The Irvine Prevention Coalition will develop and implement comprehensive parent education, support, and involvement.

We believe that parents have a powerful influence on whether youth use drugs – or not. We will use a multi-modal strategy to emphasize accurate information about youth substance use in Irvine and design parent education, support and involvement opportunities that will focus on increased knowledge of signs and symptoms of youth drug use, available resources, and developing resiliency skills such as family, community, and school bonding.

Strategy 1: Develop and distribute a comprehensive, list of parent education opportunities (i.e., Family Life Matters, City of Irvine Community Class Catalog), and an annual list of culturally appropriate speakers who can provide positive social norms, asset development and positive parenting messages to community groups.

Strategy 2: Provide ongoing, comprehensive parent education and support opportunities.

Strategy 3: Develop and maintain a coalition resource web site and telephone referral line for parents and community members.

Goal IV: Coalition Strengthening

The Irvine Prevention Coalition will come together regularly in order to assess community needs, implement collaborative activities, and evaluate, strengthen and sustain the coalition. 

We believe that by meeting regularly we can develop and implement a five year plan that will support a safe and caring community by working together to provide prevention strategies and coordinated services for youth and families.

Strategy 1: Annually convene eight general meetings and four or more coordinating meetings to assess needs and resources, provide trainings, discuss pertinent issues, support networking opportunities, and create ad hoc committees as appropriate.

Strategy 2: Reward volunteers through the“Outstanding Supporter of Prevention” awards.

Strategy 3: Support the development and involvement of the Irvine Prevention Coalition Student Board.

Strategy 4: Maintain a recruitment strategy to increase membership and participation of all sectors of the community, including diverse ethnicities, parents and key community leaders.

Goal V: Media and Outreach

The Irvine Prevention Coalition will create a media strategy to increase community awareness about coalition goals and the importance of accurate community norms in reducing youth substance use 

We believe that a comprehensive media strategy and campaign will provide valid and accurate information to youth, parents, school staff and community members that most youth within the community are making good decisions to avoid substance abuse. In addition to a coordinated strategy of timed media releases, the IPC will adopt a youth-developed pro-social marketing campaign at each high school which will promote positive social norms and will positively affect youth attitudes toward use and perception of harm/risk. 

Strategy 1: Develop materials that highlight current, local normative data, and the impact of prevention programming in the community.

Strategy 2: Provide pro-social marketing campaign at Irvine high schools.

Goal VI: Long-Term Planning and Evaluation

The Irvine Prevention Coalition will collaborate with the city to create community indicator reports that inform local decision-makers and residents about services to children, youth and families in Irvine. 

We believe that collecting community indicator data that informs local decision-makers and residents about the “state of youth” in Irvine will help focus the Irvine community in support of the reduction of drug use and related issues among youth, and ensure that IPC remains responsive to changes in the community. In addition, community indicator data will help sustain the work of the coalition by providing relevant, updated information to partners as they seek additional support from local, state, and federal sources.

Strategy 1: Identify local indicators that support the mission of the coalition.

Strategy 2: Collect locally identified data and draft annual community indicator report.

Strategy 3: Present annual community data to the coalition and appropriate community groups to assess needs and solution strategies and highlight the value and effectiveness of the coalition/community collaboration and its effectiveness.

Strategy 4: Conduct activities to sustain collaborative prevention work.