Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, Conehatta, Mississippi
INTRODUCTION
The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians (MBCI) has been addressing substance abuse prevention for many years. As a Drug Free Communities grantee, MBCI established the Choctaw Prevention Planning Coalition in 2003 and began recruiting partners, an ongoing process as individuals come and go and additional partners are identified. The group uses a coalition model to deliver substance abuse prevention services to the 10,500 enrolled members of the Choctaw Tribe residing across rural east-central Mississippi. Half of that population consists of youth ages 18 and younger. Conehatta is a rural tribal community, with few activities for youth and limited capacity for enforcement of underage drinking prevention laws. It became the location for a 2014 Town Hall Meeting when local residents asked the coalition for prevention information to help them address the serious underage drinking problem in Conehatta.
EVENT DESCRIPTION
The Conehatta Boys and Girls Club served as the community partner responsible for helping the coalition plan, promote, and host a May 8, 2014, Town Hall Meeting at its facility. About 25 middle school and high school youth members were involved; some were panelists at the event. The program took place from 4:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., allowing participants time to visit display booths offering information and materials on various community health topics, ranging from risks posed by poisonous snakes in the area during the summer months to community risk factors for underage drinking and local resources for teens already engaged in substance abuse. Some vendors offered giveaways or refreshments, which helped draw attendance by parents and young people who then stayed to hear Town Hall Meeting presentations from school personnel, law enforcement, and prevention professionals. Their presentations emphasized short- and long-term consequences of underage drinking and other substance abuse and their relationship to other community problems, such as domestic violence. The impact of alcohol on the developing brain was discussed, and protective factors to support youth resilience were explained. A unique feature that helped hold audience attention was use of a “prevention ball” bearing various imprinted substance abuse questions: Presenters tossed the ball to someone in the audience and would award a token prize for a correct answer.
MEASURES OF SUCCESS
This event was not the first Town Hall Meeting hosted by the Choctaw Prevention Planning Coalition. The coalition began holding Town Hall Meetings in 2008 to help deliver evidence-based programs to gatherings of youth and their parents. These events have been useful in bringing many people together at one time and place instead of requiring coalition staff to travel to address one person or family at a time. Similar to the coalition’s previous Town Hall Meetings, the Conehatta event helped to teach attendees about the holistic effects of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs and to connect them with individual, family, community, and cultural protective factors. Several audience members indicated to the event organizers that they had gained new information about underage drinking, its consequences, and its prevention. In addition, the event introduced many attendees to specific services in their community that could help them with problems affecting family well-being. Showcasing MBCI programs and the work of its coalition partners increased community appreciation for prevention and its benefits.
NEXT STEPS
Town Hall Meetings held by the coalition fit into its broader public education efforts that extend throughout the year. The coalition followed up this event with a prevention-focused youth fair in June for approximately 350 youth. The week-long Choctaw Indian Fair was held in July, and the coalition used the opportunity to make underage drinking prevention information available to crowds there. Additional outreach included the distribution of prevention information at the beginning of the school year and in support of Recovery Month in September. Underage drinking prevention will be included in year-end strategic prevention planning for the organization.
For further information:
Bettye Tate, Program Director
(601) 389–6291
btategardner@choctaw.org
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