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Organization: Northfield Healthy Community Initiative, Sara Koehler, Coordinator
The following information may be cited or quoted as long as the source is accurately mentioned and the words are not taken out of context.
Posted: April 19 2005,15:15 If you wrote this report, you will find a button here that you may click
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PROGRESS: Has your organization seen progress toward a culture of peace and nonviolence in your domain of action and in your constituency during the first half of the Decade?

Yes

OBSTACLES: What are the most important obstacles that have prevented progress?

Sustainability through continued funding is a yearly challenge.

ACTIONS: What actions have been undertaken by your organization to promote a culture of peace and nonviolence during the first half of the Decade?

In 2004, Northfield Healthy Community Initiative undertook the following activities:

Objective 1: Improve parents' abilities to talk to their children about drugs and alcohol
o Continued to develop the Parent Education And Resource Liaisons (PEARLs) project to enhance the network between parents, schools, and the community and to provide forums for parents to discuss issues relevant to their children; recruited PEARLs for each of the Northfield Public Schools
o HCI and PEARLs sponsored and/or coordinated 24 parent education events, reaching 1,316 people; 7 events were in Spanish
o Developed a ?Welcome Wagon? project with the Northfield Public Schools for newcomer families to the district, connecting them with available resources and putting them in contact with a PEARL to answer questions
o Supported and supplied new materials to the Parent Resource Carts in each Northfield Public School, containing grade-specific parenting books, videos, and other resources available for checkout in English and Spanish
o Helped coordinate the ?Gotta Be There - As a Parent, Not a Pal? parent education campaign, designed to educate Northfield parents about substance use and effective parenting strategies
o Supported the monthly distribution of the Parent Communication Network's (PCN) electronic parenting newsletter
o Assisted with the recruitment of 150 new parents to the PCN
o Coordinated a series of community roundtables held monthly on specific topics related to youth substance use
o Coordinated events for both youth and parents about youth sexual activity and parent/child communication
o Expanded development on the HCI website, with links to parenting websites and resources

Objective 2: Increase and enhance connections between youth and nurturing, caring adults
o Convened meetings of the Northfield Mentoring Coalition with representatives of the local youth mentoring programs; sought to increase collaboration and the number of mentoring matches; during 2004, the member agencies of the Mentoring Coalition matched 352 new youth with adult mentors
o Developed and supported a shared database for Mentoring Coalition members, containing names, contact information and interest areas of prospective mentors
o On behalf of the Mentoring Coalition, HCI assisted with the development of Connected Kids, a mentoring program that will pair 120 high-risk Northfield children with adults.  The project received a $450,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education
o Coordinated and sponsored 2 Spotlight on Youth events, reaching 76 Northfield youth and 50 Northfield adults; 92% of the youth attendees reported beginning a positive relationship with an adult they did not previously know
o Supported 29 intergenerational events, involving 2043 youth and 969 adults; 83% of youth attending these events reported developing a positive relationship with an adult they did not previously know; partnered with the Northfield Union of Youth, Freepops, Reaching Our Goals, Northfield Public Schools, Alternative Learning Center, Senior Center, Community Action Center, Carleton College, Familias En Accion, the Mother/Daughter Program and more
o Continued to support an assistant site supervisor/mentoring coordinator at the Middle School Youth Center (MSYC).  This person helps to engage the 50-75 middle school youth who attend the center each day after school in service-learning and entrepreneurial projects as well supports the site-based mentoring matches at the MSYC
o Contracted with Omada Behavioral Health Services to provide assessments and support services to Northfield youth using alcohol or drugs.  This counselor met with over 90 Northfield students in 2004
o HCI continued to partner with Rice County Community Connections (RCCC) and Omada to provide prevention and intervention services to Northfield youth.  Funds for these services come from RCCC.  56 Northfield youth received these free services in 2004
o Served as a clearinghouse for local residents interested in being a mentor or finding a mentor for their child

Objective 3: Convene groups committed to positive youth development and increase community education about youth substance use
o Convened monthly meetings of the HCI Board, Youth Plus Action Team, and Familias en Accion
o Administered, and compiled a school-based survey given to over 800 Northfield students, measuring the level of youth substance use, attitudes about use, and the presence of risk and protective factors in the community
o Gave presentations about HCI, Northfield youth substance use, and/or the benefits of intergenerational events to over 30 community groups
o Planned two community summits on reducing youth substance use
o Organized a youth sports fair to inform low-income youth about available sports opportunities; helped convene meetings of the Northfield Youth Sports Collaborative and pursued funds for a joint scholarship pool
o Hosted the 3rd annual Helping Professionals luncheon which brought together local service providers who work with youth and families in an effort to build collaboration and introduce providers to potential referral services
o Hosted Dr. Peter Benson, of the Search Institute, to speak about asset-building at HCI's 10th Anniversary Mid-year Celebration
o Planned a series of trainings to educate youth service professionals on identifying and responding to youth substance use.   There were 13 trainings held in 2004 involving 152 local professionals who work with youth
o Supported the Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) group at the Northfield High School and their plans to educate middle and high school students about the risks of drinking and drinking and driving
o Sponsored chemical-free activities for middle and high school students during non-school hours
o Developed a database of community members interested in being mentors
o Helping recruit youth for and supporting weekly enrichment activities at the Freepops summer program
o Worked with two groups of ?at-risk? youth to design marketing campaigns to educate Northfield teens about the disparities between the perception of youth substance use and actual use rates

ADVICE: What advice would you like to give to the Secretary-General and the General Assembly to promote a culture of peace and nonviolence during the second half of the Decade?


PARTNERSHIPS: What partnerships and networks does your organization participate in, thus strengthening the global movement for a culture of peace?

The Northfield Healthy Community Initiative partners with the following:

City of Northfield
Northfield Hospital
Northfield Public Schools
U.S. Dept. of Justice
Northfield Union of Youth
Kids Cafe
Middle School Youth Center
The Northfield Mentoring Coalition
Rice County Family Services Collaborative
Rice County Community Corrections
Omada Behavioral Services
Northfield Senior Center
Carleton College
St. Olaf College
Familias en Accion
Community Action Center

PLANS: What new engagements are planned by your organization to promote a culture of peace and nonviolence in the second half of the Decade (2005-2010)?

In addition to continuing the activities listed above, the Healthy Community Initiative plans adding the following:

o At the end of 2004 HCI developed a ?Toolkit for Sponsoring a Chemical Free Activity? and will disseminate the toolkit to over 30 community groups.  HCI will support these groups by sponsoring 20 chemical free events in 2005
o HCI will assist the Rice County Family Services Collaborative (RCFSC) and the Rice County Sheriff's Office (RCSO) with the creation and dissemination of a plan to educate local adults about why they should not provide alcohol, tobacco and other drugs (ATOD) to youth and the legal consequences of providing substances to young people
o HCI will aid the RCFSC and the RCSO with the institution of ?no use? policies for adults chaperoning or attending school and youth activities

Postal address of organization

1651 Jefferson Parkway
Suite 126
Northfield, MN  55057

E-mail address of organization

koehlersara@hotmail.com

Website address of organization

www.northfieldhci.org

Highest priority action domain of a culture of peace

www.northfieldhci.org

Second priority action domain of a culture of peace

*Understanding, tolerance and solidarity

Highest priority country of action (or international)


Second priority country of action (or international)

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Organization: Northfield Healthy Community Initiative, Sara Koehler, Coordinator

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