Back of the Yards Community Profile

Assessing  underage  drinking  using  the  Strategic  Prevention  Framework  of  the  Illinois  Statewide  Incentive  Grant

 

Dear  Community  Partners,  

I  was  born  and  raised  in  the  Back  of  the  Yards  neighborhood.  As  many  Chicagoans  do,  I  feel  a  strong  connec-­‐on  and  affinity  for  my  community.  Growing  up  in  Back  of  the  Yards  helped  shape  me  to  become  the  person  I  

am  today.  Also,  the  Back  of  the  Yards  has  always  been  an  immigrant  community  where  hope  for  the  future  is  at  a  premium.  Because  of  that  strong  connec on  and  to  pass  hope  on  to  future  genera ons,  I  believe  it  is  impor-­‐tant  to  undertake  the  Strategic  Preven on  Framework  Project.  Underage  drinking  is  one  of  many  serious  issues  facing  the  community.  The  Back  of  the  Yards  is  a  very  young  underserved  neighborhood.  It  is  cri cal  to  guide  the  many  young  people  to  give  them  an  understanding  of  what  gives  life  and  what  does  not  give  life.  Having  a  mentor,  a  posi ve  role  model,  an  en re  community  commi ed  to  peace  and  educa on,  can  make  all  the  dif-­‐ference  in  choices  young  people  make.  For  this,  I  invite  you  to  join  us  in  changing  the  underage  drinking  issue  in  Back  of  the  Yards.  In  this  booklet  you  will  see  a  profile  describing  Back  of  the  Yards,  including  demographics  and  a  descrip on  of  the  underage  drinking  problem  in  the  community.  

There  are  many  difficult  issues  to  deal  with  in  the  community  and  my  hope  is  that  this  project  will  not  only  tackle  underage  drinking  but  will  also  deal  with  the  violence  that  is  o en  the  result  of  drinking.  Economic  strife  in  the  family  environment  challenges  the  rela onship  of  many  couples.  Unfortunately,  they  turn  to  alcohol  or  drugs  to  try  and  avoid  the  reali es  of  life.  Children  learn  from  their  parents  and  they  grow  up  in  an  environ-­‐ment  where  alcohol  consump on  is  o en  the  norm.  Domes c  violence  is  o en  the  end  result  of  this  type  of  behavior  and  violence  is  also  expressed  on  the  street  because  of  this.

The  Back  of  the  Yards  is  a  very  young  immigrant  community  with  limited  resources.  It  is  also  one  of  the  few  neighborhoods  in  the  city  of  Chicago  with  a  strong  produc ve  alliance  of  not-­‐for-­‐profits,  schools,  parishes  and  other  community  based  organiza ons.    Principals,  pastors,  neighborhood  directors  and  business  leaders  gather  on  a  monthly  basis  to  collaborate  in  finding  ways  to  reduce  violence  and  make  the  community  a  safer  place  for  all  of  our  families.

My  hope  for  this  project  is  that  it  will  be  another  tool  that  allows  us  to  bring  peace  in  our  neighborhood  and  promote  the  educa on  of  every  child.  We  want  them  to  keep  their  dream  alive.  We  know  that  when  children  have  dreams  they  are  more  likely  to  walk  away  from  violence  and  serve  others  for  peace.

Last  year  we  provided  57  college  scholarships  to  youth  from  our  community  with  all  of  the  money  being  raised  locally.  Every  year  we  have  a  youth  summit  which  brings  together  children  from  all  the  schools  in  our  commu-­‐nity  with  the  intent  to  break  down  barriers  and  get  them  to  know  each  other.  We  marched  for  peace.  All  of  this  is  done  to  encourage  our  young  people  to  be  peacemakers  and  leaders  in  our  neighborhood.  Lives  have  been  saved  and  our  youth  have  been  given  opportuni es  to  succeed.  But  there  is  s ll  more  work  to  do  –  and  I  invite  you  to  join  us.

