This article reports on an outcome evaluation of the Woodrock Youth Development Project (YDP), which aims to reduce alcohol, tobacco, and drug (ATOD) use among adolescents.
The YDP targets risk factors that predispose youth to substance abuse, such as low self-esteem, unhealthy attitudes toward substance abuse, and lack of knowledge about drug effects. The YDP aims to improve problem-solving and coping skills, to raise awareness about the dangers of substance abuse, to improve self-perception by increasing academic achievement, and to foster a sense of cultural pride. Participation in the YDP was shown to reduce the incidence of drug use. Among younger participants (6 through 9 years of age), the program improved interracial relations and marginally boosted self-esteem and knowledge about ATOD use. Further research is needed to determine why the program failed to produce improvements in these latter attitudinal risk factors among older respondents (10 through 14 years of age). (publisher abstract modified)