Shasta County Chemical People Incorporated

Chemical People, Partners for a Drug-Free Community is a non-profit, youth and adult led organization, which promotes and supports the development of a safe, healthy community for youth and families free from racism, violence, alcohol, tobacco and other drug abuse.  Since 1983, Chemical People, as a community-based movement, has implemented alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) primary prevention programs targeting the youth of Shasta County. ATOD is associated with a wide range of destructive social conditions, including family and financial problems, lost productivity, failure in school, domestic violence, child abuse, adverse childhood experiences (ACES), crime, as well as negative health outcomes and mental health challenges. 

 Chemical People’s focus is delivering primary prevention programs for alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) use and abuse by addressing the underlying causes of substance abuse. Early onset of ATOD use is a primary cause of poor health in later life.  Evidence from controlled studies, national cross-site evaluations, and CSAP grantee evaluations demonstrates that prevention programs work.  A Cornell University study of six thousand students in New York State found that the odds of drinking, smoking, and using marijuana were 40 percent lower among students who participated in a school-based substance-abuse programs in grades six through twelfth.  ATOD prevention is more promising when directed at young people because they are most susceptible to the allure of alcohol and other drugs. 

 Good junior high school and high school interventions affect knowledge and attitudes about alcohol and drug use. Chemical People utilizes the evidence-based ProjectAlert ATOD prevention curriculum in all programs.  Additionally, Chemical People programs are founded in the evidence-based positive youth development (PYD) framework to increase protective factors and reduce risk factors to support healthy development of young people.  Fostering caring supportive relationships through youth-adult partnerships and peer-to-peer support is foundational to all our activities. Currently Chemical People has 3 full voting youth members on our Board of Directors.  Youth play an invaluable role in the planning and development of all Chemical People programs.  All youth have strengths, are valued as partners and are actively engaged in the decision-making process of planning and implementing student programs. Chemical People works with youth to create opportunities for youth to make meaningful contributions to improve their health and the health of their peers, their school, their family, and their community.   

Chemical People implements and sponsors a variety of youth development strategies and alcohol and other drug prevention programs including: Sober Grad, Every 15 Minutes, Drug Drop Off Boxes, Just Say No, Red Ribbon Week, Peer Mentoring, Friday Night Live, Club Live, A Sobering Choice, the Victim Impact Panel (VIP), youth development and youth leadership workgroups, ACES  and parent conferences and seminars, social service interactions, resiliency and protective factor education, Social Host Ordinance, Butane Honey Oil Ordinance, and other policy change efforts, tobacco ordinance compliance and education, Parent to Parent, Drug Store event, Enforcement of Underage Drinking Laws, Real DUI Courts In Schools, Traffic Safety – XtheTXT, Sticker Shock campaign focusing on underage drinking facts, alcohol server training and other information and education presentations. 

 Testimonials:

100% of youth participating in Chemical People programs reported:

• That they learned about the problems that alcohol, tobacco and other drugs can cause
• That their involvement in the programs helps them to decide to do things instead of using alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs
• That they support other youth to make healthy choices
• That they formed caring and meaningful relationships
• That they increased school engagement
• That they developed leadership skills

 Chemical People youth participants have said:

• “I learned what it means to have true friends.”
• Mentoring taught me that no matter who I am or what personality I have, there will always be someone who accepts me.” 
• “I enjoyed having the ability to make a difference and to share that trying to be popular means being above the influence even if people go against you.” 
• “I could actually talk to someone who would listen.”