Sincerely,               Paul  Lopez,                 President  of  the  Peace  and  Educa on  Coali on                        Back  of  the  Yards,  New  City

Peace  and  Educa on  Coali on

Mission  Statement:    The  mission  of  the  Peace  and  Educa on  Coali on  (PEC)  is  to  foster  rela onships  between  local  community  stakeholders.  The  Coali on  members  work  to  create  a  united  vision  to  help  our  children,  especially  those  trapped  in  a  cycle  of  poverty  and  violence.  The  coali on  serves  at-­‐risk  and  high-­‐risk  youth  by  promo ng  peace  and  educa on  in  the  Back  of  the  Yards,  New  City  community.  We  strive  to  guide  our  children  with  hope,  a  future  and  opportuni es  to  reach  their  poten al.

Peace  and  Educa on  Coali on  History:  In  November  of  1997,  six  principals  represen ng  the  neighborhood  schools,  leaders  of  faith-­‐based  neighborhood  ins tu ons,  neighborhood  community-­‐based  organiza ons  (CBO’s),  schools,  parks,  law  enforcement  officials,  community  businesses,  elected  officials,  and  other  interest-­‐ed  par es  met  for  the  first   me  around  the  issue  of  violence  in  the  community.  For  the  past  few  years  prior  to  the  Coali on’s  forma on,  twenty  to  twenty-­‐five  youth  were  buried,  fallen  vic ms  of  neighborhood  violence.  This  is  the  issue  that  united  the  efforts  of  the  group  later  to  become  the  not-­‐for-­‐profit  group  known  as  the  Peace  and  Educa on  Coali on  of  the  Back  of  the  Yards,  New  City.  This  group  and  other  interested  par es  have  met  monthly  since  November,  1997  to  address  issues  surrounding  the  youth  and  their  families  most-­‐in-­‐need  and  develop  strategies  to  address  those  needs  to  provide  a  healthier  and  safer  neighborhood.  This  Coali on  progressed  in  their  efforts  and  a ained  a  not-­‐for-­‐profit  status  in  2004.    As  a  501(c)  3  with  no  administra ve  overhead,  the  growing  demands  of  needed  funding  for  projects  require  assistance  through  grants,  dona ons,  and  other  fundraising  efforts.    The  leadership  is  commi ed  through  their  deep  passion  for  the  Back  of  the  Yards  and  the  families  within.  The  Board  of  Directors  are  all  founding  members  and  do  not  receive  compensa-­‐on  for  their  effort.

Current  Services:  The  Peace  and  Educa on  Coali on  serves  youth  and  families  within  the  community  through  a  variety  of  avenues  including,  but  not  limited  to:

•   16  –  21  year  old  drops-­‐outs  can  return  to  school  and  receive  a  high  school         diploma  at  one  of  PEC’s    two  alterna ve  high  school  campuses.•   6th  –  8th  grade  students  are  brought  together  twice  a  year  for  a  Youth  Sum-­‐       mit  to  discuss  community  as  well  as  adolescent  issues.•   Parent  training  through  “Padres  Ayudando  Padres”  (Parents  Helping  Parents)         and  Girls  and  Boys  Town  Common  Sense  Paren ng.•   GED  and  ESL  classes,  high  school  bridge  program  and  employment  through  a         partnership  with  Ins tuto  del  Progresso  La no.•   Family  housing  needs  through  Neighborhood  Housing  Services.•   A er  School  Programming  through  Holy  Cross  Church  and  Cesar  Chavez  21st     Century  Grant.•   Mul -­‐Systemic  Therapy  through  Youth  Outreach  Services.•   Counseling,  Street  Interven on  and  Day  Care  through  Catholic  Chari es.•   Youth  Mentoring  through  Holy  Cross  Church  and  Girls  &  Boys  Town  of  Nebraska,  as       well  as  collabora on  with  several  area  agencies.•   Annual  Basketball  &  Soccer  Tournaments  through  the  local  public  schools  and         Chicago  Park  District.  

The  Community  of  Back  of  the  Yards

History:  The  Back  of  the  Yards/New  City  is  a  neighborhood  primed  with  history.  Upton  Sinclair’s,  The  Jungle  depicts  the  rich  history  of  this  neighborhood.  The  paramount  challenge  this  neighborhood  faces  is  the  over-­‐whelming  poverty  and  peripheral  issues  of  poverty  within  the  community.  As  a  gateway  community,  many  of  the  cons tuents  have  ‘pending’  documenta on  issues.  Without  appropriate  documenta on,  access  to  food  subsidy,  adequate  housing,  healthcare  and  gainful  employment  is  difficult  at  best.  Gangs,  drugs,  and  violence  thrive  in  this  type  of  environment.  Finally,  con nuing  an  educa on  while  acquiring  a  second  language  pres-­‐ents  addi onal  challenges.  The  Back  of  the  Yards/New  City  is  a  ten  by  ten  block  area  that  is  home  to  more  than  5,000  elementary  age  students.  Nearly  100%  of  the  school  age  popula on  qualifies  for  Free  and  Reduced  Lunch  indica ng  a  high  poverty  index.  Almost  70%  of  the  popula on  is  under  the  age  of  eighteen.

