Creating a Drug-Free DC
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By Allie Bobak, Community Mobilizer, alexandrab@layc-dc.org, (202) 864-4112
Who we are. The DC Prevention Center for Wards 1 & 2 (DCPC) serves as a dynamic hub that engages, supports, and connects the many community elements needed to promote healthy children, youth, and families as well as a drug-free District of Columbia. Based in the Latin American Youth Center (LAYC, by the Columbia Heights Metro Station), the DCPC for Wards 1 and 2 is an extension of the DC Department of Behavioral Health’s (DBH) Substance Use Disorders Division. LAYC’s mission is to empower youth to achieve a successful transition to adulthood, through multi-cultural, comprehensive, and innovative programs that address youths’ social, academic, and career needs.
Members of our Youth Prevention Leadership Corps, who come from Wards 1 and 2.
What we do. The DCPC is designed to strengthen and mobilize communities to prevent substance abuse amongst youth in Wards 1 and 2 through three core functions: community education, community leadership, and community change.
Community education includes attending public events, wellness fairs, school presentations, and more in order to present information about substances and trends in the area. We partner with, and provide technical assistance to, community leaders in order to address substance abuse prevention issues they see in their neighborhoods. And finally, we work directly with youth, through weekly meetings with our Youth Prevention Leadership Corps (YPLC), which equips youth in Wards 1 and 2 with skills to become agents of change and help create drug-free and healthy communities.
All of the strategies implemented by the DCPC are based on Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF). SAMHSA is a federal agency within the US Department of Health and Human Services that leads public health efforts to advance the behavioral health of the nation. SAMHSA's mission is to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America's communities.
How we want to work with the Burleith community. We are very happy to partner with the Burleith community in the following ways:
Strengthen our work in Ward 2. It is important that community members know about the work that we do in your area and know that if they are concerned about substances in their neighborhoods, we are here to help.
Hear from you! If you see issues around substances in the community and specifically around youth consumption, we want to know about it. This helps us curate our work to the specific needs of the community.
Have ideas about how we can better engage? Should we talk to schools, after school programs, or businesses? We want to know from you how you think that this type of outreach should be done in Burleith.
To see us in action, follow us on our social media!
Facebook: @LAYCPreventionCenter
Twitter: @Dcpc1and2
Instagram: @dcpcwards1_2
Youtube: DCPC Wards 1 & 2
Website: Drugfreeyouthdc.com
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at alexandrab@layc-dc.org or (202) 864-4112.
Members of our Community Prevention Network, comprised of community partners concerned about substance abuse, share views on drug myths.