PROGRAM

Partners in Prevention Project

The Partners In Prevention Project (PIPP) is funded by the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) to prevent underage drinking by working in collaboration with local, regional, and statewide partners in 5 of DBHDD’s 6 regions across the state to serve selected target communities.

About PIPP

Each community served will be focusing on one of the goals below:

Goal #1

Reduce the early onset of alcohol use among underage youth (ages 9-20)

Goal #2

Reduce access to alcohol among underage youth (ages 9-20)

Goal #3

Reduce binge drinking and heavy drinking among 18 to 25 year olds

Framework

PIPP will use the following 5 Steps of the Strategic Prevention Framework in order to achieve the above goals via interventions using the environmental strategy.

These 5 steps, guided by cultural competence and sustainability throughout, are:

1

Needs Assessment

2

Capacity Building

3

Strategic Planning

4

Implementation

5

Evaluation

Strategies

Too Good for Drugs

Too Good For Drugs is an evidence-based K-12 curriculum that teaches character development skills and substance abuse prevention methods through age-appropriate, engaging lessons. From elementary through high school, Too Good For Drugs empowers students to make good choices.

Elementary School

At the elementary school level, skills and developmental topics build on the core skill set to broaden the student’s sense of self-efficacy and confidence. Lessons are tailored to the intellectual, cognitive, and social development of the student.

Interactive games and activities help students visualize and apply the strategies and skills directly, so they can begin to apply them in their daily life right away. These additional concepts include:

Substance use and its effect on the body are introduced when developmentally appropriate. In the youngest grades, the lessons develop an understanding of what is healthy to put in the body and what is not. This foundation prepares students for discussions about tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use in later elementary years.

Middle School

At the Middle School level, skill development is at the core of Too Good for Drugs, a universal K-12 prevention education program designed to mitigate the risk factors and enhance protective factors related to alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) use.

The lessons introduce and develop skills for making healthy choices, building positive friendships, developing self-efficacy, communicating effectively, and resisting peer pressure and influence.

Too Good for Drugs teaches five essential character development skills, which research has linked with healthy development and academic success:

High School

The evidence-based Too Good for Drugs High School prepares students with the skills they need for academic, social, and life success. Students continue their social skills learning to prepare them to navigate the challenges of social and academic pressures and manage them without turning to substance use to cope.

Protective skills include:

TGFD Lessons foster analysis and discussion of the effects of ATOD use as well as prescription and OTC drug use and various nicotine delivery devices. Interactive games and activities provide practical guidance on dating and relationships, building healthy friendships, and refusing negative peer influence.

Collaborative and experiential learning strategies immerse the students in the skills demonstrated to prevent risky behaviors like substance use.

Positive Culture Framework

Positive Culture Framework is a research-based technique, designed to improve health and safety in communities, especially among school-age students and/or community members in the workplace.

The Positive Cultural Framework looks at how attitudes, perceptions and beliefs shape community norms. This concept is based on shared values and beliefs that already exist in a social culture, in order to improve health and safety concerns.

The Positive Culture Framework (PFC) is based on the past and ongoing research projects at the Center for Health and Safety Culture at Montana State University, to investigate how a cultural approach to prevention and public health modifies, or might modify, substance abuse, violence and/or traffic safety. It addresses key skills (the “how”), the steps in the process (the “what”, and the context for doing the work (the “where”).

PCF’s approach builds on improving health and safety by providing detailed steps and addressing leadership, communication and integration skills to successfully navigate the process, by building on the assumption that the skills already exist in the community. This is done primarily by increasing protective behaviors and decreasing risky behaviors across the social landscape.

How this is accomplished:

Well-being Index

A well-being index, or assessment, which can support students to proactively understand and look after their own well-being, without being embarrassed or negatively stigmatized.

Positive Promotion

Emphasizing the desired positive beliefs and behaviors, while diminishing the associated “risky” or unhealthy behaviors--positive promotion of the desired beliefs or behaviors.

Systemic Change

Promoting “systemic” changes, rather than those of an individual, recognizing the layers of interaction occurring between individuals, families, schools or workplace activity and community activity levels

Social Training

Good social development training, which teaches skills to manage emotions, promote and protect meaning and self-identity, as well as maintaining healthy relationships and achieving goals.

Fostering Growth

Emphasizing effective efforts as opposed to items that might be determined as “busywork”. Are we fostering the cultivation of healthier communities and of healthier children?”

Framework Integration

Complementing other existing prevention frameworks, i.e., SAMHSA’s Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF). The PCR can also be integrated into these other frameworks, and strengthen those, as well.