OUR MISSION is to unite all segments of the community to identify risks to youth in the community and to promote protective factors to reduce substance abuse, delinquency, violence, pregnancy and school dropout.
Putting together a puzzle requires all the pieces to fit together, starting with the frame and working inward with all the interlocking pieces until the puzzle takes shape and the picture emerges.
Raising healthy children requires all the pieces of their life to fit together as their individual picture emerges.
The puzzle pieces in the life of a child are family, community, friends and school. We must all work together to help our children succeed.
The Armstrong County Communities That Care initiative is about bringing all the puzzle pieces of a child's life together.
About CTC
Communities That Care (CTC) is a nationwide, research-based prevention initiative that tackles youth problems such as substance abuse, delinquency, pregnancy, violence and school dropout. It focuses on reducing risk factors that lead to the above-mentioned problem behaviors while increasing protective factors.
Risk factors are conditions that increase the risk of a young person becoming involved in one or more of the problem behaviors in adolescence.
Protective factors are the conditions that buffer children and youth from exposure to the risk, by either reducing the impact of the risks or changing the way the young person responds to the risk.
Armstrong County Communities That Care process was initiated in 1999. We conducted three county-wide studies of adolescent problems. We found that the top two problems were substance abuse and delinquency.
Out of the twenty risk factors that contribute to adolescent problems, the top five risk factors for Armstrong County were determined to be the following:
- Availability of drugs
- Early initiation of the problem behavior
- Community laws and norms favorable toward drug use
- Family history of the problem behavior
- Transitions and mobility
Now that we know what the problems are, we will work together as pieces of an interlocking puzzle to change the big picture of adolescent problems in our community.
We want to reduce teen substance abuse problems and delinquency rates in our adolescents. To accomplish this, we need to involve the community.
The Armstrong County Communities That Care group is only as strong as all the pieces of the puzzle fitting together. The last piece of the puzzle is YOU! We need you to be involved. Join with us to help our youth.
http://www.aidac.org/index.php?page=ctc
http://www.aidac.org/index.php?page=drug-free-communities
Contact Armstrong County Communities That Care for information at 724-354-2746.