Alcohol and other drug use among youth is costly for communities. More research is needed about how to best support community based prevention programs and how community prevention expertise can inform the research process.

NIDA has funded a 5 year collaboration of the RAND Corporation, Search Institute and its training division, Vision Training Associates, Communities for Children and Youth, and the University of Southern Maine to implement and assess the impact on prevention coalitions, the combination of two complimentary, community-based interventions:

                                Getting To Outcomes (GTO), which enhances community capacity

                                    to complete critical prevention tasks (e.g., evaluation); and

                                Developmental Assets, which supports community mobilization

                                    and collaboration to promote positive youth development.

The purpose of the project is to investigate:

1. •How well is the Assets Getting To Outcomes (AGTO) intervention delivered, how much is it used, and what coalitions think about it
   

1. •The extent to which the AGTO approach enhances the prevention capacity (knowledge, attitudes, and skills) of individual coalition members and the quality of prevention performance; and
   

1. •Whether enhanced prevention capacity improves alcohol and drug outcomes among youth.
   

Twelve community-based prevention coalitions in Maine (part of Communities for Children and Youth) will participate. Six coalitions — determined at random — will receive manuals, training, and onsite technical assistance consisting of bi-weekly meetings between AGTO 4 ME! and key coalition staff. The other six coalitions will continue practice as usual, but will receive an abbreviated version of the AGTO intervention near the end of the project.

For more information contact:

Matthew Chinman at RAND (412) 683-2300 x4287 Chinman@rand.org

Susan Savell at Communities for Children and Youth (207) 287-4377   susan.savell@maine.gov

To order the AGTO manual,

         Getting to Outcomes and Developmental Assets:

         Ten Steps to Measuring Success in Youth Programs and Communities,

visit the Search Institute website.

The AGTO 4 ME! project is supported by Award Number R01DA023277 from the National Institute On Drug Abuse.