Faith Based Drug Prevention Training
The best drug-prevention models include family and community support, clear presentations about the dangers, costs and risks of drug use and interactive activities for participants. Faith-based programs have the advantage of working within an established community, such as a network of churches, to coordinate their training. Drug-prevention training can be more effective when schools, families, churches and communities work together.
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History
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In 1990 in Jackson County, Florida, the African-American faith community wanted to help its children and grandchildren grow up in a drug-free community. Six churches that had previously implemented community health programs joined together as the Jackson County Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention Partnership under the advisement of the Health Advisory Council. According to Florida Health Initiatives promoter Dr. Mary Sutherland, "14 years later ... over 50 different African-American churches" are implementing similar programs, using the faith-based prevention model.
Functions
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A prevention program should accomplish six main goals: increase protective factors and minimize risk factors leading to drug use; address all forms and combinations of drug use, including illegal, over the counter and legal drugs (tobacco and alcohol); focus training on specific age groups, populations and transitions prone to drug use; incorporate family bonding and parental participation; encourage academic achievement; and provide follow-up connections to the next phase of prevention training.
Faith-based programs incorporate these goals within the context of regular church and faith community activities, such as church meetings, topical discussions and sermons and prayer-and-action support groups. It also provides specific training and behavioral accountability for elementary-age youths, teens and adults.
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Features
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The faith-based prevention model implements four phases beginning with developing community relationships and assessing the community's readiness to begin a program. The second phase includes initial and on-going training to expand leaders' information about drug use, developmental skills and community resources. You also identify participants, setting goals and design the promotional campaign. Phase 3 implements the churches' action plans with regular oversight. Phase 4 evaluates the program's effectiveness and makes ongoing adjustments of its activities.
Considerations
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Faith-based programs must coordinate their messages with school and community-based programs so youth receive consistent messages on all fronts. The faith-based prevention model carefully details program steps so training is effective. Facilitators' training uses accurate information from knowledgeable sources such as SAMHSA, the National Institute of Mental Health and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, not just faith documents. Evaluating the program to see how or if it is accomplishing its goals should be a regular component.
Sutherland recommends that communities and churches interested in starting a faith-based prevention program do their research ahead of time and make connection with others in the field. Trying to set up a program without adequate resources, materials or guidance to sustain the program could actually become more damaging to those at risk for drug use.
Misconceptions
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The administration of President George W. Bush created the Office of Faith-Based Initiatives and enlisted the help of churches and community faith leaders in a new generation of faith-based anti-drugs programs, which garnered some controversy. Critics of this initiative say it simply repackages something that's already ineffective. Simply because a drug-prevention program is faith-based doesn't guarantee its methodologies. Clear evaluation should determine the effectiveness of any program.
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