly increased use of electronic cigarettes and the growing presence of electronic cigarette stores in our community.

Prioritized Risk and Protective Factors and Contributing Factors Researchers at the University of Washington developed a public health model for the prevention of substance abuse. They identified risk factors that predict youth substance use – factors that if reduced would lead to lower rates of youth substance use, and protective factors – positive influences that reduce the likelihood of substance use and its consequences. The intervening variables and risk and protective factors identified by the Coalition fall within four domains (Community, Family, School and Peer/Individual) and are those characteristics of our community that are most likely to influence youth alcohol use and other drug use.

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Assessment | Monroe Community Coalition Risk Factor – Community Disorganization (Community Domain) Community Disorganization: Key informant interviews reveal strong connectedness within individual community and ethnic groups across Monroe, but not between them. They specifically differentiate between “the original Monroe,” families with historic ties to the community as agriculture and dairy farmers, and “the bedroom community,” that lives in the city but work and socialize elsewhere. These stakeholders also identified an “invisible” prison-related community, a growing but segregated Hispanic community, strong faith-based and civic groups, and other sectors that infrequently comingle.

Still, community members have a longstanding history of working together to address concerns and problems too big for any one person or agency to solve on their own. Many believe the Monroe Community Coalition will provide a framework for bringing together the various community sectors to create lasting positive change.

Risk Factor – Availability of Drugs (Community Domain) Alcohol, Marijuana and E-Cigarette Availability Research shows there are two aspects of substance availability that are important in determining the Coalition’s prevention priorities. First, there is the actual physical availability – the places where youth can get substances. Second is the perception of availability – the belief that a substance is, or would be, available to them. Both of these have to change in order for there to be a significant impact on local use rates.

Monroe Community Coalition considered Healthy Youth Survey measures of drug availability in 10th grade and prioritized social access as a key risk factor to address. Stakeholders described the community as having “an unhealthy relationship with alcohol which [contributes to a] culture of heavy partying in Monroe that stretches from adolescence into adulthood.” They cite “Thirsty Thursdays” as known underage drinking events, “where everyone just gets drunk, [because] getting drunk is the only thing to do in this town.”

2015 Update Monroe achieved another stunning reversal in HYS trends when considering measures of Perceived Availability of Drugs. Once again, Coalition members were hard-pressed explain this turn of events without directly attributing the results to the actions of the coalition and its partners in the community. The 2014 rate of perceived availability is at its lowest level in more than a decade.

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Assessment | Monroe Community Coalition

Risk Factor - Community Laws and Norms (Community Domain) Enforcement of Alcohol Laws All communities have laws about underage drinking and about where and under what circumstances alcohol can be served, but most law enforcement agencies rarely have the capacity to enforce all laws to their full extent; however, research does show the threat or expectation of law enforcement has a deterrent effect on use.

Healthy Youth Survey data show Monroe 10th graders are at higher risk for using alcohol than their peers across the State because many don’t perceive that police enforce underage drinking laws.

Community and Law Enforcement stakeholders explored this issue and identified several primary contributors to this risk factor, including police department staffing and funding levels, as well as school district boundary lines that extend well beyond the police department’s jurisdiction.

The Coalition’s Law Enforcement representative explained the enforcement process: If a suspect is under 18, it is highly unlikely Denney Youth Center [in Everett] will approve a booking. Typically an administrative booking or issuing criminal citation is most appropriate.

Where penalties are concerned, I was able to talk to our local prosecutor’s office which handles the cases with 18-20 year olds. I was given three different situations involving those arrested/convicted for alcohol offenses: Scenario #1—The “squeaky clean” kid who made a mistake will typically receive minimal fines, and some possible community service.

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Assessment | Monroe Community Coalition Scenario #2—The kid who has some prior law enforcement contacts or minimal previous criminal convictions will receive probation for one to two years, required alcohol/ drug evaluation, typically around $500.00 in total fines.

Scenario #3—The repeat offender will typically get the same as scenario #2, but if it is DUI related almost always receive jail time, and possible jail time for alcohol crimes with extenuating circumstances.

2015 Update As a result of the Coalition’s prioritization of Enforcement of Alcohol Laws, Monroe Police Department reached out to the Monroe School Board to talk about methods for increasing the enforcement of substance abuse laws in the community. They proposed bringing a drugdetecting dog to the High School campus, knowing that raising the threat of visible enforcement has a deterrent effect on use.

The school board made clear that engaging in such an action could only happen if the goal was to connect students to helping services instead of increasing juvenile arrest rates. With the coalition providing insight into the data, the two agencies were able to come to agreement and commenced using drug detecting dogs in June, 2014. The result: realignment of Monroe’s HYS data with the state baseline, achieving the lowest reported rates of police not enforcing alcohol laws in more than a decade!

Friends Who Engage in the Problem Behavior Personal decisions about behavior – about what behavior is appropriate and acceptable are to some extent based on understanding of what a community considers to be normal behavior; however, knowledge of what that norm is can be faulty. For example, students tend to exaggerate the number of best friends they have who drink alcohol, which serves as an effective indicator for measuring how social norms contribute to youth alcohol use.

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Assessment | Monroe Community Coalition Monroe stakeholders explored why local students reported that their best friends drink alcohol at a higher and significantly different rate than their State counterparts. Stakeholders believe underage drinking in Monroe is perceived as a cultural rite of passage and indicate their rural setting creates many hard-to-find locations where teens can drink without fear of being caught. Respondents also indicated that parent permissiveness and a lack of monitoring due to long commutes to and from work were contributing factors.

2015 Update While much work remains to be done, the risk factor “Friends Who Engage in the Problem Behavior� represents another priority area that saw a statistically significant reversal in rates. In fact, student vulnerability to Healthy Youth Survey measures of community norms are at their lowest rates in more than a decade, including statistically significant reversals in youth perception and attitudes.

Risk Factor – Favorable Attitudes toward the Problem Behavior (Peer/Individual Domain) Intentions to Use Drugs The Intentions to Use Drugs scale is one of four risk factors found to be most strongly associated with alcohol use. Research shows youth who intend to use drugs as adults actually begin using drugs as kids.

2012 Healthy Youth Survey data show 10th graders in Monroe are particularly at risk when compared to their peers across the State. This cohort of youth also saw a statistically significant rise in intentions to use drugs compared to 10th graders on the 2010 HYS. Stakeholders pointed to easy social access to alcohol, incorrect social norms and environmental

10th Grade Intentions to Use Drugs Monroe 2010

46%

Monroe 2012

54%

Snohomish County

41.10%

Washington State

43% 0%

20%

40%

60%

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Assessment | Monroe Community Coalition factors as key contributors to the community’s high rate of 10th graders who report intending to use drugs. They were particularly concerned about the impact alcohol privatization and marijuana legalization messages have had on their youth.

Risk Factor – Favorable Parental Attitudes (Family Domain) Parental Attitudes Tolerant of Substance Use The Parental Attitudes Tolerant of Substance Use scale is another one of four risk factors found to be most strongly associated with alcohol use.

