Program:
SADD National Awareness Program
- Budget:
-
$1,180,801
- Category:
-
Youth Development
- Population Served:
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Children and Youth (infants - 19 years.)
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Adults
Program Description:
SADD supports the growth and development of chapters primarily in middle and high schools across the country through programming and leadership training and promotes awareness of youth issues to the general public.
SADD participates in regional and national forums and coalitions focused on issues related to its mission: underage drinking, other drug use, risky and impaired driving, teen violence and suicide, and other destructive decisions.
SADD also supports a network of state coordinators funded through government or charitable organizations to help deliver quality education and prevention materials and programming. These state coordinators work closely with the SADD advisors in their local networks to ensure program success.
Independent studies have shown that students in schools with an established SADD chapter are more aware of and informed about the risks of underage drinking, other drug use, and impaired driving. Students in schools with a SADD chapter are also more likely to hold attitudes reflecting positive reasons not to use alcohol.
Program Long-Term Success:
Since 1981, SADD has grown to become the leading youth-based prevention, education, and activism organization in the country. SADD has a registered network of nearly 10,000 SADD chapters with approximately 350,000 participating youth and more than 10,000 adult advisors. This represents approximately seven million youth in U.S. schools where SADD chapters exist.
As an active, established youth prevention program, SADD reaches into more schools and touches more young people for longer periods of time than does any other program. We are committed to delivering quality programming and continuously enhancing our ability to effectively reach young people, their families, and other caring adults.
Program Short-Term Success:
Every year, established SADD chapters re-register with the National office of SADD and new SADD chapters register for the first time, benefiting from the array of free tools, services, and resources that SADD, Inc. can offer. SADD distributes two electronic newsletters and communicates directly with youth through social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube; hosts a website which averages 44,000 unique visitors monthly; regularly releases to media outlets opinion-editorials and articles on pertinent youth-oriented topics; conducts and reports on national research on teen attitudes and behaviors; runs a four-day national youth leadership conference annually; sponsors a National Student Leadership Council and Student of the Year, providing members with four in-person peer leadership training retreats; hosts a SADD Speaker Series of motivational presentations highlighting original SADD research and practical solutions to difficult issues; and most importantly, raises funds for the development and dissemination of information and programming.
According to national research, 86 percent of teens and 95 percent of parents who are aware of SADD think SADD plays a positive role in influencing the choices teens make.
Program Success Monitored by:
SADD monitors progress of key campaign activities through evaluations submitted by SADD advisors from throughout the country, providing information and trainings on science-based prevention programming, and sharing "best practices" to encourage SADD chapters to replicate effective programming and awareness activities that have proven successful elsewhere.
Program Success Examples:
SADD’s unique approach involves young people delivering education and prevention messages to their peers through school- and communitywide activities and campaigns responsive to the needs of their particular locations. Projects may include peer-led classes and theme-focused forums, teen workshops, conferences and rallies, prevention education, leadership training, awareness-raising activities, and legislative work.
SADD offers a calendar planning tool and campaign kits for chapters to help structure their activities and initiatives through the school year. Typically, SADD chapters begin their year with a SADD membership drive and kick off their prevention programming with the implementation of Red Ribbon Week activities which focus on promoting a drug-free lifestyle.
SADD chapters share "best practices" with others throughout the country through a section entitled "Chapter Chatter" in SADD's quarterly national newsletter and online at sadd.org in vignettes posted on "Real Life SADD."
Discussions also surface on our social networking sites where students share tips, advice, and useful ideas for other SADD chapters to consider duplicating in their school or community.
Program:
State Awareness Program
- Budget:
-
$715,193
- Category:
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Public, Society Benefit
- Population Served:
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Female Youth/Adolescents (14 - 19 years)
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Male Youth/Adolescents (14 - 19 years)
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Adults
Program Description:
SADD is conducting a research-based pilot study in Marlborough and Chatham, Massachusetts, that engages youth and influential adults in preventing underage drinking. This campaign challenges several deeply-held beliefs: that most teens are drinking alcohol; that there are no real negative consequences when teens drink; that teens don't face any peer pressure to drink; and that drinking is a "rite of passage" for teens as they approach adulthood. This innovative, multi-component campaign also involves parents, school administrators, law enforcement, and the local media as it seeks to help youth and adults challenge these common beliefs and to assist community leaders to clarify and enforce policies that deter youth drinking. Post evaluation, it is anticipated that a national campaign model will emerge from this local pilot.
The National office of SADD also houses the Massachusetts SADD program which conducts a full range of programming and youth leadership development training with more than 300 SADD chapters in schools across the Commonwealth.
Program Long-Term Success:
As noted, post evaluation, it is anticipated that a national campaign model will emerge from this local pilot which is designed to prevent underage drinking.
Program Short-Term Success:
SADD is in the second year of this three-year research-based pilot study. To date, the school administrators, students, and adults involved have been highly engaged.
Pre-test data is just now being compiled and analyzed by the research company involved in this program. Post evaluation, all data will be reviewed, analyzed, and presented in a program executive summary.
Working with an advertising agency, SADD has also helped design and launch a unique, interactive youth-friendly website that is garnering a tremendous amount of attention from the students in the control schools in this pilot.
Program Success Monitored by:
Once this pilot study is complete and the data analyzed, SADD plans to submit this underage drinking prevention program to a national organization that evaluates and recognizes proven effective programming.
Program Success Examples:
This pilot study is designed to help youth and adults challenge common beliefs about underage drinking and to assist community leaders to clarify and enforce policies that deter youth drinking. Results will be available post evaluation.