  FIGURE  1-­‐BACK  OF  THE  YARDS  COMMUNITY  SERVICE  AREA

What  Does  Our  Community  Look  Like?

The  Back  of  the  Yards  community  encompasses  most  of  the  larger  community  area  of  New  City.    The  area  is  predominantly  La no;  in  2005  it  is  es mated  that  the  La no  popula on  was  55%  of  the  total  popula on.    Between  2000  and  2005  it  is  es mated  this  popula on  increased  by  6.3  percent.    The  African-­‐American  and  White  popula ons  decreased  by  more  than  10%  during  this   me  period.  This  data  suggests  that  the  La no  popula on  in  Back  of  the  Yards  is  increasing  heavily.  Another  important  considera on  to  take  into  account  is  that  the  youth  popula on  in  the  community  is  increasing  at  a  6.5  percent.  Given  the  suspected  high  levels  of  undocumented  residents  of  the  community,  it  is  a  probability  that  informa on  about  these  residents  is  not  captured  in  this  data.  

In  addi on,  the  data  in  this  graph  also  shows  that  the  popula on  of  youth  ages  18  to  24  is  increasing  at  6.5  per-­‐cent.    Due  to  this  increase,  to  avoid  youth  involvement  in  violent  ac vi es  in  the  community  and  to  stop  the  prevalence  of  gang  ac vity  it  is  important  to  increase  community  service  programming  that  not  only  fosters  a er  schools  ac vi es  but  also  enriches  and  enhances  youth’s  poten al  in  order  to  prevent  their  possible  involvement  gang  and  violent  ac vi es.                                                                          The  data  in  the  graphics  below  has  been  obtained  from  the  2005  Census.  This  informa on  does  not  present  the  current  demographics  of  the  community  but  instead  it  is  an  es mate  based  on  the  data  obtained  from  2005.                                                            FIGURE  2-­‐BACK  OF  THE  YARDS,  NEW  CITY  DEMOGRAPHICS

New  City2005  Est %  of  

TotalChange  2000-­05

Median  Household  Income

27,533 2%

Employed,  Total  (Pop  16+)

15,516 54% 1%

Employed,  Males  (Pop  16+)

9,119 32% 0.20%

Employed,  Females  (Pop  16+)

6,397 22% -­2.6%

Unemployed,  Male 1118 4% -­21%Unemployed,  Female 1198 4% -­10.50%Not  in  the  Labor  Force  Male  (Pop  16+)

6,807 24% 4.1

Not  in  the  Labor  Force  Female  (Pop  16+)

9,009 31% -­2

New  City2005  Est %  of  

TotalChange  2000-­05

Total  Population 49,909 100.0%

White 15,857 31.8% -­11.3Black  or  African  Ameri-­can

16,590 33.2% -­10.3

Asian 229 0.5% 5.5Hispanic  Or  Latino 27,576 55.3% 6.3White  Non  Hispanic 5,719 11.5% -­15.8Other  Population 17,233 34.5% 13.8

Age  18-­24 7,022 14.1% 6.5Female  Householder,  No  Husband  Present

3,559 7.1% -­2.9

Female  Householder,  No  Husband  Present  with  Children  Under  18

2,178 4.4% -­2.6

Only  54%  of  those  over  16  are  employed,  com-­‐pared  to  an  employment  rate  of  61%  in  Chicago.    The  median  income  of  $27,533  is  only  67%  of  Chicago’s.    This  data  suggests  that  almost  half  the  popula on  in  this  community  is  unemployed.  In  addi on,  a  4.1  percent  increase  of  the  number  of  males  not  in  the  labor  force  makes  the  unemploy-­‐ment  issue  in  the  community  of  great  concern.

