Members of the Lehigh County Communities That Care coalition gathered Dec. 3, 2013, at Lehigh Carbon Community College to discuss the initiatives they had taken to promote positive behavior among their communities' youth.

The coalition employs the "Communities That Care" model, "a framework for organizing communities around the wellness of the youth," Denise Continenza explained.

Continenza is a CTC community mobilizer for the Whitehall-Coplay and Salisbury Township areas. Her assistance in implementing the CTC model is made possible through a grant from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.

The PCCD granted funds to the Center for Humanistic Change and the Penn State Extension in Lehigh County to identify communities that would benefit from instituting the CTC model.

According to Continenza, "Salisbury and Whitehall-Coplay were identified as ready to implement the CTC model. Both districts were prepared to embark on coalition building."

One of the main features of the CTC model is the use of evidence-based programs and scientific data to identify and prevent risks, such as drugs and alcohol, young people are likely to encounter.

Through the collaboration of schools, communities, parents, law enforcement and religious institutions, measures are taken to prevent and eliminate these risk factors youth often face.

During the coalition meeting, keynote speaker Lee Rush commended the group for "taking the initiative to bring people together from various vocations who wish to serve the community in some way."

Rush, the recipient of the 2013 award for National Prevention Advocate from the Community Anti-Drug Coalition of America, emphasized how important it is for community members to band together to identify and prevent risks.

"Community is the hub that keeps us all together," Rush said.

In the Whitehall-Coplay School District, Whitehall Township Mayor Edward Hozza has been working with school administrators to build a strong relationship between the schools and the community.

"We are truly committed to this program in our diverse community of Whitehall Township," Hozza said.

Matt Ziegenfuss, an assistant principal in Whitehall High School, explained the district is currently working on the CTC model phase of creating a district profile.

To do this, the school administered the Pennsylvania Youth Survey to students in grades eight, 10 and 12 in the fall of 2012 and 2013. The surveys are intended to assess students' perceptions of and attitudes toward risky behavior, including drug and alcohol use.

The results of the surveys indicated "we have good kids and a good community," Continenza said.

However, some evidence exists for trends in risky behavior with drugs and alcohol. CTC members in Whitehall convened to brainstorm some root causes for the risk factors, and are moving into the CTC model phase of creating a community action plan to address these risks.

Dr. Lorie Hackett, assistant superintendent of Whitehall-Coplay School District, explained part of the action plan involved encouraging a "pro social community" and "scholastic behavior."

Hackett also said coalition members in the district intend to create focus groups with students, families and community members to get more feedback about their beliefs regarding risky behavior.

Using the information from the PAYS surveys and the focus groups, the coalition will begin evaluating the current programs the district has in place for risk prevention and determine which of these are effective and which need to be improved.

Michael Roth, superintendent of Salisbury Township School District, spoke about his district's and community's emphasis on prevention education.

Roth also emphasized the district's mission to "empower the youth to take a proactive role in society."

He also noted the responsibility of fostering a proactive mindset "can't fall all on the schools; there needs to be a partnership with the community."

Debra Brinton, a Salisbury Township commissioner, agreed with Roth, explaining, "to have a strong child you need a strong family, a strong community and a strong school system."

As both Whitehall-Coplay and Salisbury Township continue to implement the CTC model in their schools and communities, they expect to make headway in combatting the numerous risks faced by today's youth. Coalition members know it may take some time to see the changes, but they expect the benefits from using the CTC model will eventually pay off.

"If we can have a stronger Whitehall and a stronger Salisbury, we can have a stronger Allentown, which means a stronger Lehigh County, which means a stronger Lehigh Valley," Roth said.