SolancoNews.com, PA
09-12-06
Penn State Extension Program Honored by National 4-H
UNIVERSITY PARK -- A multi-level alcohol and drug-prevention program that
brings together representatives from Penn State Cooperative Extension, local
school districts and community service agencies with parents, youth and other
community members has been cited as a Program of Distinction by the National
4-H Headquarters.
The PROSPER (Promoting School-Community-University Partnerships to
Enhance Resilience) program, a collaborative, community-based initiative, has
been inducted into the National 4-H Programs of Distinction database
(http://www.national4-hheadquarters.gov/about/pod.htm), a searchable Webbased resource containing descriptions of high-quality youth development
programs in communities across the United States.
"We're happy that National 4-H has added PROSPER to its national database,"
says Claudia Mincemoyer, associate professor in Penn State's agricultural and
extension education department and co-investigator on the PROSPER research
team. "This added exposure will help communities and their families become
aware of this quality youth prevention program.
"The PROSPER project underscores the potential of the community-university
partnership model," says Daniel Perkins, Penn State professor of agricultural and
extension education and PROSPER co-investigator, who says PROSPER's
status as a Program of Distinction also demonstrates the value of the work of
Pennsylvania program teams.
The program uses the partnership model to reduce rates of youth substance use
and other problem behaviors, as well as to foster positive youth development,
according to Perkins. These goals are accomplished through teaching skills that
foster improved family life and parent-child communication, along with providing
students with skills for planning, problem-solving and peer resistance against
problem behaviors.
Statewide, PROSPER reaches about 6,000 youths in seven school districts:
Bradford, West Perry, Littlestown, Carbondale, Jim Thorpe, Salisbury and
Wyoming Valley West. In each location, a local community team led by an
extension educator oversees project activities to assure that programs are wellreceived within schools and communities and implemented with the highest
quality to assure maximum positive impact.
Studies show PROSPER participants are less prone than their peers to youthful
experimenting with drugs, tobacco or alcohol and less likely to have used
marijuana or inhalants in the last year compared to nonparticipants. Recent
economic studies also show that this type prevention program is cost-effective to
communities.
"Because there is less need for the use of the court system and drug and alcohol
rehabilitation services, PROSPER communities are saving money," says Mark
Greenberg, distinguished professor and prevention scientist at Penn State and
co-principal investigator for the project. "For every dollar the community spends
on prevention programming, they are potentially saving $9.60 in related
services." He estimates that the partnership prevents between five and six future
cases of alcohol abuse for every 100 participating students.
"Schools do not have to deal with these issues alone; evidence-based
programming and technical support come from the local PROSPER team," says
Greenberg, who notes that PROSPER is reaching its goal of reducing rates of
youth substance use and problem behavior, fostering positive youth development
and improving family communication.
Early results from the PROSPER study indicate that youth who participated in the
programs report their parents are using improved child management techniques
(e.g., effective discipline), as compared to youth not in the program. In addition,
youth reported stronger skills, such as refusing to use substances, greater
intention to avoid substance use and improved problem solving.
PROSPER is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National
Institutes of Health and is being conducted in collaboration with Iowa State
University. For more information, visit the PROSPER project Web site
(http://www.prosper.ppsi.iastate.edu) or contact Perkins at (814) 865-6988 or
Mincemoyer at (814) 863-7851.