Communities That Care (CTC)

Bonneville Communities That Care (CTC) is a coalition-based community prevention operating system that uses a public health approach to prevent youth problem behaviors including underage drinking, tobacco use, violence, delinquency, school dropout and substance abuse, and issues related to mental health such as depression and anxiety.

Program Targets

Ultimately, the beneficiaries of CTC are the entire community. As children become more healthy and make fewer poor choices, communities see less vandalism, gang activity, shoplifting, drug use, school drop out, and fewer unwanted teen pregnancies.. CTC helps decision-makers in the community select & implement effective prevention policies and programs to address the most pressing issues facing their youth. CTC guides the community coalition through an assessment and prioritization process that identifies the risk and protective factors most in need of attention, and links those priorities to prevention programs that are scientifically proven to work in addressing them.

Program Content

CTC activities are planned and carried out by the CTC Community Board, a prevention coalition of community stakeholders who work under the direction of city and community leaders to promote positive youth outcomes.

READY!  AIM! FIRE!!!

Communities That Care is installed in a community through a five-phase process:

1) Get Started—assessing community readiness to undertake collaborative prevention efforts;

2) Get Organized—getting a commitment to the CTC process from community leaders and forming a

diverse and representative prevention coalition;

3) Develop a Profile—using epidemiologic data to assess prevention needs;

4) Create a Plan—choosing tested and effective prevention policies, practices, and programs based on assessment data; and,

5) Implement and Evaluate—implementing the new strategies with fidelity, in a manner congruent with the programs’ theory, content, and methods of delivery, and evaluating progress over time.

Core components include:

·        Community coalition of key stakeholders concerned with the health and well-being of the community’s youth

·        Community coordinator, devoted to CTC

·        Youth Survey, administered at least every two years for students in grades 6, 8, 10, and 12, to learn directly from the youth themselves about risk factors, protective factors, and youth behaviors

Program Outcomes 

When done with fidelity to CTC process: 

Results from a rigorous study across our nation show that within four years of adopting the CTC system, community coalitions can significantly reduce the incidence of delinquent behaviors including alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.

Examples:

Initiation of substance use and delinquency: By the end of 8th grade,:

·        24% less likely to initiate delinquent behavior

·        32% less likely to initiate the use of alcohol

·        33% less likely to initiate cigarette use

·        33% less likely to initiate the use of smokeless tobacco

Substance use: By 8th grade,:

·        23% less likely to use alcohol in the past 30 days

·        49% less likely to use smokeless tobacco in the past 30 days

·        37% less likely to have engaged in binge drinking in the past two weeks

Delinquent behaviors:

·        In 8th grade, students from CTC communities committed 31% fewer different delinquent behaviors than students in the control communities.

Bonneville CTC is in Phase Four - we will be writing and approving the Community Action Plan in the next two months.

2012 CTC History

JANUARY 2012: Increasingly, City residents are impacted by substance abuse. The heartache and concern caused by substance abuse among friends and family and recent arrests at Bonneville High School substantiate the need for increased efforts toward substance abuse prevention. The Bonneville CTC is moving forward with this struggle. Please observe the progress reflected on the website http://www.bonnevillectc.org/ . There is a link to this website from the City webpage. Click on About from the Home page. You can help! Call the Bonneville CTC coordinator Amy Mikkelsen at 801-529-2866 if you have suggestions, ideas, concerns, or would like to be part of the Bonneville CTC as a member of the Community Council.

FEBRUARY 2012: On Friday February 3rd there was an article about Bonneville CTC by Gentry Reinhart, Standard-Examiner correspondent. Mr. Reinhart referred to the arrests at Bonneville High School and explained what CTC is doing. He quoted Amy Mikkelsen, the CTC coordinator, when she said that: “The goal is to identify the types of factors that lead kids to detrimental behavior and to bolster efforts to reduce risky behaviors.” He also briefly explained how CTC plans to reach this goal. Here is the link if you missed this article,
http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/02/03/communities-care-release-assessment-findings-youth-community

MARCH 2012: The City Council voted in February to continue support for the Bonneville Communities That Care with the challenge to prevent substance abuse and with its related offenses. The City’s responsibility to provide for public safety carries with it the charge to mitigate the high cost of substance abuse and deviant behavior which is at the root a heavy financial burden to the community. Please consider getting involved to add your voice and talents to the many other volunteers who care enough to get involved with this growing concern.

APRIL 2012: When a young person perceives that the adults in the community value youth and are given useful roles in the community that young person is far less likely to try out risky behavior.
With that in mind, please take every opportunity to show an interest in the young people. It may be just a friendly greeting. It may be that you notice some accomplishment and let them know you are aware. You could find out about the newly organized Uintah Youth City Council and find a way to encourage them and their leaders. The benefit of these little acts to the young person, the community and you will be far reaching.

MAY 2012: Last month in this column, I invited you to find an opportunity to let the youth know that they are valued here in this community. The youth are our greatest resource!  As an alert member of this community, let me know by phone or email of the good things that our youth are doing! I will share them with the rest of the community in the June newsletter.  At the conclusion of the school year there will be awards, graduation, scholarships and lots of other accomplishments.