10th Grade Parental Attitudes Tolerant of Substance Use

Monroe 2010

32%

Monroe 2012

Like the Intentions to Use Drugs scale, Monroe’s 2012 10th grade Healthy Youth Survey data show statistically significant increases when compared to State rates and past HYS administrations.

48%

Snohomish County

37.30%

Washington State

37% 0%

20%

40%

60%

Stakeholders overwhelmingly believed the current climate of alcohol privatization and marijuana legalization contributed to student’s belief that their parents are tolerant of use; however, many pointed out that Monroe seemed to be disproportionately impacted compared to outside rates.

2015 Update The Coalition focused significant effort on equipping parents to talk clearly with their children about their standards and expectations around alcohol and other drug use. Strategies and activities included the “Talk. They Hear You.” information dissemination campaign, parent training conducted by prevention intervention specialists, highly publicized and successful community mobilization efforts to ban recreational marijuana sales, production and processing, and efforts to increase visible enforcement of drug and alcohol laws. The result is a sharp decline in local rates while State rates actually increased.

Resource Assessment

Resource Assessment The Coalition conducted its resource assessment during a regularly scheduled monthly meeting to ensure the broadest possible participation. It broke into small workgroups to consider its prioritized behavioral health problems and intervening variables, identifying known resources and gaps for each. The Coalition then worked with the School District Community Outreach Specialist to identify resource specifics, which is included as a resource matrix in Appendix 5.

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Assessment | Monroe Community Coalition

Although the Coalition conducted a community survey in English and Spanish, developed partnerships with Parent Hub (a bilingual parent support group), and benefits from some bilingual participation, it is still working to develop more meaningful participation from Monroe’s Hispanic and Latino community.

Nevertheless, with representatives from the School District, Law Enforcement, Faith Community, parents, and vital youth and family serving organizations all working together, MCC represents the most significant community partnership formed to address the prevention and wellness needs of Monroe. As such, developing and maintaining meaningful partnerships with key external organizations is vital to achieving the Coalition’s goals and priorities. The organizations identified for partnership include: 

  



The Monroe Public Schools Foundation | a non-profit organization that develops and provides community support to strengthen the achievement of students attending Monroe Public Schools.

Monroe Diversity Council | a grassroots collaboration between local businesses, institutions and stakeholders dedicated to promoting diversity.

The Monroe City Council, Mayor’s Office, and School Board | elected leaders of the community.

SeaMar Behavioral Health and Compass Health | Substance abuse and mental health treatment providers. Although these agencies are located in the community, improving access to these services is a Coalition priority.

Providence Medical Group and Evergreen Health | Primary Care agencies providing service in the community.

Key informant interviews also identified four emerging areas of concern the Coalition may be able to help address through these partnerships: 1. Access to youth and family serving agencies in Monroe is limited, and geographic isolation results in many youth having to travel out of the community for help.

2. Developmentally appropriate substance abuse treatment services for elementary and middle school students is lacking.

3. Emergency services for youth experiencing acute mental health problems are difficult to access – students who are a threat to themselves or others are subject to navigating a complex and disjointed system.

4. Culturally and linguistically appropriate services have become a priority with changing community demographics.

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Assessment | Monroe Community Coalition Overall, the Coalition examined community resources that address five prioritized risk factors and their intervening variables:     

Community Disorganization Availability of Drugs o Alcohol Availability (social access) Laws and Norm Favorable to Drug Use Favorable Attitudes Toward the Problem Behavior o Intentions to Use Drugs Favorable Parental Attitudes o Parental Attitudes Tolerant of Substance Use

2015 Update Monroe Community Coalition members committed to upholding most of the priorities established in their previous assessment process in order to sustain the positive momentum they are building in the community; however, the Coalition’s most recent needs assessment has led us to drop the risk factors “Enforcement of Alcohol Laws” and “Intentions to Use Drugs” and add the risk factor “Academic Failure.” The Coalition also intends to identify strategies and activities that simultaneously address substance use prevention and mental health promotion. The Coalition’s prioritized risk and protective factors for 2015 are:   

Community Disorganization Parental Attitudes Favorable to Use Academic Failure

 

Availability of Drugs (Alcohol, Marijuana and E-Cigarettes) Friends Who Engage in the Problem Behavior

Community Disorganization Current Resources Monroe Community Coalition; Diversity Council; Multiple Faith-based Organizations; Monroe Public Schools, YMCA, Boys and Girls Club, Rotary Club, Take the Next Step, Chamber of Commerce.

Gaps Multiple community partnerships exist that enhance community connectedness, but most are narrowly focused, promoting connectedness within individual faith, ethnic, business or school groups despite their attempts at outreach. There is no organizing body trying to coordinate these groups to enhance overall community connectedness, and cross-cultural collaboration is lacking.

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Assessment | Monroe Community Coalition

Availability of Drugs (Alcohol, Marijuana and E-Cigarettes) Current Resources Monroe Community Coalition; Monroe Police Department; parents; faith community; youth groups; SeaMar; friends/peer groups.

Gaps Lack of visible enforcement initiatives; parents aren’t equipped to limit access or to set clear standards; no local ordinances with civil consequences; lack of coordination between agencies and families to address the issue.

Enforcement of Alcohol and Other Drug Laws Current Resources Police; Schools (SRO, Administrators); Parents; Juvenile Probation Officers from Denney Youth Center; Drug Court (in Everett); local businesses (carding, enforcing state law).

Participants recognized a host of community agencies and institutions they believed were poised to respond to the issue, including the Police and Sheriff’s Departments, City Council, local media, the School District and family serving agencies like the YMCA, Sno-Isle Library, churches and Take the Next Step. Stakeholders identified the School Resource Officer’s middle and high school presentation to students as a current response to this issue.

Gaps Education gaps; lack of coordination between agencies; parents are not empowered or equipped to communicate clear standards and beliefs within the family.

Stakeholders specifically identified a need to enhance visible law enforcement efforts, increase community and parental awareness of underage drinking laws, and to engage in parent focused education and outreach efforts designed to enhance communication with their teens.

Friends who engage in the problem behavior Current Resources School-based intervention services; school and community-based messaging; SRO; school security; parents; school staff; bus drivers; true norms that support non-use, Youth Coalition subcommittee.

Stakeholder believe community agencies like YMCA, Take the Next Step, Cocoon House, Boys and Girls Club, various church Youth Groups, school clubs, and Sno-Isle Library were working to address some of the intervening variables contributing to this issue.

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Assessment | Monroe Community Coalition Gaps Few ways to support youth who make good decisions (lack of recognition); lack of parental monitoring; lack of training and resources to implement currently available programs; difficulty identifying partners who can do the work.

Stakeholders identified a need for more low and no-cost youth activities and support and education for parents.

Intentions to use drugs Current Resources Parent Hub (Frank Wagner and Park Place Middle Parents); school-based prevention programming; school intervention specialists; youth and family serving agencies.

Stakeholders report that the Middle School implementation of the best-practice Life Skill Training curriculum is presently addressing this issue, as are the High and Middle School Intervention Specialists. Stakeholders also indicated that youth and family serving agencies like the YMCA, Boys and Girls Club, church Youth Groups, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Youth for Christ, and Take the Next Step are poised to, or may already, impact rates of youth intending to use drugs.

