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In achieving the final phase of the best-practice process, Communities That Care (CTC), the Kootenai Alliance for Children and Families (KACF) in carrying out its Community Action Plan and implementing an outcome-based summit that will address the Transition and Mobility risk factor identified as one of four priority risk factors for Kootenai County based on analysis of the CTC Youth Survey and Kootenai County Community Profile.
Research suggests that communities that are characterized by high rates of mobility appear to be linked to an increased risk of drug and crime problems. By meeting specific outcomes, KACF and the community will have a direct environmental effect on the risk factor of Transition and Mobility that affects individuals, families, community and schools. CTC board members, KACF members and key partners will plan and implement the summit.
The Transition and Mobility summit — titled “The Other Kootenai County” will focus on specific outcomes and target specific populations, individual and community, that have an impact on the main issues of Transition and Mobility in Kootenai County, such as business, education and lawmakers. Secondary target is youth and families. The issue of Transition and Mobility include but are not limited to:
· Homelessness · school mobility including redistricting and natural transition from elementary to middle school to high school · low-wages · high cost of living · population growth.
The summit will provide a panel with experts on key Transition and Mobility issues and offer an open forum facilitated by experts to focus on the individual issues of Transitions and Mobility to create accountability and identify community-specific solutions. Specific outcomes sought are to:
· Educate and create awareness about the separate issues of Transition and Mobility. · Create accountability in those populations that can have a high impact, positive or negative, on any one of the issues of Transition and Mobility. · Create local, community solutions to address the separate issues of Transition and Mobility. · Create ongoing collaborative partnerships within the community that are needed to plan, implement and sustain efforts that have an impact on Transition and Mobility.
In providing a forum that addresses the key issues of Transition and Mobility through education, solutions and action, this summit will not only work toward reducing the impact of substance abuse among youth, families and community, but also problem behaviors of delinquency, school dropout, teen pregnancy and violence.
The summit does meet one or more of the prevention priorities specified in Region I Prevention Plan. The summit will address three of the four “critical” prevention strategies regarding school transition and will indirectly affect many of the “important” prevention strategies through environmental approaches or strategies arising from the summit. For the Region I Prevention Plan visit http://www.Preventionidaho.net
For more information about the summit and “The Other Kootenai County,” please contact the Kootenai Alliance for Children & Families office at (208) 676-8293. |
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The Other Kootenai County |