FIGURE  3-­‐  INCOME  AND  EMPLOYMENT

In  the  Back  of  the  Yards,  51.3%  of  people  of  age  25  and  older  have  less  than  a  high  school  diploma  and  another  24.7  percent  have  only  a  high  school  diploma.    On  a  pos-­‐i ve  note,  this  data  suggest  that  14.2%  of  people  of  age  25  and  older  have  a ended  college,  which  is  an  increase  of  2.8  percent  between  2000  and  2005.

The  data  in  this  chart  reveals  two  very  strong  indicators  in  the  Back  of  the  Yards,  New  City  community.  The  first  indicator  is  the  large  percentage  of  primarily  Spanish  speaking  community  members  that  reside  in  the  community.  The  data  indicates  that  51%  of  the  community.  According  to  data  from  the  2005  US  census,  the  percentage  o he  popula on  that  speaks  Spanish  at  home  is  increasing  by  4.6%  annually.    The  second  factor  to  no ce  is  that  the  popula-­‐on  of  this  same  community  that  speak  

English  as  a  first  language  at  home  is  decreasing  at  a  rapid  rate.    According  to  the  data  from  the  2005  US  census  this  popula-­‐on  has  decreased  by  9.7  percent  between  

2000  and  2005.  This  indicates  that  new  members  of  this  community  speak  Spanish  as  a  primary  language

New  CityEDUCATIONAL  AT-­TAINMENT  (Pop  25+)

2005  Est %  of  Total

Change  2000-­05

Less  than  high  school 12,674 51.3% -­6.8High  school  (Pop  25+) 6,116 24.7% -­2.4Some  college  (Pop  25+) 3,501 14.2% 2.8Associate  degree  (Pop  25+)

783 3.2% 0.9

Bachelor’s  degree  (Pop  25+)

1,078 4.4% 5.2

Graduate  Degree  (Pop  25+)

573 2.3% 6.7

 FIGURE  4-­‐EDUCATIONAL  ATTAINMENT

New  CityLANGUAGE  SPOKEN  AT  HOME  (Pop  5+)

2005  Est %  of  Total

Change  2000-­05

Speaks  English 21,198 48.7% -­9.7Speaks  Spanish 22,207 51.0% 4.6Speaks  Other  Indo-­Euro-­pean  Languages

984 2.3% -­3.5

Speaks  Asian  or  Pacific  Island  Language

98 0.2% 3.2

Speaks  Other  Language 146 0.3% -­5.8

FIGURE  5-­‐  LANGUAGES  SPOKEN

 

The  Strategic  Preven on  Framework  Process

The  Strategic  Preven on  Framework  (SPF)  is  an  underage  drinking  preven on  tool  designed  to  help  commu-­‐ni es  across  the  State  of  Illinois  to  build  the  infrastructure  necessary  to  ba le  underage  drinking  at  a  local  level.  The  SPF  is  based  on  a  five  step  model  process  which  can  be  adapted  to  fit  the  needs  of  every  commu-­‐nity.  

In  the  Back  of  the  Yards,  the  SPF  has  been  an  integral  element  for  gathering  data  at  the  elementary  and  high  school  level.  In  the  first  step  of  this  model,  the  assessment  phase,  data  was  acquired  primarily  through  the  administra on  of    the  Illinois  Youth  Survey,  which  is  an  instrument  designed  to  provide  informa on  on  the  accurate  rates  of  substance  abuse  for  youth  in  the  community.  It  measures  key  risk  factors,  in  addi on  to  providing  insights  to  youth  violence.  In  this  phase,  data  was  also  gathered  by  an  environmental  scan  of  the  community  in  which  the  retail  availability  of  alcohol  was  assessed  by  observing  the  retail  establishments  that  sell  liquor.  In  addi on,  some  key  factors  that  contribute  to  youth  underage  drinking  were  also  assessed;  these  include  community  norms,  social  access  to  alcohol,  price  of  alcohol,  enforcement  of  policies  against  underage  drinking,  and  media  promo on  of  alcohol.    