Gaps Stakeholders identified a need to promote true community norms, as well as implementing prevention programming that focuses on refusal skills. Developing and promoting alternatives to drug use. Need more effort to teach good decision making skills. Need more opportunities for connection to pro-social peers, institutions and role models. More work needs to be done with non-college bound students, switching intentions to use with intentions to achieve. No coordinated comprehensive approach to span of life prevention programming.

Parental attitudes favorable to drug use Current Resources Parent Hub coordinates bilingual parent education and training; PTO is open to educating its members; newsletters (monthly inserts); Take the Next does some bilingual parent education.

Gaps No coordinated community messaging; access to parent classes is limited; little understanding of true community norms; many parents perceive they are ill-equipped to set clear standards and expectations due to passage of I-502 and 1183; lack of parent education about developing brain, consequences of use, true harms (exacerbated by lack of access to consistent and research-based information); no coordinated effort to alter community rites of passage; no understanding of root causes of use 41 | P a g e

Assessment | Monroe Community Coalition

2015 Update – Academic Failure Current Resources School District committed to increasing student success by considering developmental needs of the child; Take the Next Step offers academic tutoring and other support services after school; PTO committed to improving outcomes for students; Education is a priority of the community, demonstrated by recent supermajority bond passage.

GAPS Parental engagement could be better; lack of understanding about the scope and intensity of issues that create barriers to learning, including risk factors for substance abuse and mental health disorders; need to objectively assess these barriers through universal screening (like vision, hearing and other issues are currently screened).

2015 Update – Resource Assessment Conclusions As the Coalition engaged in its resource and gap analysis, several themes emerged:  A lack of awareness of available community resources has created a false norm that Monroe is resource poor. In fact, Monroe already possesses many of the community structures it needs to address the Coalition’s prioritized risk and protective factors.

Building local capacity, confirming partnerships and enhancing connections between the coalition, community and these structures must be a priority.  There is a dearth of accurate substance abuse prevention and mental health promotion training and education opportunities for parents in Monroe. As a result, many parents remain ill-equipped to proactively and appropriately address these issues with their children. Based on our resource assessment, the Coalition should increase opportunities for parents to receive training, education and accurate prevention information.  Middle School prevention programming and supports at Park Place Middle School are high. The Coalition has identified a need to expand substance use prevention and mental health promotion strategies and activities to elementary and high school students in need of additional support. cultural Competency and Sustainability in the Assessment Process

Cultural Competency and Sustainability in the Assessment Process MCC prioritized meaningful cross-cultural collaboration as a value, but at less than a year old, it is in a nascent stage of development as it works through the steps of its planning framework. Our stakeholders are committed to engaging the diversity of the community in our work, but recognize it will take time and deliberate effort to achieve the Coalition’s cultural competency goals.

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Assessment | Monroe Community Coalition Fortunately, the assessment process allowed for expanded collaboration through a host of nontraditional means, including survey monkey, google docs and email. Gaps in information that weren’t addressed during large and small group meetings of the Coalition were filled through this type of asynchronous communication, including participation from stakeholders who infrequently, or never, attend Coalition meetings, but who wanted to have their voice heard.

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Planning Planning

The Monroe Community Coalition is committed to implementing alcohol and other drug prevention with a community-based approach, and took on the work of strategic planning during full membership meetings, work group meetings, and by using asynchronous communication strategies, including email, survey monkey and GoogleDocs.

Data analysis for the needs assessment occurred during full membership meetings, as did the resource and gap analysis. A small strategic plan workgroup refined the work of the larger body, then consulted with the Leadership Team during regularly scheduled Leadership Team meetings to continue the planning process. As individual components of the plan were finalized, they were taken back to the full membership for consideration and revision. The Coalition’s final workgroup meeting occurred June 11, 2015, just prior to the plan’s submission to DBHR. The Coalition’s strategic planning process ultimately led to the decision to prioritize the following risk (R) and protective (P) factors: Domain: Community (R) Community Disorganization (R) Availability of Drugs (Alcohol, Marijuana and E-Cigarettes) Domain: Peer/Individual (R) Friends Who Engage in the Problem Behavior Domain: School (R) Academic Failure Domain: Family (R) Parental Attitudes Favorable to Drug Use To influence these factors, the Coalition will support a mix of direct service, information dissemination, community organizing and environmental strategies designed to reduce risk and enhance protection to diminish the likelihood of youth engaging in underage drinking and other substance use, as well as associated problem behaviors.

Goals and Objectives Community Disorganization/Connectedness Goal 1: Community Disorganization Objective: Increase community readiness to address alcohol, tobacco and other drug (ATOD) use in Monroe Strategy: Community-Based Process 44 | P a g e

Planning | Monroe Community Coalition Activities:  Monroe Community Coalition o Complete a data-based strategic plan based on the Strategic Prevention Framework and renew assessments on a schedule negotiated with DBHR o Monthly full membership and workgroup meetings o Conduct outreach and targeted recruitment, including continued support and coordination of the Youth Coalition Subcommittee o Evaluation of Coalition strategies and activities o Enhance Coalition communication information platforms on the internet, including the Coalition website and Facebook group o Conduct community and Coalition focused training o Raise awareness of the Coalition and its efforts by participating in community events like National Night Out. Availability of Drugs Goal 2: Availability of Drugs (Alcohol, Marijuana and E-Cigarettes) Objective: Increase community readiness to address ATOD issues Strategy: Information Dissemination, Environmental Activities:  Municipal and local agency policy education and advocacy to reduce availability of alcohol, marijuana and e-cigarettes.  “Talk. They Hear You.” locally adapted information dissemination campaign. o Adapt “Talk. They Hear You.” messaging for local relevance o Develop local partnership with Monroe Monitor, Galaxy 12 and Facebook. o Run ads in high visibility media sources, including theater, newspaper, internet, mailings and community message boards. o Implement community and parental training designed to reinforce information dissemination campaign goals o Track and evaluate message diffusion through theater ticket sales, attendance, web analytics, annual Community Assessment Survey, and other locally developed evaluation tools o Attend City Council, School Board and other public meetings to build capacity for understanding Monroe’s co-occurring prevention and mental health needs o Develop strategic partnerships and recruit key leaders as advisory members o When necessary, mobilize the Coalition and community to advocate for policy change

