Our Mission
Our mission is to promote awareness of youth mental health and prevention of substance use/ abuse and other destructive behaviors damaging to our youth. ASK is a collaboration within the community – parents, teens, educators, law enforcement, government, medical professionals, businesses, faith leaders, civic groups – aimed at providing youth with the information and skills needed to make healthy decisions while emphasizing the need for families to protect and nurture their children by getting informed and staying involved. By partnering with all areas of the community, we collectively strengthen the safety net that protects our youth.
Our Strategy
The use of alcohol and other drugs by youth is a problem that has negative impact on our community. To address this issue, ASK works to bring together all sectors of our community to implement research-supported strategies that have proven effective in reducing youth substance use and other destructive behaviors.
1. Raise awareness of issues impacting our youth by partnering with the schools and other community organizations to provide up-to-date information.
2. Change norms by emphasizing the perception of harm and by urging parents to communicate disapproval of use.
3. Reduce access to alcohol by encouraging parents and older siblings to refrain from providing alcohol.
4. Encourage visible enforcement by working with the Police Department to implement compliance checks, party patrols, check points and shoulder taps.
5. Offer alternative activities to youth by organizing safe, substance-free opportunities to socialize.
6. Provide skills and training to the community by sponsoring workshops and forums like Save A Life and the Youth Mental Health First Aid Course.