About Somerville Cares About Prevention (SCAP)
Our mission is to bring together and mobilize the diverse community of Somerville to prevent and address issues associated with substance abuse while promoting positive mental, spiritual, and physical health, especially among our youth.
Somerville Cares About Prevention, a community based coalition supported by the City's Health Department, works to reduce substance abuse, as well as the harms associated with such use among Somerville residents with a particular focus on youth.
We work with parents, schools, community organizations and retailers. SCAP believes in addressing the issues of alcohol and drug abuse by adhering to the principle of using "Multiple Strategies in Multiple Settings." We welcome participation and ideas from community members. Please contact us about ways to get involved!
Our Goals
- Reduce underage drinking and drug use
- Mobilize community members to help protect youth and influence them to make positive choices
- Increase knowledge of risks associated with substance use
- Increase knowledge of protective factors that can help youth avoid substance use
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Somerville Positive Forces (SPF)
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Subcommittees
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Executive Team
Somerville Positive Forces (SPF)
Make a Difference! Become a Youth Leader for Somerville Positive Forces (SPF)
We are looking for energetic high school youth and middle-school youth leaders, to serve as leaders as part of a team that addresses community issues related to underage drinking, drug use, and bullying.
What SPF Youth Leaders Do
- Promote supports and solutions for issues that Somerville youth face;
- Create TV Public Service Announcements to educate the community about issues related to drug and alcohol abuse;
- Conduct awareness campaigns to remind adults and youth not to give alcohol to people under 21;
- Collaborate with community members and organizations to support group goals;
- Serve as a Drug/Alcohol-Free Role Model for Somerville youth and around prevention efforts.
Benefits of Joining SPF
- Make money: receive a stipend for participation in all SPF meetings and activities
- Make new friends, connect with leaders, and earn volunteer hours
- Build your resume and college applications
- It's fun, it's service, and it matters!
For more information, please contact Lovelee Heller at 617-625-6600 x4322 or lheller@somervillema.gov.
Apply Now
Subcommittees
Community Alcohol Awareness Project
The Community Alcohol Awareness Project (formerly known as the Environmental Strategies Subcommittee) Committee identifies and prioritizes initiatives to reduce commercial and non-commercial youth access to alcohol, as well as decrease alcohol specific media on youth. Members are also carry out initiatives with the support of SCAP staff.
Evaluation Team
This subcommittee, with representatives from SCAP and the Institute from Community Health (ICH), strives to conduct comprehensive, participatory evaluations for SCAP. The Institute for Community Health (ICH) implements the evaluation of several components of SCAP's projects; including the Coalition, Guiding Good Choices, and Somerville Positive Forces - 100% Protection Against Destructive Decisions Youth Group.
The ICH is a research institute dedicated to health status improvement through community-based research, program evaluation, assessment, dissemination, and educational activities. The ICH was founded in 2000 through a unique collaboration of Partners Healthcare, Mount Auburn Hospital and the Cambridge Health Alliance. The goals of ICH are to advance community health research; promote community health education and training; develop community action programs and policy; and forge linkages among health care systems, community partners, and academic institutions with shared community health objectives. Underlying all Institute work is a commitment to understanding and respecting diverse populations, safeguarding privacy, and building lasting relationships among partners. The Institute for Community Health offers a unique combination of skills and experience in the areas of data collection (surveys, interviews, and focus groups), analysis, program planning, and evaluation to support SCAP to meet its goals. Learn more about ICH at http://www.icommunityhealth.org/. For more information contact them by phone at 617-499-6670, or by email.
Student Health Survey Task Force
The Student Health Survey Task Force provides the SCAP Coalition with support on the creation, revision, administration, and analysis of the annual Somerville Student Health Survey. This subcommittee, with representatives from SCAP, Social Science Research and Evaluation, Inc, Somerville Health Department, Somerville Public Schools and the Institute from Community Health (ICH), strives to conduct a comprehensive evaluation for the Somerville community by obtaining and tracking trend data on issues relating to student health, such as substance use depression and suicide, violence and safety, sexual behavior, and physical and dietary behavior. Although this survey is administered to students in grades 6-8 and 9-12 (alternating years), this does not mean that the issues addressed are confined solely to youth. It is also important to keep in mind that while the survey focuses on a number of risky behaviors, it may not fully address the many positive aspects of adolescent life. The survey is one tool that the Coalition uses to measure the health of the Somerville community and inform future prevention strategies.
Somerville Committee for Suicide Prevention and Mental Health
This committee has a vision that all young people in Somerville feel safe and cared for and have a caring adult to reach out to when in trouble in and out of school. Caregivers including parents, teachers, and coaches have supports and people they turn to when they are stressed out and overwhelmed. A sense of calm, togetherness and vigilance to stop any suicidal behaviors and overdoses is evident throughout the whole community. Suicide and drug overdose attempts and completions are reduced and we observe increase in youth coming forward seeking. (Learn more)
Executive Team
The Executive Team reviews the progress of Coalition projects, identifies successes on which to expand, and challenges to address. Members are integral with brainstorming potential resources, prioritizing initiatives, and helping plan and implement Coalition events and projects.