The Weber Communities that Care Coalition or CTC is a caring community that engages in resources to support all youth by involving schools and the community through education and connectedness.
Yvette Palau, chair of the Coalition said, “We are hoping to have a tremendous impact on the community by using the evidence-based coalition model of Communities that Care.”
Palau said she became involved because, “As the director of Aloha Behavioral Consultants, we see the end result of not having enough prevention programs in our community. It hurts to see so many teenagers think that suicide is a solution to the challenges they have in life.”
The CTC is made up of community members such as: parents, grandparents, religious leaders, school personnel, law enforcement, local government, youth, healthcare, and youth, serving organizations from all the cities that feed into Weber High School.
The Social Development Research Group from the University of Washington has shown that youth from communities who incorporate CTC were 25% to 33% less likely to have health and behavioral problems than youth from controlled communities.
The coalition has conducted a community needs assessment to identify the community concerns/strengths and what resources are available. Afterwards, a plan is put in place based on the results of the needs assessment.
The three main needs which have been identified are:
Who does this coalition help? Everyone. Especially the youth. Every aspect of the community benefits when it comes to reducing substance abuse and suicide rates.
Again, back to the Social Development Research Group, we learn that CTC is a great investment. For every dollar invested in CTC, $5.31 is returned in the form of lower criminal justice system, crime victims, health care costs, and increased earnings and tax revenues.
The most important thing CTC would like to stress is the value of saving a life. This is done by teaching individuals in the community how to recognize whether or not someone is suicidal and how to intervene. Also, if they can help aid in the prevention of addiction for the youth-- it will be well worth it.
The CTC is run by the community which is made up of a: Key Leader Board, Community Board and several work groups. The Key Leader Board is made up of a representative from local government, Weber School District and Weber Human Services.
Their responsibilities lie within the coalition to oversee and assist with resources as needed. The Community Board is responsible for overseeing the strategic plan of the coalition and its application. The work groups are formed as needed to carry out the tasks of the specific plan.
How can you help? People can help by getting involved. The success of the CTC is dependent on local residents getting involved. Opportunities of all kinds are available with varied levels of commitment to anyone who wishes to help.
You can find out more information by going to www.weberctc.org
Lastly, Palau would like to say that, “It’s hard to see teen after teen choosing to drink and smoke and do drugs because of social pressures…I believe that it takes a village to raise a child and this coalition allows the entire community to get involved to create a better environment for the children of our future.”
Palau also believes, “The people in the Weber Cone area care about their families and children. Together we can do amazing things to bring change to our community.”
