Through funding from the Lancaster Drug and Alcohol Commission, Compass Mark began a new program initiative designed to provide resources and technical assistance to grassroots organizations and coalitions throughout Lancaster County. The goal of this program is to actively facilitate the growth and expansion of community-based drug prevention activities at the local level. In addition,…
Leaders of Future Generations at Taylor Campus Middle School in Columbia Borough School District. Our Leaders of Future Generations program is now up and running in Columbia! Twelve 5th- and 6th-grade students participated and were incredibly enthusiastic to join in the fun! During the first session of 2021, the students collaborated to create their own…
Prevention of substance use and gambling disorders is NOT simply about telling kids not to do these things. Effective prevention starts with identifying what children and youth in the community need, and then meeting that need with research-backed strategies. Risk & Protective Factors: The Foundation for Effective Prevention Risk factors are those things that increase…
It may be a hard sell–in the middle of a public health pandemic, with an addiction crisis still looming–to get excited about prevention science. But we are always passionate about preventing substance misuse and problem gambling, and love to share that excitement with you. While coronavirus takes center stage, public health is always in the…
Compass Mark, once again, paired with the Lebanon County Commission on Drug and Alcohol Abuse to distribute red ribbons to school across Lebanon County. Students will wear the ribbons to help celebrate Red Ribbon Week from October 23rd through October 31st. The Red Ribbon Week Campaign serves to educate youth and promote involvement in drug…
On Saturday October 21st Josh Mountz, Compass Mark Prevention Specialist, joined Chief Todd Breiner from the Lebanon City Police for the DEA’s National Drug Take Back Day. The event is dedicated to collecting unused or expired medication to make sure that they do not get into the wrong hands. Pennsylvania Youth Survey data states that…
Last month Compass Mark, in partnership with the Lancaster Lebanon IU13, held the annual Pennsylvania Youth Survey (PAYS) Summit. This event was designed to teach schools and administrators on how to integrate the PAYS substance use data in local planning. Summit attendees learned how to read and interpret the data, recognize, and address risk factors,…
The Positive Change Conference is Lancaster County’s community conference on addiction, serving helping professionals, college students, and anyone interested in addiction prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery. Although it’s been an annual event in one form or another since 1991, Compass Mark ran the event from 2012 to 2018, when we began a partnership with Millersville…
Effective and comprehensive school-based prevention programs help students develop social skills, decision-making skills, and coping skills, all of which are important tools for kids in avoiding ATOD use. Since kids are often at-risk years before they actually use, prevention programs should begin as early as elementary school, with frequent reinforcement throughout middle and high school….