Mayor John Harkins announced the Town of Stratford Youth and Family Advisory Board is a federal Drug Free Communities grant recipient and will receive $625,000 over five years to facilitate youth and adult participation at the community level in local youth drug use prevention efforts.
The Town of Stratford Youth and Family Advisory Board will specifically work to increase community collaboration to reduce underage drinking and marijuana use among Stratford youth, ages 12 to 18.
“We have had success in reducing the use of tobacco, alcohol and drugs among young people by joining together as a community,” said Dudley Orr, co-chair of Stratford Youth and Family Advisory Board. “This new funding will allow the Town of Stratford Youth and Family Advisory Board to expand our efforts to protect young people by building on community partnerships and by providing services that help families and children develop the assets they need to thrive in today’s world.”
Currently, the Town of Stratford Youth and Family Advisory Board is compromised of community leaders, parents, youth, teachers, religious and fraternal organizations, health care and business professionals, law enforcement, and media.
The Drug-Free Communities Support Program is directed by Office National Drug Control Policy in partnership with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services administration (SAMHSA) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “Drug-free coalitions across the nation are mobilizing to mount effective, coordinated prevention programs against substance abuse, especially among youth,” said Pamela S. Hyde, SAMHSA Administrator.
For more information about the administration efforts to reduce drug use and its consequences, or to learn more about the Drug-Free Communities Support Program, visit whitehouse.gov/ondcp.