About the Richland County Youth Substance Use Coalition (RCYSUC)
RCYSUC was formed after receiving Drug-Free Communities funding in October of 2019. Community partners agreed more needed to be done to address youth substance use. RCYSUC is working to reduce youth substance use, change the local environment, and promote healthy activities.
RCYSUC has been involved in a variety of activities:
- Sticker Shock Campaign
- Red Ribbon Week activities
- Hidden in Plain Sight program for parents/guardians
- Distributing thousands of Deterra drug deactivation pouches
- Substance use prevention education efforts
- Supporting community events and sharing information/resources for both parents and youth
Funding from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and the Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program will go a long way in continuing past successes and focusing on sustainability for the future.
Currently, RCYSUC consists of partners and members from 12 different sectors. RCYSUC meets regularly to reduce youth substance use and promote healthy activities.
Community Partners
Our Committees
The Richland County Youth Substance Use Coalition currently has three different committees working together to reduce youth substance use in Mansfield. The committees are actively looking for additional members.
About Drug-Free Communities
The DFC Program is the Nation’s leading effort to mobilize communities to prevent youth substance use. Created in 1997, the DFC Program provides grants to community coalitions to strengthen the infrastructure among local partners to create and sustain a reduction in local youth substance use.
Local problems need local solutions. DFC Coalitions involve local communities in finding those solutions. They engage multiple sectors of the community and employ a variety of environmental strategies to address local substance use disorders. They also help at-risk youth recognize the majority of our Nation’s youth choose not to use substances.
By funding these coalitions, the DFC Program ensures communities adopt a balanced and comprehensive approach to reducing substance use. For more information about the DFC Coalitions’ work and successes, click the links below.
The Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program has two goals.
1
Establish and strengthen collaboration among communities, public and private non-profit agencies, as well as federal, state, local, and tribal governments to support the efforts of community coalitions working to prevent and reduce substance use among youth.
2
Reduce substance use among youth and, over time, reduce substance use among adults by addressing the factors in a community that increase the risk for substance use and promoting the factors that minimize the risk of substance use.