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Planning | Monroe Community Coalition Friends Who Engage in the Problem Behavior Goal 3: Friends Who Engage in the Problem Behavior Objective: Improve refusal and resistance skills in at least half of the students participating in direct service programming Strategy: Education, Information Dissemination Activities:  Life Skills Training – Middle School  School-based Prevention/Intervention Specialist Services  Locally developed “You are not alone,” information dissemination campaign to connect students with helping adults and build capacity for implementation of PAL o Consult with professionals across disciplines to ensure messaging incorporates principles of effectiveness and is developmentally appropriate o Ensure messaging and engagement activities remain consistent with strategic plan and build capacity for implementation of approved strategies  SPORT – Middle School and High School o Build capacity of community partners to implement direct services with fidelity to the intended design of each program o Develop partnerships to find programming that addresses the priorities of the Coalition as they fit within the context of individual school buildings o Track participant data and evaluate outcomes Academic Failure Goal 4: Academic Failure Objective: Reduce conduct problems and engagement in problem behaviors in youth Strategy: Information Dissemination, Education Activities:  Good Behavior Game  Peer Assistance and Leadership (PAL) o Build capacity and commitment for implementation of direct services strategy prior to funding training or purchasing programmatic supplies o Work with program developer to identify appropriate levels of training o Develop relationships with other CPWI coalitions to increase likelihood of sharing the cost of training o Build capacity and support for implementation in conjunction with Youth Coalition . o Build capacity for partners to implement direct services with fidelity to the intended design of each program o Promote programs to increase participation o Track participant data and evaluate outcomes 46 | P a g e

Planning | Monroe Community Coalition Favorable Parental Attitudes Goal: Favorable Parental Attitudes and Involvement in the Problem Behavior Objective: Increase parental awareness of risk and protective factors and the consequences of involvement in the problem behavior Strategy: Education Activities:  Parenting Wisely  Guiding Good Choices o Build capacity of community partners to implement direct services with fidelity to the intended design of each program o Promote programs to increase participation o Track participant data and evaluate outcomes o Adjust and improve programming as evaluation dictates Action Plan

Summary of Programs and Activities Monroe Community Coalition MCC will continue to engage in the Strategic Prevention Framework as it implements the strategies and activities of this strategic prevention plan. Monthly meetings and workgroups, Coalition and community training, key leader events and outreach will all occur as planned. The Coalition will ensure that its members have opportunities to be meaningfully involved, and have the necessary training to be effective in supporting the strategies of the Community Prevention and Wellness Initiative.

Environmental Strategies MCC has identified one primary environmental strategy that will impact communitywide rates of underage drinking and other drug use: Local policy education and advocacy. Early success include mobilizing the community to support a ban on retail marijuana production, processing and sales; providing key information to law enforcement and the school district to increase visible enforcement of substance use laws; and having several Coalition members involved in updating the school district’s suicide prevention, intervention and postvention plan.

Public Awareness The Coalition has adopted the national “Talk. They Hear You.” campaign as its primary public awareness effort because it aligns with our goal to better equip parents to set clear standards and communicate healthy beliefs. Partnerships have already been developed with the Monroe Galaxy Theater and Monroe High School journalism class to help bring the message to the community and the hallway.

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Planning | Monroe Community Coalition The Coalition may also implement a locally developed social norms marketing campaign around e-cigarette availability as evolving community needs and energy dictate.

The Youth Coalition subcommittee will continue to develop and implement it’s “You are not alone,” information dissemination campaign to connect students with helping adults and build capacity for implementation of the Peer Assistance and Leadership Program, which addresses the co-occurring issues of youth substance use and poor mental health. “You are not alone,” messaging will incorporate principles of effectiveness and be developmentally appropriate. The Coalition Coordinator will also ensure messaging and engagement activities remain consistent with strategic plan.

Prevention/Intervention Services Student Assistance Programs provide valuable school-based prevention and intervention services that support students. Benefits show reductions in substance use, being in trouble at school, skipping school, suspensions, hitting or hurting someone, being in a physical fight, and being arrested. As part of its school based prevention strategies, Park Place Middle School is implementing a school-wide adaptation of the best practice Project SUCCESS curriculum. This adaptation replaces the Project SUCCESS Classroom Education Series with a full implementation of the best practice Life Skills Training program.

Selected Direct Service Programs LifeSkills Training – Middle School Project SUCCESS (Schools Using Coordinated Community Efforts to Strengthen Students) is a school-based intervention designed to prevent and reduce substance abuse among highrisk adolescents. Project SUCCESS counselors are placed in school to provide a range of substance use prevention and early intervention services. Counselors provide normative and prevention education; work with students to build resistance and social competency skills; and work with students, parents, and school administrators to change attitudes, behaviors, and school policies to help prevent and reduce substance use LifeSkills Training (LST) is a school-based program that aims to prevent alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use, as well as violence, by targeting the major social and psychological factors that promote the initiation of substance use and other risky behaviors. The program is designed to provide information relevant to the important life transitions that adolescents and young teens face, using culturally sensitive and developmentally and age-appropriate language and content.

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Planning | Monroe Community Coalition SPORT – Middle School and High School SPORT, a motivational intervention designed for use by all adolescents, integrates substance abuse prevention with health promotion to help adolescents minimize and avoid substance use while increasing physical activity and other health-enhancing habits, including eating well and getting adequate sleep. Adolescents participating in SPORT complete a short, self-administered health behavior screen measuring physical activity and sport behaviors and norms, healthy nutrition, sleep, and alcohol use, then participate in a tailored health consultation to set and achieve goals.

Peer Assistance and Leadership – High School Peer Assistance and Leadership (PAL) is a peer helping program that seeks to build protective factors by pairing youth with peer helpers who receive training and support from teachers participating in the program. The peer-based assistance provided through PAL is designed to help youth avoid risk factors for substance use as well as other problems, such as low achievement in school, dropout, absenteeism, violence, teen pregnancy, and suicide. PAL peer helpers act as guides, tutors, mentors, and mediators to peers or younger students (PAL mentees) by utilizing skills learned through PAL, including cultural competency, effective communication, decision making, higher order thinking, and resiliency building. The Coalition will intentionally focus on building capacity and securing a commitment for the implementation of this direct service strategy prior to funding training or purchasing programmatic supplies.

Parenting Wisely (Parents of Young Children and Parents of Teens) Parenting Wisely (PW) is a best-practice parenting skills education course taught in a group setting, or online. The program aims to increase parental communication and disciplinary skills and was initially designed for parents whose preteens and teens are at risk for or are exhibiting behavior problems such as substance abuse, delinquency, and school dropout. Extensive research and clinical tests show that use of Parenting Wisely results in:    

Increased knowledge and use of good parenting skills A decrease in child behavior problems Improved problem solving Reduced spousal violence and violence toward children

PAX Good Behavior Game PAX Good Behavior Game teaches students self-regulation, self-control, and self-management in the context of collaborating with others for peace, productivity, health and happiness.

Although it is regarded by the Institute of Medicine as one the most effective classroom-based prevention programs in the County, PAX GBG is not actually a program or curriculum; rather, it is an environmental intervention used in the classroom with young children to create an atmosphere that is conducive to learning by reducing off-task behavior; increasing attentiveness, 49 | P a g e

Planning | Monroe Community Coalition and decreasing aggressive and disruptive behavior and shy and withdrawn behavior. The intervention also aims to improve academic success, and has produced well documented mental health and substance use outcomes later in life. The Coalition will intentionally focus on building capacity and securing a commitment for the implementation of this direct service strategy prior to funding training or purchasing programmatic supplies.

Guiding Good Choices (Parents of Early Adolescents) Guiding Good Choices (GGC) is a drug use prevention program that provides parents of children in grades 4 through 8 (9 to 14 years old) with the knowledge and skills needed to guide their children through early adolescence. It seeks to strengthen and clarify family expectations for behavior, enhance the conditions that promote bonding within the family, and teach skills that allow children to resist drug use successfully.

