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Coalition continues to battle youth
substance abuse
By Mike Wade, NRVCS - Posted October 5, 2009
Thirty-one percent of Pulaski
County students in grades 6 – 12 admitted in
a recent survey that they had used alcohol
in the past 30 days, while 17 percent of
students indicated that they had used
marijuana at least once during the same
period of time.
Officials with the
Pulaski Community
Partners Coalition (PCPC) say
that statistics like these only underscore
the importance of their organization and its
mission to reduce and prevent substance
abuse among the county’s youth.
“All of Pulaski County is worthy of being
the best it can be,” declared Lee Spiegel,
coordinator for PCPC. “Families who call
this area home deserve to have a community
that is safe and healthy…Everyone –
especially kids – should be able to handle
things in their everyday lives without using
alcohol or other drugs.”
First established in 2002, PCPC consists of
individuals from various sectors of the
community, including representatives from
the public school system, law enforcement
and several human services agencies, as well
as leaders from the local business and
faith-based communities. Since that initial
meeting, members and supporters have met
regularly to expand the base of the
coalition, while developing programs and
activities that promote a drug and
alcohol-free lifestyle for both youth and
adults.
“Addiction is a disease and
not a moral problem,” Spiegel remarked.
“That is a huge message to get across
because it requires a change in some truly
entrenched beliefs for many people…Sadly,
there is also an issue with substance abuse
simply being accepted because there are some
folks out there who say to themselves,
‘Well, that’s just the way things are. What
can you do?’”
“Obviously, that outlook is
unacceptable,” she continued. “The coalition
has worked slowly but continuously to change
the mindset that says it’s normal for kids
to experiment with alcohol and other
drugs…Challenging people to change their
core beliefs, family traditions and favorite
coping tools is never fast or easy, but I do
believe we are making progress in that
area.”
PCPC, which is facilitated
through New River Valley Community Services,
has benefited from funding provided through
a number of grants – including a recent
federal grant from the Office of National
Drug Control Policy’s Drug-Free Communities
(DFC) program that will award approximately
$114,000 to PCPC for the next five years.
This is the second time that PCPC received
five-year funding through DFC, having been
awarded its first in 2004.
Past funding has played a
vital role in supporting efforts to generate
greater education and awareness within the
community. In fact, PCPC has hosted several
town hall meetings focused on substance
abuse, along with seminars for both
educators and community leaders.
“These events have been
important because we have been able to get a
larger network of people to buy into the
concept of addiction as a disease which can
be prevented, and if not prevented, then
certainly treatable,” explained Spiegel.
Prevention of substance abuse
requires significant focus on educating
young people about the dangers of
experimenting with alcohol and other drugs,
or other risky behaviors.
Another key element of PCPC’s
focus has been providing a variety of
activities for children and teens that
promote the concept of being able to have a
good time without using alcohol or other
drugs. Pool parties hosted by PCPC at
Randolph Park are just one example of this
approach.
“We use these events to
convey the message that we (PCPC) are here
to help our youth be the best they can be
and that is not possible with alcohol or
drugs in their lives,” explained Spiegel.
“One of the things we’ve benefited most from
by having the pool parties is the time that
we get to spend with parents…I used the time
this year to inform parents about the change
to underage drinking laws that now make it
illegal to give children alcohol even in
your own home.”
Over the past year, PCPC has
also hosted a bonfire, a battle of the
bands, an alcohol and drug-free tailgate
party for high school seniors and faculty,
an overnight “lock in” party and even a
camping trip.
“The pool parties and other
events that we do for the community gives us
credibility when we go into classrooms to do
drug and alcohol awareness,” Spiegel
continued. “The kids pay more attention once
they recognize who we are.”
Once the current five-year DFC grant cycle
is complete, PCPC must be in a position to
be a self-sustaining organization. Although
there are no definite plans in place at this
point, the goal of the coalition is to
steer toward social entrepreneurship and
eventually create a non-profit business
venture that will develop career and
employment skills for youth through
apprenticeships with local businesses.
“We’ve been very blessed to
have tremendous support from the community,”
added Spiegel. “We simply could not have
done all of the things that we have without
that.”
As it moves forward, the hope
of coalition members is that PCPC will gain
greater participation from parents in the
community. One way the group plans to do
this is by offering a regular monthly
meeting during the evening for parents and
families. (The group already holds a morning
meeting for youth and a mid-day meeting for
community leaders.)
“While the coalition is
pleased with what has been accomplished to
date, everyone understands the work we have
ahead of us – all you have to do is look at
the numbers from the surveys we did,”
commented Spiegel. “Having an impact on this
issue will only happen if we have support
from the entire community.”
For more information on the Pulaski
Community Partners Coalition, visit the
website at
aboutpcpc.org
or contact Lee Spiegel at 980-3228 or via
e-mail at
PCPC1@verizon.net.
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