1 Ouray County Communities That Care Community Action Plan 3.0
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1 Ouray County Communities that Care Community Action Plan 3.0 2016-2021 2 Introduction In 2016-2017, the Colorado Department of Health and Environment (CDPHE) received funding from the marijuana tax cash fund to support substance abuse prevention among youth using the Communities That Care (CTC) framework across Colorado. Communities That Care is a community-based prevention model that was evaluated across the country with significant results, including preventing youth substance use initiation and youth crime and violence. This model helps local communities assess the specific risk and protective factors among the youth in their communities. The communities then pick from a menu of effective, evidence-based programs and strategies to address the specific needs of local youth. For 2016-17, CDPHE received approximately $7,125,000, and for 2017-18, received approximately $9,000,000 to fund communities statewide. In 2017, Ouray County Public Health (OCPH) was awarded a grant for $100,000 to implement CTC in Ouray County. Due to issues with capacity, they subcontracted with Voyager Youth Program to act as the backbone agency. OCPH is a critical partner as well as other agencies like Ouray County Schools, Law Enforcement, Government, Partners Mentoring, Juvenile Services, Bright Futures, Voyager, Marijuana Cultivators, Local Business Owners, Department of Social Services, Media, Faith Community, Parents, and Community Members. The mission for Ouray County CTC is that we are an evolving support system for Ouray County Youth, that provides opportunities for active involvement in promoting a healthy environment for themselves and others, assisting them in reaching their full potential, as competent, compassionate, responsible, and resilient adults. This plan describes the ways to address the priority risk and protective factors identified in Ouray County’s Communities That Care effort. The Communities That Care system is a way for members of a community to work together to promote positive youth development. The system was developed by the Social Development Research Group at the University of Washington. Their research has identified risk factors that predict youth problem behaviors and protective factors that buffer children from risk and help them succeed in life. In 2017, a community board was formed that was diverse and representative of our community. The organizational structure was established by identifying leadership roles and forming workgroups. After board orientations, a plan was put in place to identify populations with high levels of risk and low levels of protection. Our community identified the risk and protective factors specific to our area. A community assessment report was completed, and the coalition began analyzing our community resources. The resource assessment report identified the youth serving organizations in Ouray County, what needs were already being filled and what gaps in service exist. The identified Ouray County Risk Factors are: • Availability of Substances (Community level) • Favorable Attitudes Toward Substance Use (Individual) The identified Ouray County Protective Factor is: • Opportunities and Recognition for Prosocial Involvement 3 The revised 2020 Community Action Plan is a demonstration of the time and energy that the community board and key leaders have invested into the communities that care process. Each step of the CTC process has brought our communities members closer by growing collaboration, sharing resources, and building capacity. This plan also helps to address the community needs of mental health, suicidal ideation, depression, and substance use by youth from the local community health assessment planning and improvement plan. The strategies that have been selected by the key leader and community board members are research-based and focus on policy, community outreach, and environmental change to address our risk and protective factors. This report covers the changes that we want to see in our community and how we’re going to get there. 4 Table of Contents Ouray County Communities That Care Community Collaboration………………………………5 Prevention Science Overview………………………………………………………………….….6 Positive Youth Development & Social Development Strategy in Ouray County………………...6 Community Action Plan……………………………………………………………………...…...7 Healthy Coalition Maintenance…………………………………………………………..……..7-8 Community Assessment: How the Information was Collected……………………...………….8-9 Selected Community-Level Strategies…………………………………………………….…..9-11 Strategy Outcome Goals……………………………………………………………………...11-12 Health and Behavior Outcome Goals……………………………………………………...…….12 Risk and Protective Factor Outcome Goals……………………………………………………...12 Collective Impact………………………………………………………………………………...13 Implementation and Evaluation Planning…………………………………………………….13-14 Funding………………………………………………………………………………..…………14 Recommendations for next steps…………………………………………………...………....…14 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………….…15 5 Ouray County Communities that Care (OC-CTC) Ouray County Communities That Care envisions our community as an evolving support system for Ouray County youth, that provides opportunities for active involvement in promoting a healthy environment for themselves and others, assisting them in reaching their full potential as competent, compassionate, responsible, and resilient adults. Many of these agencies have allowed for staff members to utilize their time and energy to support our efforts to create systems that prevent youth substance use and violence, and to promote young people’s mental well- being. We also have community members and young people involved in our efforts, who provide their expertise and passion, as well as practical insights on addressing the needs of our young people. All of these partnerships are critical in leveraging community assets and resources needed to sustain our prevention efforts now and in the future. The following agencies contributed to the development of this plan, either by being a representative on a board or work group, and/or from contributing information that helped inform our community’s decision: Ouray County Public Health Voyager Youth Program Ouray Police Department Bright Futures Ridgway Marshalls Office Partners Mentoring Youth Ouray County Sheriff’s Office Weehawken Creative Arts Ridgway School District Juvenile Services Ouray School District Chris Pet Grooming, LLC Ouray County Social Services Steps Bar Ouray County Young Life Rocky Mountain Cannabis Ridgway Christian Center Dalwhinnie/Shift United Church of the San Juan’s Flying Pig Ouray City Council Fiddlers Green Ouray County Board of County ACME Healing Commissioners Ridgway Town Administration 6 Prevention Science Overview In the spring of 2017, Ouray County began implementing the Communities That Care system. Communities That Care helps community members work together to efficiently and effectively promote the social development strategy and positive youth development. The system was developed by Dr. J. David Hawkins and Dr. Richard F. Catalano of the Social Development Research Group at the University of Washington, Seattle. It is based on their research, which has identified risk factors that predict youth problem behaviors and protective factors that buffer children from risk and help them succeed in life. Positive Youth Development Positive Youth Development (PYD) is an approach that guides communities and organizations in the way that they organize services, opportunities and supports so that all young people can be engaged and reach their full potential. PYD incorporates the development of skills, opportunities and authentic relationships into programs, practices and policies so that young people reach their full potential. PYD views young people as resources to cultivate, as opposed to problems to fix, and is dependent upon the use of the following guiding principles: strengths-based approach, inclusive of all youth, engages youth as partners, collaborative and sustainable. Our PYD outcome goal is that youth will demonstrate more involvement in prosocial activities. There will be more cooperation and communication between youth-serving organizations, with shared PYD language and behavior. Ouray County CTC provides free quarterly PYD trainings to community members Social Development Strategy The Social Development Strategy (SDS) and PYD complement each other as SDS sets the foundation to implement PYD. The Social Development Strategy fosters the success and health of young people from before birth through every stage of development. It’s easy to use, easy to remember, and it works! Providing young people with opportunities, skills and recognition strengthens bonding with family, school and community. Strong bonds motivate young people to adopt healthy standards for behavior. This strategy has been tested and proven effective. It is a foundation of CTC. In a research project that followed 808 ten-year-old’s for more than 15 years, the Social Development Strategy was proven successful. When parents and elementary teachers were provided training in how to use the Social Development Strategy during the elementary grades, 15 years later their children had better outcomes than those who did not receive the training. Positive youth outcomes include: a greater percentage of students who graduated high school on time, better economic outcomes, better mental health in their 20’s, significantly fewer sexually transmitted diseases — especially among those at greatest risk, and fewer teen pregnancies. 7 The Community