Cultural Competency and Sustainability in Planning Monroe Community Coalition selected programs and strategies considerate of the community’s underserved populations, but, at this early stage, has had difficulty bringing representatives from some of these populations to the Coalition planning table. Parenting programs selected by the coalition are intended to serve youth of all ages, from toddler to teen, and are available in Spanish and English with in-person group options and internet-based go-at-your-own-pace options. The Coalition selected prosocial bonding strategies that emphasize cross-generational interaction and school-based peer assistance, and school-based direct services include multiple best practice strategies shown to be universally effective, regardless of population.

The Coalition also selected programming that addressed its broader community concerns, programming that reduces underage drinking and other substance use, but that correspondingly address issues of mental health and suicide, social functioning and violence prevention.

Many of these programs also have initial start-up costs that benefit from the resources of DBHR’s Community Prevention and Wellness Initiative, but are sustainable because long-term implementation costs are minimal.

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Implementation Implementation

Structural Support for Implementation Monroe Community Coalition identified several key structures vital to the Coalition’s success.

Among them, increasing the Coalition Coordinator staffing allocation, developing key partnerships, and capacity building are viewed as the most significant.

Increasing the Coordinator FTE allocation is intended to improve communications, increase the Coalition’s access to prevention expertise and increase coordination between the Coalition, its workgroups and the community. Increased staff capacity directly impacts MCC’s ability to implement programs, provide capacity building trainings and mobilize the community for future program and strategy implementation.

The Coalition will also continue to reach out to all community sectors, particularly those most atrisk for substance use, to involve them in our data-based decision making process.

Strategies and Activities The Coalition has developed a staggered implementation schedule based on the capacity and readiness of our partners. As the Coalition moves into its third year, our capacity for implementing our identified programming is increasing.   

Phase 1 – In process and/or ongoing Phase 2 – Implemented during school year 2015/2016 Phase 3 – Implementation TBD w/ community partners

Monroe Community Coalition – Phase 1 MCC will continue will continue to engage in the Strategic Prevention Framework as it implements the strategies and activities of this strategic prevention plan. Monthly meetings and workgroups, Coalition and community training, key leader events and outreach will all occur as planned.

It will continue to recruit from the fourteen identified sectors of community support, and will strive to achieve a membership representative of the diversity of the community. Although guided by a Leadership Team, all voting members have input on programmatic decision making.

The Coalition Assessment Tool is administered to members to review Coalition progress.

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Implementation | Monroe Community Coalition Environmental Strategies – Phase 1 MCC has identified one primary environmental strategy that will impact communitywide rates of underage drinking and other drug use: Local policy education and advocacy. Early success includes mobilizing the community to support a ban on retail marijuana production, processing and sales; providing key information to law enforcement and the school district to increase visible enforcement of substance use laws; and having several Coalition members involved in updating the school district’s suicide prevention, intervention and postvention plan.

The Coalition will continue to engage and educate policy makers, looking for opportunities to address existing and emerging issues substance use and mental health issues in the spirit of partnership and community health. The recent surge in availability of e-cigarettes and their sharply increasing use according to the Healthy Youth Survey suggests one avenue of policy advocacy in which the coalition will engage during 2015.

Public Awareness – Phase 1 The Coalition has adopted the national “Talk. They Hear You.” campaign as its primary public awareness effort because it aligns with our goal to better equip parents to set clear standards and communicate healthy beliefs. Partnerships have already been developed with the Monroe Galaxy Theater and Monroe High School journalism class to help bring these messages to the community and the hallway. “They Hear You.” messages are directed from the Coalition to parents and encourage parents to communicate their healthy beliefs and clear standards to their children.

Youth are also key to this awareness campaign as the Coalition has developed a local adaptation called, “Talk. I Hear You.” “I Hear You.” messages are written by local teens and directed to their parents, and also encourage parents to talk with them about their family’s healthy beliefs and clear standards.

MCC’s Youth Coalition subcommittee has also developed a campaign intended to link their peers with helping adults at school and in the community. The “You are not alone,” campaign is intended to build community and school district support for implementation of the Peer Assistance and Leadership program, an evidence-based practice that prevents the development of substance use and mental health disorders.

Prevention/Intervention Services – Phase 1 As a component of the Community Prevention and Wellness Initiative, Park Place Middle School is implementing a school-wide adaptation of the best practice Project SUCCESS curriculum – the adaptation replaces the Classroom Education Series with a full implementation of the best practice Life Skills Training program (LST is funded entirely by a grant from the University of Colorado at Boulder Blueprints Program).

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Implementation | Monroe Community Coalition This Project SUCCESS adaptation is directed by OSPI and ESD 189, and is implemented by the Park Place Middle School Prevention/Intervention Specialist. The Project SUCCESS curriculum is designed with the following five program components: 

Prevention Education Series: Full implementation of Life Skills Training, co-facilitated by the Prevention/Intervention Specialist.

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Individual and Group Counseling: Following participation in the Prevention Education Series, students are assessed for services. They may receive individual counseling or may participate in counseling groups.

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School-wide Awareness and Outreach Activities: Activities such as contests, and other activities in conjunction with national events are intended to connect challenge false community norms.

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Parent Programs: Parents are involved in Project SUCCESS through a series of parenting workshops. These workshops provide parents with prevention information and an opportunity build social support.

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Referral: Students and parents who require treatment, more intensive counseling, or other services are referred to the appropriate agencies in their community.

While frequency and dosage are not determined by the Coalition, updates from the Prevention/Intervention Specialist about services are provided at Coalition meetings. The implementation of these efforts began in 2013, and will continue through the duration of the CPWI in Monroe. RMC Research pre- and post-surveys will measure impact on students.

Selected Direct Service Programs and Training Parenting Wisely (Parents of Young Children and Parents of Teens) – Phase 2 Parenting Wisely (PW) is a best-practice parenting skills education course taught in eight group sessions, or online to an individual parent. While the Coalition stands ready to implement the group version of this program immediately because of existing capacity – it has only to determine a site and engage in promotion and outreach to attract participants.

The Coalition has also deliberated piloting the online version of the program – with higher functioning parents to ensure completion of the course – and is in discussion to include the program as a component of reentry when students are suspended from school for substance use.

Program pre/post surveys and measures from the Healthy Youth Survey will be tracked to determine effectiveness and impact.

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Implementation | Monroe Community Coalition Peer Assistance and Leadership & Training – High School – Phase 2 Peer Assistance and Leadership (PAL) places peer helpers in supportive roles with younger students from feeder campuses and peers from their own campus. Through a combination of leadership and assistance, they offer individual and group peer support, tutoring, welcoming and orientation of new students, assistance to students with special needs, classroom presentations, and school/community outreach projects. PAL mentees generally are referred to the program by a contact person at the service site because of concerns about the students' school performance or personal or other problems. Students also can request to be referred to a PAL peer helper. PAL mentees are linked to specific peer helpers based on the needs of the PAL mentee and the skills and interests of the PAL peer helper.

