Mayes County Hope Coalition

HOPE4YOUTH

HOPE4YOUTH'S PFS PROJECT - MAYES COUNTY HOPE (HEALTH OUTREACH PREVENTION EDUCATION), LOCATED IN NORTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA, AIMS TO REDUCE YOUTH SUBSTANCE USE BY STRENGTHENING PREVENTION INFRASTRUCTURE AND BUILDING RESILIENCE WITHIN YOUTH AGES 12-20, FAMILIES, AND UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES—PARTICULARLY THE AT-RISK POPULATIONS OF RURAL RESIDENTS AND NATIVE AMERICANS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY. THE PROJECT WILL TARGET KEY RISK FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO YOUTH SUBSTANCE USE, SUCH AS LOW PERCEPTION OF HARM, SOCIAL AVAILABILITY OF ALCOHOL AND OTHER SUBSTANCES, AND FAVORABLE COMMUNITY NORMS TOWARD USE. BY IMPLEMENTING PREVENTION EDUCATION, PEER-LED INITIATIVES, AND POLICY ADVOCACY, THE GOAL IS TO REDUCE THESE RISKS, LEADING TO A DECLINE IN YOUTH SUBSTANCE USE. PROTECTIVE FACTORS, SUCH AS STRONG PARENTAL AND PEER DISAPPROVAL OF SUBSTANCE USE, POSITIVE SCHOOL ENGAGEMENT, AND INCREASED ACCESS TO PREVENTION RESOURCES, WILL BE STRENGTHENED THROUGH EDUCATION CAMPAIGNS, COALITION ACTIVITIES, AND FAMILY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMS. ENHANCING THESE FACTORS WILL HELP EMPOWER YOUTH AND FAMILIES TO RESIST SUBSTANCE USE AND PROMOTE HEALTHIER BEHAVIORS. THROUGH THE PROJECT’S IMPLEMENTATION APPROACH, WE AIM TO ENGAGE A TOTAL OF 5,000 YOUTH AND 20,000 ADULTS. OF THESE, WE ANTICIPATE 4,000 OF THE YOUTH AND 16,000 OF THE ADULTS TO LIVE WITHIN THE RURAL COMMUNITIES OF THE COUNTY. BY THE END OF THE PROJECT, WE ANTICIPATE HAVING DIRECTLY SERVED 3,700 YOUTH, (3,000 RURAL), AND 10,000 ADULTS (8,000 RURAL). THE SUCCESS OF THESE EFFORTS WILL BE MEASURED BY A DECLINE IN YOUTH SUBSTANCE USE-RELATED CONSEQUENCES, SUCH AS SCHOOL DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS, SUBSTANCE-RELATED OFFENSES, AND HEALTH INCIDENTS, DEMONSTRATING IMPROVED COMMUNITY HEALTH AND SAFETY OUTCOMES.

MAYES COUNTY HOPE4YOUTH

HOPE4YOUTH'S STOP ACT PROJECT - MAYES COUNTY HOPE COALITION IS IMPLEMENTING THIS STOP ACT PROJECT TO PROMOTE HEALTHY DECISION MAKING AND REDUCE AND PREVENT ALCOHOL USE AMONG THE YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS IN MAYES COUNTY, OKLAHOMA. THE TARGET POPULATION OF THE STOP ACT PROJECT IS THE PRYOR PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT, WHICH INCLUDES THE TOWN OF PRYOR (ZIP CODES: 74361 & 74362) AND OUTLYING AREAS DEFINED BY DISTRICT BOUNDARIES (99 SQUARE MILES). PRYOR IS THE LARGEST COMMUNITY IN MAYES COUNTY, A VERY RURAL, ECONOMICALLY DEPRESSED AREA OF NORTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA. OUR PROJECT ANTICIPATES BEING ABLE TO IMPACT THE 3000 STUDENTS AND AN ADDITIONAL 6000 ADULTS WITHIN THE 74361 AND 73462 ZIP CODES. ESTABLISHED IN 2008, MAYES COUNTY HOPE IS A MULTI-FACETED, NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT AIMS TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF ITS RESIDENTS BY REDUCING HIGH-RISK HEALTH BEHAVIORS. THE STOP ACT PROJECT WILL ENHANCE THE CAPACITY OF THE COALITION TO ADDRESS UNDERAGE DRINKING BY RAISING AWARENESS THROUGH PREVENTION CAMPAIGNS AND OUTREACH EVENTS AND DECREASING YOUTH SOCIAL ACCESS TO ALCOHOL BY MODIFYING POLICIES AND BUILDING CAPACITY IN OUR HOPE AND YOUTH COALITIONS. LACK OF OPPORTUNITIES AND SAFE SOURCES OF ENTERTAINMENT FOR YOUTH HAS LED TO INCREASED CONCERN OVER ALCOHOL USE BY YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS IN MAYES COUNTY. ACCORDING TO THE OKLAHOMA STATE BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION, THERE WERE 16 ALCOHOL-RELATED ARRESTS AMONG YOUTH AGES 10-20 IN MAYES COUNTY IN 2018, AND IN 2017, ALCOHOL RELATED CRIME REPRESENTED 0.6% OF ALL CRIMES AMONG YOUTH AGES 12-17. CURRENT DATA FROM OSBI SHOWS THAT THERE WERE 10 JUVENILE ARRESTS FOR ALCOHOL IN 2022. CONTRIBUTING TO YOUTH SUBSTANCE USE ARE SOCIAL NORMS ACCEPTING OF USE AND LOW PERCEIVED RISK OF HARM. ADDITIONALLY, SOCIAL ACCESS CONTRIBUTES TO UNDERAGE DRINKING WITH 43.1% OF MAYES 10TH GRADERS AND 58% OF 12TH GRADERS REPORTING GETTING ALCOHOL FROM SOMEONE THEY KNOW OVER THE AGE OF 21. WITH THIS STOP ACT PROJECT, OUR COALITION WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE COMMUNITY COLLABORATION TO ACHIEVE REDUCED YOUTH SUBSTANCE USE. MAYES COUNTY HOPE COALITION HAS PROVEN ITS ABILITY TO SUCCESSFULLY IMPLEMENT AND MONITOR GRANT ACTIVITIES AND TRACK MEASURABLE OUTCOMES. THIS STOP ACT FUNDING WILL SERVE TO ENHANCE, NOT REPLACE, THE CAPACITY OF THE COALITION AND FURTHER REDUCE UNDERAGE DRINKING IN THE COMMUNITY.

MAYES COUNTY HOPE4YOUTH

CN FARM TO SCHOOL GRANT