Youth Council Awarded $125,000 Federal Grant, The Day

Youth Council Awarded $125,000 Federal Grant

Marianne Sullivan

The Day
Blogs: The Source

9/4/08


The town has been awarded a $125,000 Drug Free Communities Grant from the Office of National Drug Policy Control, one of the two large federal grants it sought this year to begin to address the problems of alcohol and drug abuse among Madison’s youth.

“This grant is the first of its type for us and for Madison. It will provide us with the opportunity to address these problems in a new way. It will bring us and our efforts to a new level,” David Melillo, director of human services, said. “This was an enormous undertaking by the Selectmen’s Council on Youth Substance Abuse and other cooperating groups in town. A lot of people did a lot of work on this.”

The $125,000 award this first time is expected to be renewed each year for the next three years.

“This allows us to continue to apply for these funds. We are now on track for additional funding beyond that, we believe,” Melillo said.

The goal of the Madison program laid out in the 80-page grant application is to reduce the current use of alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana among Madison youth. Much of the foundation for the grant is based upon a study of drug and alcohol use administered to 1,766 Polson Middle School and Daniel Hand High School students in October 2006.

In announcing the grant last week, Congressman Joseph Courtney said Madison is one of only 199 recipients across the country.

“This program will establish and strengthen cooperation among private non-profit agencies, federal, state, and local governments to support the effort of community coalitions to prevent and reduce substance abuse among youth,” Courtney said.

First Selectman Al Goldberg said, “It is not frequent for small towns such as Madison to receive a direct federal grant like this. The Selectmen’s Council and the many others who came before me are to be congratulated. We must recognize that we have a problem with young people and alcohol and drug use. Through efforts like this, we are facing that problem directly.”

In its application, the Selectmen’s Council said its goals include strengthening the council itself by increasing community collaboration and involvement in community prevention efforts through town-wide efforts as a means of reducing alcohol and drug use among youth.

To achieve those goals, a coalition will implement the several strategies. Some examples include:

• Increase the coordination of existing programs and efforts

• Develop the capacity of sports, recreation, and after-school programs to teach and model prevention principles and practices

• Expand the use of peer advocates and peer counselors to address stress and substance issues

• Explore, assess, and further develop, as needed, town ordinances, policies, and procedures that focus on prevention and the consequences of underage drinking at house parties in Madison

• Implement an informational campaign to provide parents with factual information on “myths” surrounding underage drinking

• Establish a subcommittee, chaired by the Police Department, to review security at all sporting events.