Teachers recruit, train, monitor, and evaluate the performance of the PAL peer helpers. The PAL teacher's manuals provide the foundation for teacher training, covering program orientation and the recruitment, selection, training, supervision, evaluation, and maintenance of student participants. The PAL student handbook provides instructions, worksheets, sample forms, and activities for peer helpers to use with their mentees.

For the program to be successful a developer training is required and a clear delineation must be maintained between peer support and peer counseling (because of risks to students, peer counseling will be prohibited). The Coalition will intentionally focus on building capacity and securing a commitment for the implementation of this direct service strategy prior to funding training or purchasing programmatic supplies.

Program pre/post surveys and measures from the Healthy Youth Survey will be tracked to evaluate effectiveness and impact.

PAX Good Behavior Game & Training – Phase 2 PAX Good Behavior Game teaches students self-regulation, self-control, and self-management in the context of collaborating with others for peace, productivity, health and happiness.

Although it is regarded by the Institute of Medicine as one the most effective classroom-based prevention programs in the Country, PAX GBG is not actually a program or curriculum; rather, it is an environmental intervention used in the classroom with young children to create an atmosphere that is conducive to learning by reducing off-task behavior; increasing attentiveness, and decreasing aggressive and disruptive behavior and shy and withdrawn behavior. The intervention also aims to improve academic success, and has produced well documented mental health and substance use outcomes later in life.

Implementation requires teachers to work with the students to establish a shared language and expectations about classroom behavior, then to integrate a series of evidence-based prevention kernels into classroom activities. The game is played in two to five teacher-selected 54 | P a g e

Implementation | Monroe Community Coalition heterogeneous teams that are changed on a regular basis. Each day, the game is announced and played three times. Initially, the game is played for only a few minutes at a time when the children are engaged in simple tasks. As students improve at the game, the game is played for longer periods and during different activities and times of day. During the game, the teacher identifies and counts each unwanted behavior. At the end of the game, the teams with three or fewer infractions receive a low or no-cost reward. In addition to the three announced games, one unannounced game is played each day. Roles (e.g., captains, coaches) can be assigned to children on each team. A booklet for parents and children explains the game and provides guidance on how parents can use elements of the game at home.

The Coalition will record disruptive behaviors through pre/post classroom observations as well as through monthly PAX Scoreboard tallies to determine effectiveness and impact. MCC is working diligently to identify champions and implementation sites for the PAX GBG, and is focused on developing partnership and implementation capacity at Frank Wagner and Chain Lake Elementary schools.

The Coalition will intentionally focus on building capacity and securing a commitment for the implementation of this direct service strategy prior to funding training or purchasing programmatic supplies.

SPORT – Middle School and High School – Phase 2 Adolescents participating in SPORT complete a short, self-administered health behavior screen measuring physical activity and sport behaviors and norms, healthy nutrition, sleep, and alcohol use. During a one-on-one or group session with a “fitness specialist” – a teacher, coach, or other professional – participants receive a booklet and consultation that follows a written script.

Participants complete a simple fitness prescription goal plan intended to encourage positive behavior and image change. In addition, flyers addressing key content of the intervention are provided to parents/caregivers for four consecutive weeks after the intervention.

We are currently working with the school district, Boys & Girls Club, and the YMCA to identify the appropriate student population to receive this curriculum. The program should begin implementation as soon as October, 2015.

Guiding Good Choices (Parents of Early Adolescents) – Phase 3 Guiding Good Choices (GGC) is a drug use prevention program that provides parents of children in grades 4 through 8 (9 to 14 years old) with the knowledge and skills needed to guide their children through early adolescence. It is implemented over a five-session curriculum that addresses preventing substance abuse in the family, setting clear family expectations regarding drugs and alcohol, avoiding trouble, managing family conflict, and strengthening family bonds.

Sessions are interactive and skill based, with opportunities for parents to practice new skills and 55 | P a g e

Implementation | Monroe Community Coalition receive feedback, and use video-based vignettes to demonstrate parenting skills. Families also receive a family guide containing family activities, discussion topics, skill-building exercises, and information on positive parenting. Guiding Good Choices will require the identification of an appropriate facilitator and training prior to implementation. Program pre/post surveys and measures from the Healthy Youth Survey will be tracked to evaluate effectiveness and impact.

Budget Considerations Monroe Community Coalition is funded by the Federal Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) Block Grant through the Washington State Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery’s (DBHR) Community Prevention and Wellness Initiative. It receives support from, Northwest Educational Service District 189 and Monroe Public Schools, which provides in-kind resources, staff support and project match funding. In addition to receiving a .8 FTE Coalition Coordinator and a 1.0 FTE Prevention/Intervention Specialist implementing an adaptation of Project SUCCESS at Park Place Middle School, the Coalition benefits from hundreds of hours of annual volunteer service and direct service funding.

Role of Staff, Coalition Members, and Partnering Agencies The Coalition Coordinator is responsible for providing support and technical assistance to the Coalition and its Leadership Team as it walks through the phases of implementation. The Coordinator is also responsible for arranging and negotiating contractual partnerships necessary for implementing the Coalition’s selected direct services.

Monroe Community Coalition members are responsible for providing programmatic guidance through their voice, knowledge, experience and skills. They will take on projects in direct support the Coalition’s strategies and activities by participating in workgroups, community training and mobilization efforts.

Contracted agencies partnering with MCC are responsible for implementing services with fidelity to the intended design of each program, as well as entering programmatic data and preand post-surveys into the State PBPS management information system to track participation and outcomes. These agencies are also required to update the Coalition with progress reports and seek Coalition feedback, particularly where programmatic challenges or barriers have arisen.

Process for Recruiting and Confirming Partnerships The process for recruiting partners begins with an internal assessment of the Coalition’s capacity and readiness to implement the strategies and activities they’ve selected. Targeted face-to-face recruitment efforts are initiated once a specific implementation need or partner has been identified. Confirmation of these partnerships will vary depending on need. For informal

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Implementation | Monroe Community Coalition partnerships, a handshake, letter and/or inclusion on the Coalition’s mailing list may suffice. For service delivery partnerships, a memorandum of understanding or contract may be required.

Media Engagement MCC forged a strategic partnership with the Monroe Public Schools Director of Communications and Snohomish County’s Director of Information immediately after forming.

As a result of these partnerships, its first official meeting was covered by KOMO 4, KCPQ 13 and KIRO 7 television stations; it also received radio coverage on KOMO 1000AM, KIRO 97.3FM and was the featured story on MyNorthwest.com. It also received local coverage in the Monroe Monitor, where it has been featured or mentioned in fifteen articles since July, 2013.

To reach specific populations, or for general program promotion, MCC will use targeted outreach efforts through school newsletters, partner agency distributions lists and bulletin board postings. The Coalition has also developed an active Facebook page and uses local on-screen theater advertising as part of its communication and community engagement strategy.

Cultural Competency in Implementation Implementing culturally competent prevention programs means more than having facilitators who is bilingual or who looks like the target population. It means the Coalition and its staff will need to understand the core values of our target populations so we can connect in a mutually beneficial capacity. To move our programs toward cultural competence, the Coalition has committed to an ongoing process of examination and change, and not treating cultural competence as a goal to be attained just once.

