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About

Step Up Naugy is Naugatuck’s Local Prevention Coalition. We are a group made up of twelve community sectors (Parents, Schools, Youth-Serving Organizations, Youth, Health Care, Law Enforcement, Civic Groups, Faith-Based Communities, Media, Local Government, and Other Organizations that work with substance misuse and prevention), and concerned community members. The coalition is primarily a group of volunteers who work to keep Naugatuck youth safe, healthy, and drug-free.

History of the Coalition

The Naugatuck Prevention Council began in 1988 as part of the State of Connecticut Governor’s Initiative to establish Local Community Prevention Councils and continues to receive a small population based mini grant from Connecticut Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services as Local Prevention Council (LPC) funding. In Naugatuck, the Department of Naugatuck Youth and Family Services (NYFS) was appointed the LPC and its advisory board served as the Local Prevention Council, providing leadership and financial oversight. The LPC continues to be comprised of volunteers committed to the mission of reducing youth substance abuse in Naugatuck.

In 2003, Naugatuck began to experience an increase in “untimely deaths” that occurred over the span of a year due to drug use. Many young people were overdosing and dying as a result of heroin OxyContin and alcohol use. The Central Naugatuck Valley Regional Action Council (a regional organization charged with supporting communities to reduce youth substance abuse) provided technical assistance to the LPC which led the LPC to receive a one-time award of $20,000 to pursue an aggressive prevention media campaign and other evidence-based activities to address the crisis.

From 2004-2014, the coalition aimed to reduce substance abuse despite low community readiness and minimal funding. In 2014, the town decided to stop funding NYFS as a department of the town in order to save money, creating a significant challenge. The NYFS Advisory Board, knowing additional needs existed for youth in the community, pursued and received 501c3 non-profit status from the IRS and became the Board of Directors of the nonprofit Naugatuck Youth Services, Inc. Also in 2014, the Central Naugatuck Valley Regional Action Council convened the LPC and other community stakeholders such as police, Mayor, Board of Education, and the YMCA, in order to conduct community youth substance abuse needs assessments in communities where it had not been done previously. The purpose of the needs assessment was to further prevention initiatives, and the Search Institute’s Attitudes & Behaviors survey was administered to all 7th-12th graders in Naugatuck Public Schools. The results were presented and discussed with representatives from the police, school administration/superintendent, Naugatuck YMCA, Naugatuck Youth Services (NYS), and the mayor.

In November 2014, 18 community members from multiple sectors (school, youth-serving
organization, law enforcement, other agencies, parents, youth, healthcare & state) attended an LPC meeting, which included presentation of survey results and a “coalition 101” training from the Regional Action Council director and Youth Services director. The LPC used survey results to inform their strategies, programming and direction to move forward with while building the capacity of both the coalition and the organization.

In October 2015, coalition members completed the “Community Assistance Program” training - learning about current drug trends, problem gambling, and available community resources. From this training, the Juvenile Review Board saw the need to screen for substance use/abuse among teens referred to the program, and implemented the CRAFFT screen for all referrals. The JRB created a partnership with a substance abuse expert who could do in-depth evaluations for youth and consultations for families.
 

Becoming Step Up Naugy

On March 1, 2016 the coalition started using the name “Step Up Naugy” as a call to action for its residents to be part of the solution. This name was selected by a committee led by youth & supported by adults - with the belief that by building a network of concerned citizens we can promote a healthy, substance free community. In 2016, the coalition received training in environmental strategies, the Strategic Prevention Framework and began to focus on ensuring the use of evidence-based practices. 

Step up Naugy formalized its new structure in 2015. Coalition membership includes representation from each of the 12 sectors as well as individuals and organizations that support our mission. The membership participates in various sub-committees, assists with planning, programming, coalition decision making, and championing our mission in the community. Currently, the structure consists of an executive, coalition outreach, community awareness and communication, and the youth committees. The Executive Committee is comprised of the chair, vice chair, secretary, treasurer, and youth representative and a coalition member at large. It is responsible for making decisions, planning coalition meetings and activities, updating the NYS board of directors quarterly and provides oversight of the coalition’s finances.