20 Southington Magazine — Summer 2017

By E. Richard FortunatoIn today’s third in our series on the dedicated work

of Southington’s celebrated non-profit charities, civ-ic, fraternal and service organizations, we present a view of the inner-working of (STEPS). A story that demonstrates the effectiveness and influence of the collaborative efforts of Southington’s community partnerships in the miracle of Southington’s compas-sionate spirit.

“Ten years ago, we were tragically awakened by a series of youth suicides in our town”, said John Myers, Executive Director of the Southington-Cheshire Com-munity YMCAs, and one of the founding fathers of STEPS. “Many were talking about the horrible events. A call came to me from one of our youth, Evelyn Ciaburri. Our youth were alarmed, they were seeking

advice, reaching out for help. They wanted it to stop!”A handful of us came together, the Rev. Victoria

Triano, Sue Saucier (Youth Services Director), the Rev. Dr. Gordon Ellis, Superintendent Harvey Polansky, Lowell DePalma of the Southington P.D. and I knew we had to act, to open a sustainable path with a safety net around our kids. We had to take a close, hard look in the mirror. What was happening? We had to involve and engage a wide community coalition of all sectors of the town sitting at the table. Not just the schools, not just the families. What we were dealing with had an impact on everyone.” Myers said.

A mission was born with a small but resolute group intuitively recognizing that they were undertaking a challenge to our culture itself. Could they bring about a paradigm change, reversing the toxic norms envel-

Making Substance Abuse Prevention a Priority

in Southington

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oping our youth? Inaction was not a viable option. But, they needed hard data, an effective platform and a strategy to engage the entire community. The Search Institute had identified 40 building blocks of healthy development known as “Developmental As-sets” that help youngsters grow up healthy, caring, and responsible.

“The town-wide coalition needed a face, a point person, the glue to keep us together.” Myers said. “We discovered Kelly (Berkmoes) Leppard and hired her nine years ago as the Town’s Youth Preven-tion Coordinator with an office within the Youth Service Department at the old Gura Building.” The group brainstormed and came up the catchy name of STEPS, “Southington’s Town-wide Effort to Pro-mote Success”, thus reinforcing the long-term com-mitment of its vision. “The rest was to become an awe inspiring history as countless numbers stepped forward proclaiming, ‘I’m in!’ ”, Myers said.

“The first step was to understand the adversary, and to identify and tackle the issues within our com-munity and global culture endangering the healthy growth of our youth”, Leppard said. “Essentially, the four threats to our youth were: (1) tobacco, ciga-rettes, (including e-cigs and vaping products today); (2) alcohol; (3) marijuana; and (4) prescription drugs, including opiates.

We needed data measuring student incidence

22 Southington Magazine — Summer 2017

of substance use and attitudes. A major step was our institution of the biennial surveys of seventh, ninth and eleventh graders attending Southington Public Schools which addresses the previous 30-day use of students, their perception of harm, peer attitudes, risk and parental disapproval. The approach had to be positive, engaging the engagement of kids and par-ents alike. Introducing the 40 Developmental Assets would become the keystone and launching point to an ever-widening progression of positive activity.

DePaolo Middle School Counselor Stephen Nyer-ick, a leading role player in the training and rolling out the Asset Building Classroom, states “The ABC pro-gram is the educational piece of the STEPS paradigm. Each May, more than 100 students, parents and staff from all the elementary and secondary schools, in-cluding ALTA, attend a one day ABC training session at DePaolo. Training includes an overview of the STEPS initiative in the Southington community: learning how the 40 Assets are the definitive building blocks in helping our youth grow up as healthy, caring and responsible citizens.” ABC teams promote “The Asset of the Month” at each school and develop strategies to continue ABC team successes, sharing, discussing and planning school and community-wide activities. Each school year, new ABC team members are recruit-ed and trained for the work of the coming year. Stu-dents take on “leadership” roles, promoting activities

and events that highlight each school’s Asset of the Month. School Superintendent Timothy Connellan fully supports the ABC initiative in our schools as an invaluable part of the STEPS mission to the Southing-ton community.

Leppard said: “The STEPS town-wide coalition includes the Southington Police Department, Clergy Association, Board of Education and each school, the media, business community, healthcare, civic and ser-vice organizations, Town government, the military/veterans groups, and most significantly, the parents and students whose daily lives and future are at stake.” In high gear year round, STEPS keeps adults and parents informed about the drugs their kids are facing, how it starts, how they can help prevent youth substance abuse and the connections between alco-hol consumption, future substance abuse and Con-necticut’s Social Host Law, which, unbeknownst to many, makes adults legally responsible for underage drinking in their homes. The SPD’s is vibrantly en-gaged in enforcement and increasing the awareness of the movement and its purpose. Wheeler Clinic is a great partner of the STEPS Advisory Board in promot-ing informational forums, literature and educational support. Local media coverage through the years has played a significant role in developing community awareness and involvement.

With a decade of high profile positive youth pro-

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grams and a well-articulated mes-sage, disseminated by a galvanized corps of motivated volunteers and organizations, the STEPS coalition has driven wider support in its value. Yet, today in Southington, young people obtain access to al-cohol from their own homes, with or without parental permission, or from bars, restaurants and pack-age stores selling to minors.