As a starting point, the Coalition has identified key partnerships needed to create a bridge between the planning table and the community. We are taking steps to ensure our materials and programs are available in English and Spanish, wherever possible.

Sustainability in Implementation Sustainability is the Coalition’s primary implementation concern. Programs were selected that have most of their costs upfront, in terms of obtaining training, supplies and materials, but that are relatively inexpensive to continue after incurring these initial costs. For example SPORT program materials can be reused and reproduced until their master copies have disintegrated; Parenting Wisely will endure for as long the Coalition keeps its implementation DVD’s free of scratches; and LifeSkills Training has been implemented in the school district for more than a decade.

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Implementation | Monroe Community Coalition Coalition members also take an active role in supporting Coalition strategies and activities by participating in work groups and training, and by developing partnerships or contributing physical space for program implementation.

Many in-kind services are already provided by community organizations, including Monroe Public Schools providing meeting space for monthly Coalition and workgroup meetings, and Park Place Middle School providing office space, telephone and internet service for the Coalition Coordinator.

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Evaluation Evaluation

Monroe Community Coalition formed in order to find ways to reduce youth substance abuse in the community. By using data to identify problems and set goals, our Coalition has an objective way to build support for our efforts, recruit and develop partnerships, and measure the progress and success of our strategies and activities.

The Coalition identified behaviors that are shown by research to be associated with underage drinking and substance use; we believe that reducing the rates of substance use in our community will also reduce the rates of these long-term problem behaviors, leading to healthier and more successful youth in Monroe. The long-term problems we want to reduce or keep low are: 

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Poor School Performance: measured by grades, frequency of skipping school and graduation rates on the Healthy Youth Survey and CORE GIS Measures of School Performance; Youth Delinquency: measured by fighting, weapon carrying, gang involvement, drinking and driving, arrest rates and weapons incidents in school; and, Mental Health & Depression: measured by depression, considering suicide, and suicide attempts.

MCC also identified specific substances consumed in our community that we believe impact these long-term problems. By following these consumption measures, which may take years to impact, the Coalition will be able to track its effectiveness in the community:    

Any Underage Drinking: measured by rates on the Healthy Youth Survey; Underage Problem and Heavy Drinking: measured by rates on the Healthy Youth Survey; Any Underage Marijuana Use: measured by rates on the Healthy Youth Survey; and Any E-Cigarette Use: measured by rates on the Healthy Youth Survey.

Much research shows we can reduce these consumption rates by focusing on risk and protective factors that actually predict future substance use. MCC’s data assessment shows that we should concentrate our efforts on changing these risk and protective factors to reduce substance use and accomplish our long-term goals: 

Community Disorganization o We found strong connections within various sectors of our community, but not necessarily between them. As a result, we want to increase collaboration between 59 | P a g e

Evaluation | Monroe Community Coalition sectors and believe the Monroe Community Coalition itself is the best strategy to accomplish this. o We’ll measure our progress and success through the annual Community Assessment Survey and the Coalition Assessment Tool. 

Availability of Drugs – Alcohol, Marijuana and E-Cigarettes o We want to reduce social access to alcohol and other drugs since most youth report using friends and family to obtain them. We believe the “Talk. They Hear You.” public awareness campaign and training to equip parents will help to reduce this risk factor. The Coalition will also continue to engage policymakers in its education and advocacy efforts. o We’ll measure our progress and success through the annual Community Assessment Survey and through training evaluation instruments.

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Friends Who Engage in the Problem Behavior o We want to reduce the number of youth in Monroe who report having friends who drink and use drugs. We believe direct service programs that improve refusal and resistance skills, like LifeSkills Training and SPORT, will help us to impact this issue. o We also want to create an environment where youth engaged in a problem behavior, whether that be from substance use or mental health issues, know they can connect with helping supports. Our Youth Coalition subcommittee will engage in social norms marketing campaign that simultaneously addresses this risk factor and builds support for the implementation of the PAL program. o We’ll measure our progress and success through program specific pre- and posttest survey instruments, school data and the Healthy Youth Survey.

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Academic Failure o We want to reduce the number of youth in Monroe who may be experiencing academic failure as a result of disruptive conduct or engagement in problem behaviors. We believe that equipping educators and parents with knowledge of evidence-based kernels – specifically through implementation of the PAX Good Behavior Game and Peer Assistance and Leadership – will help us to impact this issue. o We’ll measure our progress and success through program specific pre- and posttest survey instruments and the Healthy Youth Survey.

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Favorable Parental Attitudes o We believe that statewide and kitchen table conversations about liquor privatization and marijuana legalization have adversely impacted youth. We want 60 | P a g e

Evaluation | Monroe Community Coalition to reduce the number of youth who report having parents with attitudes favorable toward substance use by increasing parental awareness of risk and protective factors and important family management skills through programs like Parenting Wisely and Guiding Good Choices. o We’ll measure our progress and success through program specific pre- and posttest survey instruments and the Healthy Youth Survey.

Performance Based Prevention System – State MIS Reporting Monroe School District, as the Contracting agency responsible for implementing the Community Prevention and Wellness Initiative in Monroe, will ensure that all DBHR-funded monthly service data is entered into the Performance Based Prevention System as a contractual requirement for all service providers. This condition will be negotiated, specified in contracts and monitored monthly. Monthly service data will include:   

Participant demographics Participant attendance for all recurring programs Required pre and post-survey responses for all applicable programs.

The School District is committed to ensuring that outcomes match each program’s goals and objectives, and that the results of evaluation are consistent with the intent of each program’s design.

Moreover, MCC will use these outcomes as a measure for evaluating whether or not their strategies are impacting their identified goals and objectives. The more positive momentum we can demonstrate to our community and potential funders, the more we enhance our ability to foster sustainability and ensure lasting and meaningful community change.

Improving the Way We Work – Local Evaluation Monroe Community Coalition recognizes that biennial Healthy Youth Surveys may not provide enough real-time information to allow for Coalition or community partner activities that identify and respond to existing and emerging community needs. As such, we will likely implement additional survey instruments to supplement the HYS and CORE GIS data we assessed to create this strategic plan.

Cultural Competency in Evaluation When conducting pre/post tests for Coalition direct service strategies, evaluator approved survey instruments will be utilized whenever possible since these have been tested for efficacy with the target population. Where necessary, the Coalition Coordinator will work with the State to use approved custom survey instruments. All participants will be provided ample time to complete 61 | P a g e

Evaluation | Monroe Community Coalition surveys. If assistance is needed, survey questions and potential responses will be read aloud to all participants.

The Coalition also implements an Annual Community Survey distributed in English and Spanish each fall.

Sustainability in Evaluation The Coalition Coordinator will generate reports of program evaluation data to share with the Coalition. The Coalition will determine how to release Coalition successes and challenges to the public to generate increasing support for its goals, objectives and strategies.

Finally, the Coalition will look to the State’s ongoing leadership in evaluating the effectiveness of their strategies and activities.

