Willcox Against Substance Abuse

Programs: Youth development - wasa provides various opportunities for youth to develop leadership skills and peer to peer teaching, learning and support. Our three major areas of youth development are (1)allies youth leadership program (formerly campus legends), (2) youth message theater (teen group that performs socio-drama for peers and communities on a wide range of youth related concerns including substance abuse, underage drinking, teen pregnancy, bullying, tobacco and other health issues) and (3) youth court which teaches social responsibility through a supervised peer sentencing program. Expenses for this program include an annual youth court summit attended from youth all around the state to learn more about the youth court program.

youth development - summer activities; annually wasa provides a variety of activities and events to keep youth of all ages in our community involved and active, thus reducing possibilities and opportunities for substance abuse. During summer of 2010 there were 26 separate activities, ranging in length from 1 day per week for 8 weeks to every day for 2 weeks. A duplicated count of attendance rosters shows 630 youth participants. Classes are also given for decision making, anger management and tolerance

familly services - counseling. As an intregal part of our mission to build stronger families, wasa provides counseling services on a contracted basis for youth and families of our area. Youth and families can meet with certified counselors one saturday a month at no cost to work on substance abuse or family issues that could lead to or are caused by substance abuse or related problems.

youth development - during 2010, wasa provided various prevention experiences for the youth of our area including: hosting a career fair for all willcox high school students; bringing in an abstinence program to willcox middle school; providing substance prevention classes for all wusd students; holding a samsha town hall on underage drinking; providing a back to school fair in willcox which provided among other things free sports physicals and prevention information to participants; and sponsoring a safe halloween event and our annual coats for kids drive. A total in excess of 00 youth were reached through these programs. Total program costs estimated @ $5. 50 per youth

early childhood prevention - wasa serves the 21st century after school program by providing tutoring assistance and enrichment activities to children in grades k-4. Wasa acts as coordinator for the program and assists the schools in meeting all grant criteria as well as providing staff and labor for activities and parent involvement. Over 100 previously underserved families were involved in the initial year of the program. The actual grant is to willcox unified school dist. , wasa provides contracted services by overseeing and helping staff the program through the wusd grant funding - no expense out of wasa funds

community development: wasa is proud to sponsor the willcox meth task force as a sub-committee of our program. This program has been influential in significantly reducing meth usage in willcox and northern cochise county through their presentations, ad campaigns and efforts to raise awareness and limit accessibility. The willcox model is being used in several other cities at this time thanks to the efforts of our co-chairs - a local physician and the chief of police. Costs include presentation materials and advertising including a billboard on i-10 and radio ads

youth development/community awareness: in an effort to promote community support and awareness, wasa engages in prevention campaigns throughout the year and provides materials and information for health fairs thoughout the surrounding communities. Primary functions for 2011 included a teen parent conference, friends of wasa night, seat belt safety,red ribbon week and a pre-prom mock car crash assembly