There is a diminishing per-ception of harm from marijuana among adults and kids today be-cause of the legalization of medi-cal marijuana, the decriminaliza-tion of its use and the continuing legislative debate on legalization of leisure use of pot. Thus, youth, and parents are often dismissive or unmindful of the risks of mari-juana and uninformed as to the scientific evidence that (1) mari-juana is the gateway drug in the use of 95% of those addicted to heroin, and (2) that its use in teen years risks lowering a person’s IQ and can increase the risk of mental health problems, e.g. depression and anxiety, resulting in a-motiva-tional syndrome, and a diminishing loss of drive to engage in formerly rewarding activities.

Nonetheless, in Southington, survey data shows 2 percent of sev-enth graders, 14 percent of ninth graders and 28 percent of elev-enth graders used marijuana once or more in the past 30 days. Worse still, since 2009, the percentage of students that think marijuana is harmful has decreased from 83 percent to 66 percent. Today, more young people smoke marijuana than cigarettes! Among eleventh graders, 85 percent believe their parents would disapprove of mari-juana use. Conversely, 15 percent feel their parents would approve and 68 percent report that it would be easy to gain access to pot.

These are some of the rea-sons why STEPS must continue to (1) meet with state legislators of-fering factual information on the risks of marijuana to adolescent brain development, (2) educate parents and the community and (3)

24 Southington Magazine — Summer 2017

run effective public service campaigns. “But, the importance of open communication be-

tween parents and kids about the negative effects of alcohol and drugs cannot be overstated. Unaware of the contents of e-cigarettes and vaping, kids perceive them to be less harmful than cigarettes or not harm-ful at all. Not so.” Leppard stated. ABCs and youth cre-ativity have effectively encouraged youth groups and parents to come up with family activities. A popular program using playing cards as family conversation openers swept the town just a few years back. Fami-lies seated around a table or space at home or away, alternately turn cards over to view various topics for discussion among family members. The engagement was fun and allowed the family to explore their col-lective reflections.

STEPS supports professional development of our police officers in controlling behind the scenes par-ty dispersals and social media related to covert sub-stance abuse.

“Last year, STEPS paid for breathalyzers for the use of the administration at Southington H.S. in school sponsored dances, proms and other social gatherings to deter student drinking.”

Aside from the hundreds of students involved in Asset Building Classrooms, there is a volunteer STEPS Youth Committee serving the community in many ways with their actions inspiring the far-reaching ad-

miration of citizens in town. “The STEPS Youth Coun-cil, a body of thirty students, working specifically on prevention initiatives, builds leadership skills in young people, gives them opportunities for their voices to be heard as they work on projects that positively im-pact the entire community. The STEPS ‘84 Campaign’, whose secret revealed that 84 percent of youth do not drink, reversing the myth that everyone drinks!”, Lep-pard said. The youth council also initiated action for the passage of two town ordinances through its spe-cific efforts: one for the placement of tobacco delivery products behind the counter of convenience stores, as required for cigarettes, so that outlets don’t look like smoke shops. The second ordinance requires local es-tablishments advertising alcohol to include the state-ment: “We ID and require proof of age, 21 and over.”

Dry or dull, data is sharp and clear and STEPS proudly notes these accomplishments since the es-tablishment of ‘Developmental Assets’ a decade ago. • Caring school climate has increased by 12 percent-

age points.• Parent involvement in schooling up by 10 points.• Youth feel they are a valued resource in the commu-

nity is up by 9 percentage points. • Family Boundaries increased by 9 points.• Adult role models and positive peer influence have

both increased by 13 points.• Equality and social justice asset have increased by

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12 points. • Previous 30-day use rates: alcohol down six points;

tobacco by four; marijuana and Rx drugs remain the same, though that is a positive compared to today’s societal culture.

The perception of parental disapproval of the use of alcohol is up by seven points, i.e. fewer youth believe their parents would not disapprove of their drinking. And, the perception of using alcohol is up by 14 points, meaning, more kids believe using alcohol is risky.

“The BOE is a leading resource in a well-coordi-nated town-wide coalition. And this year, we’re col-laborating with the SPD, the SHS administration and the Wheeler Clinic partners at the resource fair.” Leppard said. “Also, CAPP, The CT Association of Prevention Pro-fessionals, will debut its ‘Hidden in Plain Sight’ backpack, one that is filled with items youth might use to conceal substances, e.g. a hair brush that opens from the top to hide pot, or a can of Pringles that opens from the bottom, but does not contain Pringles.” As President of CAPP, Leppard collaborates with the state network of prevention

professionals to expand its collective efforts. Every student in our schools has been exposed

to the positive force of STEPS. Hundreds have been deeply engaged and recognized by the community in the last decade. Many have gone on to succeed in di-verse fields. Two years ago, three youth council lead-ers, Sarah Lamb, Justine Griffin, and Trever Rogers, were honored by the YMCA for their Youth Council leadership. An honoree this year was SHS Senior Mor-gan Maccione who said: “Through STEPS, I have more confidence because when I spoke I was heard and my voice mattered.”

STEPS matters! More at southingtonsteps.org