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Appendices

Appendix to Coalition Strategic Plan Appendix 1. Logic Model Appendix 2. Roster of Coalition Members Appendix 3. Needs Assessment Appendix 4. Community Survey Results Appendix 5. Resources Assessment Matrix Appendix 6. Action Plan

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Appendix 1 | Logic Model

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Appendix 2 | Coalition Roster

SECTOR #

AGENCY / ORGANIZATION

REPRESENTATIVE NAME

COALITION POSITION

Parent

Park Place PTO

Amber Mehta

Faith

Faith Community

Cherie Matyas

Media

Monroe Monitor

Chris Hendrickson

Schools

Park Place

Elsa Trabanino

Mental Health

Compass Health

Fran Duckworth

Schools

Leaders in Learning

Gary Marks

Schools

Park Place

Jennifer Garcia

Schools

Leaders in Learning

JeNell Buchanan

Law Enforcement

Monroe Police Department

Justin Springer

Schools

Frank Wagner / Park Place

Kathy Bernhardt

Boys and Girls Club

Kayleigh Shaw

LDS

Kerry Boone

Leadership Team

School District

Mary Myers

Leadership Team

Monroe Pastors Fellowship

Mike Hanford, Pastor

Leadership Team

Youth Serving Org.

YMCA

Morgan Huber

C/D Agency

SeaMar Behavioral Health

Paola Saldana

NWESD 189

Sandra Olsen

Schools

Monroe High School

Tammy Amador

Schools

Park Place Middle School

Terry Cheshire

Take the Next Step

Sarah Lunstrum

Youth Serving Org. Parent Schools Faith

Other S/A Org.

Youth Serving Org. Community

Tom McIntyre

Youth

Student

ZuZu Hamel

Youth

Student

Brennan Edbergetowne

Leadership Team

Leadership Team

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Appendix 3 | Needs Assessment

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Appendix 3 | Needs Assessment

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Appendix 3 | Needs Assessment

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Appendix 3 | Needs Assessment

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Appendix 3 | Needs Assessment

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Appendix 3 | Needs Assessment

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Appendix 3 | Needs Assessment

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Appendix 3 | Needs Assessment

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Appendix 3 | Needs Assessment

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Appendix 3 | Needs Assessment

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Appendix 3 | Needs Assessment

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Appendix 4 | Community Survey Results Complete Community Survey results can be found online at the Monroe Community Coalition Website: www.monroecommunitycoalition.com

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Appendix 5 | Resource Assessment Matrix

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Appendix 6 | Action Plan

Goal 1: Community Disorganization Objective 1.1: Increase community readiness to address ATOD in Monroe Strategy 1.1.1: Community-based Process Activity/ Program

Fund Source

Brief Description

When

How

Who

Lead Organization

Responsible Party(ies)

Monroe Community Coalition & Subcommittees (MCC)

SAPT

Implementation of the Strategic Plan and DBHR Coalition Task Guide.

Phase 1

Monthly full membership and workgroup meetings

Everyone

Monroe School District

MCC Coordinator and Leadership Team & Committee Chairs

Goal 2: Availability of Drugs (Alcohol, Marijuana & E-Cigarettes) Objective 2.1: Increase community readiness to address ATOD issues Strategy 1.2.1: Information Dissemination Activity/ Program

Fund Source

Brief Description

When

How

Who

Lead Organization

Responsible Party (ies)

Talk. They Hear You.

SAPT

Nationally developed public awareness campaign

Phase 1

Monthly Community messaging to approx.

10,000 people

Parents

MCC and Ads on the Wall

Coalition Coordinator and Communications Workgroup

Goal 2: Availability of Drugs (Alcohol, Marijuana & E-Cigarettes) Objective 2.1: Decrease Alcohol and Marijuana availability Strategy 1.2.1: Environmental – Policy Advocacy Activity/ Program

Fund Source

Brief Description

When

How

Who

Lead Organization

Responsible Party (ies)

Policy Education and Advocacy

SAPT & Other

Education and advocacy to reduce availability of ecigarettes through policy and ordinance changes

Phase 1

Policy Review, Education, providing public testimony, community mobilization

Local elected officials and policy makers

Monroe Community Coalition

Coalition Coordinator and Project Workgroup including faith, parent and school sectors of support

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Appendix 6 | Action Plan

Goal 3: Friends Who Engage in the Problem Behavior Objective 3.1: Increase refusal and Resistance Skills and intentions to remain drug-free Strategy 1.3.1: Education, Information Dissemination Activity/ Program

Fund Source

Brief Description

When

How

Who

Lead Organization

Responsible Party (ies)

Life Skills Training

SAPT Other

Classroom prevention education series

Phase 1

15 sessions for 6th grade; 10 sessions for 7th Grade; 5 sessions for 8th grade

Middle School

Monroe School District

SPORT

SAPT

Brief prevention screening and consultation

Phase 2

Up to three times per year, TBD

Middle and High School

You are Not Alone

SAPT

Locally developed public awareness campaign increasing access to supportive adults

Phase 1

Bi-Monthly Theater and hallway info.

Dissemination student and community trainings, resource fairs and internet

Middle and High School

YMCA, Boys & Girls Club, Monroe School District Monroe Community Coalition

Science Teachers, Prevention Intervention Specialist Coalition Coordinator and Project Workgroup

Coalition Coordinator and Youth Coalition Subcommittee

Goal 4: Academic Failure Objective 4.1: Reduce conduct problems and engagement in problem behaviors Strategy 1.4.1: Education Activity/ Program

Fund Source

Brief Description

When

How

Who

Lead Organization

Responsible Party (ies)

PAX Good Behavior Game

SAPT & Other

Phase 2 training & Phase 3 Impl.

Training + Daily Games

Students

Monroe School District & TBD

Coalition Coordinator and Leadership Team

Peer Assistance and Leadership (PAL)

SAPT & Other

Teacher training to incorporate behavior management strategies in the classroom Youth Mentoring and Referral

Phase 2 Training & Phase 3 Impl.

Training + TBD

High School Students

Monroe School District

Coalition Coordinator and Leadership Team

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Appendix 6 | Action Plan

Goal 5: Favorable Parental Attitudes Objective 5.1: Increase Parental awareness of risk/protective factors and consequences of Involvement Strategy 1.5.1: Education Activity/ Program

Fund Source

Brief Description

When

How

Who

Lead Organization

Responsible Party (ies)

Parenting Wisely

SAPT

Parent Training/Family Management Skill Building

Phase 2

Variable Group sessions and online

Parents

Monroe School District

Coalition Coordinator and Leadership Team

Guiding Good Choices

TBD

Youth Mentoring and Referral

Phase 3

Group sessions

Parents

TBD

Project workgroup (activity depends on availability of additional grant funding)

Action Plan Summary, 7/1/2015 – 6/30/2016 Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Monroe Community Coalition Parenting Wisely Peer Assistance & Leadership Talk. They Hear You./You’re not alone Peer Assistance & Leadership Training PAX Good Behavior Game E-cig Policy Advocacy PAX Good Behavior Game Training Guiding Good Choices Life Skills Training SPORT

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