YMCA Resource Center "Pathways" DELAWARE


PROJECT CHARACTERISTICS   PROGRAM AREA(S)
  Innovative Approach   Youth Programs
Alcohol and Other Drugs
 
TYPE OF JURISDICTION
  State
 
TARGETED POPULATION(S) JURISDICTION SIZE
  High School Students   700,000

PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION

Alcohol-related motor vehicle injuries and fatalities continue to be a menacing problem in Delaware among youth. Each generation of youth is naive about alcohol and/or drugs and needs to be educated. Students are accepting of drug and alcohol use, and few see it as posing a risk. Increasing substance abuse among youth contributes to an increase in risk-taking behavior when driving. According to the Perceptions, Activities and Use Survey (PACS) administered by the Delaware Department of Public Instruction to eleventh graders:



GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

To strengthen prevention education efforts, especially among youth nearing driving age, by:

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES

The YMCA Resource Center developed a four-hour combination of discussions and game playing designed to make learning fun while addressing being safe and sober on the highways. The program features a game of tic-tac-toe in which audience members are quizzed about various alcohol and other drug issues, followed by a discussion of alcohol and other drugs. There are also lessons on how to say no when offered drugs and alcohol and how to say no when asked to ride with someone who has been drinking or using other drugs. PATHWAYS, a gigantic board game, is played at the end of the session. Players roll dice and move cars along roadways on a 70-foot square map of Delaware. The game reinforces what the young people have learned in the earlier parts of the program.

RESULTS

PATHWAYS was highlighted in 1995 at both the SAFE KIDS Injury Prevention Conference and the Youth to Eliminate Loss of Life (YELL) Conference. Evaluations given after each program showed that the programs helped teach the effects of impaired driving. Training for school teachers was provided. Educational resources in both English and Spanish were purchased for schools and community centers.

The PATHWAYS program began with an advisory committee of educators and others who work with the target audience. YMCA staff members delivered the program to various high schools. The two major state newspapers have highlighted the program and its positive effects.