Our Programs

1. Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol
   Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol (CMCA) is a community-organizing program designed to reduce adolescent (13 to 20 years old) access to alcohol by changing community policies and practices. Initiated in 1991, CMCA has proven that effectively limiting the access to alcohol to people under the legal drinking age not only directly reduces teen drinking, but also communicates a clear message to the community that underage drinking is inappropriate and unacceptable.

   CMCA employs a range of social organizing techniques to address legal, institutional, social, and health issues in order to reduce youth alcohol use by eliminating illegal alcohol sales to youth by retailers and obstructing the provision of alcohol to youth by adults.


2. Strengthening Families Program
   The Strengthening Families Program I (SFP-I) involves elementary school aged children (6 to 12 years old) and their families in family skills training sessions. SFP uses family systems and cognitive-behavioral approaches to increase resilience and reduce risk factors for behavioral, emotional, academic, and social problems. It builds on protective factors by:
   • Improving family relationships
   • Improving parenting skills
   • Increasing the youth's social and life skills
   SFP offers incentives for attendance, good behavior in children, and homework completion to increase program recruitment and participation.

3. Students Managing Anger and Resolution Together Team
   an eight-module, multimedia software program designed to teach violence prevention messages and methods to students in grades six through nine (11 to 15 years old). The program’s content fits well with commonly used conflict-mediation curricula and other violence prevention strategies schools may implement. Operation is straightforward, so students can access the modules independently for information, skill-building practice, or to resolve a conflict. This independence eliminates the need for trained adult implementers.

4. Leadership & Resiliency Program
   The Leadership and Resiliency Program (LRP) is a school- and community-based program for high school students (14 to 17 years of age) that works to enhance youths' internal strengths and resiliency, while preventing involvement in substance use and violence. Program components include:
   • Resiliency Groups held at least weekly during the school day
   • Alternative Adventure Activities that include ropes courses, white water kayaking, camping, and hiking trips
   • Community Service in which participants are active in a number of community- and school-focused projects
   These alternative activities, offered after school, on weekends, and during the summer, focus on community service, altruism, learning about managed risk, social skills improvement, and conflict resolution.

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Additional Programs
WSAPTF Strategic Prevention Framework (RI) grant project
Funded by the US Dept. of Health and Human Services
Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration
Center for Substance Abuse

A Plan For Reducing Underage Drinking
Grant years 2008-2010


5. Media Campaign
   The priority risk factor identified for the purposes of this three-year grant was a lack of parental supervision that is believed to contribute significantly to the underage drinking problem in Westerly. To address the perceived lack of parental monitoring of drinking, the media campaign goal was, and has been; to address youth access to alcohol, create awareness for parents/caregivers about the dangers, consequences and liability of allowing underage drinking. The campaign has included two cable television Public Service Announcement’s (commercials), several newspaper and other print media advertisements, a number of billboards throughout town and selected numerous ‘letters to the editor’ of local newspaper, the placement of more than 50 print (newspaper) stories/announcements since June 2008. The campaign also supports the following programs with announcements of efforts and newspaper and TV news stories created by media consultant.

6. Neighborhood & Schools Forums
   Forums presented for the school community and the community at large, especially for parents. Previous forums include ones held at Westerly High School and Westerly Middle School as well as at Tower Street elementary School, now a community educational center. The forums are designed to provide information on the programs of the WSAPTF as well as educational materials, power-point presentations and speakers -- a recent forum featured a RI Attorney General and RI Mental Health Retardation & Hospitals chief of prevention and planning director – that address substance abuse and underage drinking prevention, intervention and treatment.

7. School Curriculum – Project Northland
   This program was chosen to address the peer approval risk factor. Project Northland is a multilevel intervention involving students, peers, parents and community in programs designed to delay the age at which youth typically begin drinking alcohol (age 12), reduce alcohol use among those already drinking and limit the number of alcohol-related problems among those underage drinkers. The program, which employs age appropriate and timely comic-book style curricula, is designed (and implemented) for grades 6 – 8 on a weekly basis. The 6th grade component includes a home-based (parent involvement) component; student-parent homework targeting communication and includes in-class group discussion.

8. Enforcement / Policy - Social Host Liability Municipal Ordinance passage
   Not originally identified as a strategy designed to be implemented, it was nonetheless incorporated as a primary policy strategy for the Town of Westerly. The first community in the state with a specifically titled Social Host Liability Ordinance -- the Town has had a consumption ordinance on the books for years – the months-long researched and written municipal law requires that a “responsible party” that hosts an underage drinking event at a private residence that “responsible party” has control, of is liable civilly and is subject to arrest and fines. The Town Council of Westerly overwhelming supported the law and it was signed in to law July 13, 2009 after two informational workshops presented to the Town Council, Town Manager and Town Solicitor by the WSAPTF. The first arrest occurred within 12 days of passage.


9. Enforcement – Party Patrols
   Party Patrols are aimed at drinking parties attended by, primarily, underage youths which have come to the attention of police through citizen complaints or key informants. The patrols activity in the late spring and summer months are geographically centered around Westerly beaches – the town is a resort community in season. By dedicating several police officers and increasing the number of patrols, it becomes practical for the Westerly Police Department to do much more including obtaining search warrants, collect evidence, seize physical evidence, detain alleged and/or minors, investigate, research property ownership, interview residents, neighbors, and ensure those responsible are arrested and charged. The WSAPTF supports these operations.

10. Enforcement – Compliance Checks
    Another program conducted by Westerly Police and supported financially by the WSAPTF, the Compliance Check program is designed to enforce the Town of Westerly’s Beverage License laws as they relate to the serving of alcohol to underage persons, either at a retail establishment such as a liquor store or other retail vendor that has a license to sell beer or wine, or other venue such as a bar or tavern -- most notably along Misquamicut Beach during the summer tourist season. Due to the increased summer population, an additional 12 patrols are deployed to conduct Compliance Checks either overtly or covertly (in uniform or undercover). The officers assigned this detail are on special assignment and their sole efforts are concentrated on underage drinking.