BULL SHOALS — Members of the Arkansas Regional Prevention Providers Task Force, Region 2, comprised of providers in Baxter, Boone, Marion, Newton and Searcy counties, gathered for a training meeting at the James A. Gaston Visitor Center overlooking Bull Shoals Dam, Tuesday, March 25. The prevention providers are associated with various organizations whose mission is to deter the onset of alcohol, tobacco and other drug use among youth through changing perceptions, attitudes, behaviors, and local conditions.
Kyle Evatt is the coordinator of Region 2 and is associated with North Arkansas Partnership for Health Education (NAPHE) in Harrison. He set up the training session featuring a virtual presentation by Rikki Barton, of Onward Consulting LLC, having 16 years experience is strategic prevention frameworks.
Barton's presentation, "Seven Strategies for Community Change," outlined a variety of strategies beneficial to increase awareness, increase community readiness and bring about the desired behavior changes. Barton divided them into individually-focused strategies and environmentally-focused strategies.
Members of the Arkansas Regional Prevention Providers Task Force, Region 2, are comprised of providers in Baxter, Boone, Marion, Newton and Searcy counties. Several represented newly formed Drug Free Community (DFC) Grant programs that are still under development. One such DFC program is the Newton County Hometown Health Initiative's Partners in Prevention (PIP) program.
It became apparent PIP is in the first stage of individually-focused strategies as it is reaching out to Newton County and its communities through its director, Bailey Taylor. The program initially began providing information through brochures and literature on substance use and misuse and has begun to present workshops such as "Hidden in Plain Sight" to parent groups. Student are being organized into coalitions and several students have joined together to record public service announcements for airing on social platforms. PIP has also established a Facebook page online for social interaction and recently held its first assembly program for students featuring guest speaker Zion Givens.
Taylor is actively seeking evidence-based curricula for the program to present to both adult and youth coalitions. Training and technical assistance is also being prepared for coalition members' advancement into leadership roles.
As progress continues PIP will create mentoring, support groups and clubs that provide social support.
Environmentally-focused strategies involve reducing barriers and enhance access to programs through improving transportation and housing, offering healthcare and childcare, meeting special needs of individuals and bringing into play justice and education.
Change can be brought about through consequences for certain behaviors and incentivizing others. Public recognition and rewards are incentives while taxes, citations, fines, or revision or loss of privileges are seen as consequences. The coalitions can be used to promote policies and laws in their communities to bring about desired behaviors.
Communities can work to change the physical design or structure of the environment to reduce risk or enhance protection. Such examples are creating open parks, and landscapes placement of signage and use of lighting to enhance safe public spaces.
Finally there are opportunities to change policy and rules. Focus can be placed on workplace initiatives, law enforcement procedures and practices, public policy actions and systems change within government, communities and organizations. However, it was noted that DFC funds cannot be used for these purposes or activities.
The training session included opportunities for questions and answers and interaction among the training's participants.
Following a lunch a short business meeting was conducted.
It was decided that the upcoming Region 2 Prevention Conference will take place on Tuesday, July 29, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at Signature Tower in Harrison. The theme this year will be “Engaging the Next Generation.” It will feature multiple presentations on how to effectively engage with, support, and partner with youth.
The next task force meeting will be a virtual meeting on April 23, at 1 p.m. Over the next few months, task force meetings will be held monthly to discuss any ideas and plans for the prevention conference.
The function of the task force is to make sure that all areas of the region are being effectively served.
