What We Do
Youth Coalitions
The LOLPC also works with REACH, which stands for Responsible Educated Adolescents Can Help. REACH is the high school’s youth coalition, and Upstanders is the middle school’s youth coalition. The youth coalitions focus on developing leadership, increasing peer advocacy, and providing platforms for youth to engage in substance-free activities that increase awareness about the harms of drugs and alcohol.
REACH consists of dedicated youth, with guidance from LYSB’s Prevention Coordinator, who are committed to conduct outreach to their peers, middle and elementary school students, and serve as Lyme-Old Lyme’s strongest advocates for substance-free lifestyles.
Join Reach Today!
If you are a Lyme-Old Lyme High School student, you can join REACH by texting ‘reachlolhs’ to 81010 or by clicking below
Benefits of joining reach
Students in high school are able to develop leadership skills, will learn more about substance-free living, the LOLPC’s efforts, gain volunteer hours, and participate in community-wide prevention efforts.
The Drug-Free Communities Grant also permits youth leaders who demonstrate commitment to REACH, also called Youth Peer Advocates, which is a paid student position where students can learn more about the prevention network, have an opportunity to attend leadership conferences in Washington, DC, and network with local leaders with the opportunity to advocate for drug-free initiatives for their communities.
What We Do
The Lyme/Old Lyme Prevention Coalition is a group of dedicated individuals who come together to implement prevention efforts in our community. The mission of the LOLPC is to prevent and reduce alcohol and other drug use among youth by collaborating with the community to raise awareness, modify social norms, educate youth and adults, initiate policy change, and promote healthy activities.
It is the goal of the coalition to cover all 12 sectors of the community: Youth, Parents, Business, Media, Law Enforcement, Schools, Youth-Serving Organizations, Religions, Healthcare, State/Local Agencies, Civic, and Volunteers. By having participation from each Sector, we can effectively address all areas of prevention work.
Our Efforts Include:
Previous coalition efforts have included widespread community campaigning against youth alcohol and marijuana use, free sessions with experts to talk about substance use trends or parenting guidance, free trainings to combat opioid overdoses and prevent suicide, and providing alternative activities for youth and parents alike to increase protective factors and reduce risk factors.
Other activities include collaborating with law enforcement during Prescription Drug Take Back Day, coordinating a mental health field day for students, and the creation of new programs and events to promote substance-free activities through youth coalitions.
Drug Free Communities
The Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program was created in 1997 by the Drug-Free Communities Act. Administered by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), and managed through a partnership between ONDCP and CDC, the DFC program provides grants to community coalitions to reduce local youth substance use.
The DFC program is aimed at mobilizing community leaders to identify and respond to the drug problems unique to their community and change local community environmental conditions tied to substance use. More than 750 community coalitions across the country receive funding up to $125,000 per year to strengthen collaboration among local partners and create an infrastructure that reduces youth substance use.
DFC Program Goals
- Establish and strengthen collaboration among communities, public and private non-profit agencies, and Federal, state, local and tribal governments to support the efforts of community coalitions working to prevent and reduce substance use among youth.
- Reduce substance use among youth and, over time, reduce substance use among adults by addressing the factors in a community that increase risk for substance use and promoting factors that minimize risk for substance use.
Our Commitment
The Lyme Old Lyme Prevention Coalition is committed to launch initiatives and programs aimed at preventing underage alcohol use, marijuana use, and promoting mental health and wellness in youth. Our programs utilize the Drug-Free Communities Grant to increase accessibility to resources and activities, increase alternative activities for youth, promote protective factors that aim to prevent or reduce youth substance use, and increase awareness of risk factors or harms of substance use.
The Coalition also places commitment towards fostering positive community change by collaborating with local law enforcement, Region 18 school district, parents and youth of Lyme-Old Lyme, other coalitions, agencies, and nonprofits, and local leadership.