Sitka Town Meeting
Town Meeting Project
This project launched a community dialogue regarding two key factors that affect drug and alcohol use prevention efforts among youth: youth's perception of risk to alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) use, and youth's perception of parent and community approval/disapproval to youth using ATOD. High School students worked with the school administration and community providers to create the final survey about these perception questions that was administered to a sample of middle school and high school students.
A facilitated dialogue with a youth panel gave the community a chance to hear the results of the survey, and learn from teens themselves about how students decide what behaviors are risky, and how peers, parents, and the community affect their choices. The meeting served as an opportunity for the community to get involved and make an even more effective difference in the lives of Sitka’s teens.
Perception Survey
Matthew Turner worked with Dan Langbauer’s high school statistics class on this phase of the project. The Safe and Drug Free Grant for the Sitka School District requires an annual survey of a sampling of middle school and high school students on two for the measure of student's perception: of the risk of ATOD use, and of parental and community approval/disapproval of ATOD use. The class developed a survey the method for gathering the sample of the student population for the survey. Joe Little, a math professor at UAS also reviewed the survey and made suggestions.
The survey was administered to a random sample of students in grades 8, and 10, and 12 from Blatchley Middle School, Sitka High School and Pacific High School. The surveys were anonymous. The statistics class analyzed the data and prepared a report before the town meeting.
Focus Groups
Focus groups give insights into not just what participants think, but also why they think it. A diverse sample of students who took the survey met in small groups with Donna Rae Faulkner, M. Ed., and their Sitka school counselors. They discussed the Perception Survey data and findings, and responded to questions about risk consequences and choices, what influences student choices, messages students get from the community about risks and choices. They provided recommendations on how the community – peers, parents, and providers – can support teens in making healthy choices.
Town Meeting
A select group of students from the focus groups served as a youth panel for the town meeting, at Centennial Hall on February 12. The meeting was recorded and broadcast on Northstar, KSCW TV. The meeting was facilitated by Donna Rae Faulkner. In addition to the panel, there were 75 people in attendance.
Students from the SHS statistics class briefly presented findings from the survey. The youth panel reflected on those findings and the discussions from the focus groups. The panel took questions and comments from the community and then shared their recommendations on how to more effectively support Sitka teens in making healthy choices.
Organizations, providers and individuals had opportunities to post “Call for Action” requests that answer either of these questions:
What can somebody (or a group) from Sitka do with my organization/program right now to make a difference for youth?
What would I like to see anyone do in their home or neighborhood to make a positive difference for youth?