"COMMUNITY PARTNERS WORKING TOGETHER TO CREATE A SAFE AND DRUG-FREE COMMUNITY".

West Garfield Park Community Stakeholders, Working Together to Build a Stronger, Safer and More Productive community. Our Executive Committee meets every first Wednesday of the month to plan, implement and incorporate the following: 



Our Mission, which is to establish and strengthen collaboration among communities, public and private non-profit agencies, federal, state, local and tribal governments to support the efforts of community coalitions working to prevent and reduce substance use among youth.Reduce substance use among youth and, over time, reduce substance abuse among adults by addressing the factors in a community that increase the risk of substance abuse and promoting the factors that minimize the risk of substance abuse.



Our Purpose is to:Create opportunities via programs, activities and events to help direct youth towards positive alternatives to violence as well as teaching them how to become productive citizens through positive civic engagement.Our Vision as stakeholders is to engage a partnership of residents, parents, youth, educational institutions, organizations and public servants with a common goal to reduce violence within the West Garfield Park community.  

Every second Tuesday of the month we host our Community Forum, to allow residents our the community an opportunity to voice their individual concerns, while working together to reduce violence and substance abuse by strengthening our community through programs, activities and events that foster healthy and productive lives.

As a Community Coalition on the West-Side of Chicago, "we have been trained by the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA), which is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to strengthening the capacity of community coalitions to create and maintain safe, healthy and drug-free communities. The National Community Anti-Drug Coalition Institute works to increase the knowledge, capacity and accountability of community anti-drug coalitions throughout the United States. We echo and strongly support the commitment of (CADCA) and (SAMHSA) to connect multiple sectors partners of the community, including businesses, parents, youth, media, law enforcement, schools, faith organizations, health providers, social service agencies and the government. By acting in concert through a coalition, all of the partners gain a more complete understanding of the communities problems. Together, we work to organize and develop plans and programs to coordinate our anti-drug community efforts. The result is a comprehensive, community-wide approach to substance abuse and its related problems. CADCA works with more than 5,000 community coalitions from across the country to realize its vision of "An Organization of Excellence Building Drug-Free Communities."

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) directs the Drug Free Communities (DFC) Support Program in partnership with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).  To provide grants to coalitions that mobilize their communities to prevent youth alcohol, tobacco, illicit drug and inhalant abuse.  This grant supports the West Garfield Park Community Stakeholders, via youth; parents; media; law enforcement; school officials; faith-based organizations; fraternal organizations; state, local and tribal government agencies; healthcare professionals; and other community representatives, to strengthen our coordination and prevention efforts, encourage citizen participation in substance abuse reduction efforts, and to disseminate information about effective programs.

As a New-Grantee of the office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), we are working within the SAMHSA's Strategic Prevention Framework to develop and secure the following Core Competencies:

1. Assessment:  Creating and maintaining partnerships; assessing community needs and resources; analyzing problems and goals; developing a framework or model of change.

2. Capacity:  Increasing participation and membership; building leadership; enhancing cultural competence; improving organization management and development.

3. Planning:  Developing strategic and action plans.

4. Implementation:  Developing interventions; advocating for change; influencing policy development; writing grant applications for funding.

5. Evaluation:  Evaluating initiatives;

6. Sustainability:  Sustaining projects and initiative

7. Cultural Competence:  Understanding and addressing culture in the community.

For additional information on how to work in this very important Community Empowerment endeavor, please feel free to contact us at 773-287-5821 or email @ westsidecommunitystakeholders@gmail.com