Drug Abuse Prevention Among Youth: Hope, Promise, and Reality, Final Report

• NCJ Number: 192852
• Author(s): Michele Solloway Ph.D.; Jeffrey Salloway Ph.D.; Tamara Martin
• Date Published: May 2000
• Length: 151 pages
• Grant Number(s): 97-JN-FX-0019
• Sponsoring Agency: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)
• Corporate Author: University of New Hampshire
• Sale Source: NCJRS Photocopy Services; Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse/NCJRS
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This document details the evaluation of the Federal Ounce of Prevention program.

Abstract

The Ounce of Prevention program, under the leadership of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), provided funds for community-based organizations to develop innovative drug prevention strategies using peer interventions and a youth-leadership model. Ten sites across the country were selected representing a broad spectrum of organizational structures, target populations, geographic locations, and prevention strategies. The goal was to reduce drug use and abuse among youth and create opportunities for at-risk youth to participate in these efforts. A major innovation of the program was the simultaneous funding of a prospective evaluation intending to assess whether the various programs were able to achieve their goals; provide 2 years of seed money so the organizations could become self-sustaining; identify the true costs of operating the program; and determine the effectiveness of the youth-leadership model in comparison to adult-led intervention. The evaluation was conducted over a 2 year period, from November 1997 to October 1999. It included an evaluation training conference for the program directors and youth leaders of the 10 sites and cross-site comparisons among the 10 funded sites, site visits, and in-depth assessments of the programs. Findings suggested that youth-led programs resulted in both immediate and long-term benefits to participating youth, youth in the community, the community-based organizations, and the community at large. Participating youth gained marketable skills, improved self-esteem, and directly reduced or prevented drug use among their peers through teaching, outreach, and one-on-one interactions. Many of the participants indicated that the program “turned their lives around.” Then the sites learned that the program had been a victim of the Federal budget process and would not be refunded for the second year. However, program sites have been able to continue their efforts and it is clear that programs such as the Ounce of Prevention are beneficial to communities and the youth they serve.