The  capacity  phase  has  been  essen al  in  developing  the  support  and  collabora on  of  community  stake-­‐holders  represen ng  the  non-­‐profit,  faith-­‐based,  private,  educa on,  government,  and  health  sectors.  This  phase  provided  the  community  with  tools  that  helped  develop  leadership  and  par cipa on  from  community  members.  Par cularly,  the  SPF  Sub-­‐commi ee  of  the  Peace  and  Educa on  Coali on  has  grown  from  five  ini al  members  to  nineteen  members  presently  collabora ng  together  to  jointly  tackle  the  underage  drink-­‐ing  issue  in  the  community.  In  the  planning  process,  the  members  of  the  SPF  Sub-­‐commi ee  have  dedicated  their   me  and  effort  to  crea ng  a  strategic  plan  that  not  only  outlines  the  underage  drinking  problem  in  the  community  but  also  provides  strategies  to  reduce  underage  drinking  in  the  community.  Given  their  efforts,  the  next  phase,  implementa on,  will  be  achieved  through  a  process  of  networking  and  community  out-­‐reach.  Ins tu ons  from  all  different  sectors  in  the  community  have  agreed  to  collaborate  to  work  united  in  the  strategy  implementa on  process  in  order  to  make  a  greater  impact  in  the  community.  Then  in  the  last  phase,  evalua on,  all  the  efforts  by  the  community  will  be  evaluated  to  determine  if  in  fact  the  SPF  sub-­‐com-­‐mi ee  was  successful  in  reducing  underage  drinking  in  the  community.  

Describing  the  Underage  Drinking  Problem  in  Back  of  the  Yards

According  to  IYS  data,  youth  in  the  Back  of  the  Yards  are  beginning  to  drink  at  young  ages  and  are  also  re-­‐por ng  incidents  of  binge  drinking.    In  2006,  the  6th  grade  30  day  use  rate  for  the  Back  of  the  Yards  (12.7%)  is  lower  than  the  City  of  Chicago  use  rate  of  18%.    Worryingly,  for  the  Back  of  the  Yards,  the  8th  grade  30  day  use  rate  is  over  3   mes  the  6th  grade,  whereas  for  the  City,  the  30  day  use  rate  only  increases  by  about  50%  between  6th  and  8th  grade.  In  2006,  36.2%  of  8th  grade  Back  of  the  Yard  youth  reported  drinking  in  the  past  30  days,  which  is  higher  than  the  City  of  Chicago  30  day  use  rate  of  21%.  This  indicates  that  in  Back  of  the  Yards,  the  heaviest  problem  resides  with  the  8th  grade  30  day  increase  rate  from  12.7%  in  6th  graders  to  36.2%  in  8th  graders.    Research  tells  us  that  the  younger  youth  start  drinking,  the  more  likely  they  will  be  to  develop  problems  with  alcohol  use  (and  the  accompanying  host  of  other  problems)  as  an  adult,  such  as  mari-­‐juana,  and  other  drug  use.    That  12.7%  of  Back  of  the  Yards  youth  report  drinking  in  the  6th  grade  is  cause  for  concern,  but  the  large  increase  of  youth  repor ng  alcohol  use  in  the  8th  grade  is  even  more  worrisome.    By  10th  grade,  almost  half  of  youth  surveyed  in  Back  of  the  Yards  (46%)  reported  using  alcohol  in  the  past  30  days.    Clearly  the  trend  is  that  the  use  rate  increases  in  higher  grades,  but  as  the  City  data  shows,  the  trend  across   me  is  also  of  increasing  use.    Between  2004  and  2006,  the  percentage  of  youth  who  reported  drink-­‐ing  in  the  6th  grade  doubled.    If  this  trend  is  mirrored  in  the  Back  of  the  Yards  for  2006  to  2008,  this  would  mean  a  quarter  of  6th  graders  surveyed  (25.4%)  would  report  using  alcohol  in  the  past  30  days.

Unfortunately,  one  of  the  issues  in  the  community  that  has  an  immediate  and  las ng  impact  on  the  youth  is  violence.    Research  has  shown  that  violence  and  alcohol  use  are  in mately  related.    If  the  violence  isn’t  caused  by  arguments  exacerbated  by  impaired  judgment,  then  perhaps  the  alcohol  is  used  to  dull  the  pain  caused  by  grief  and  fear.

Par ally  due  to  the  Community’s  large  Hispanic  popula on,  the  culture  of  the  Back  of  the  Yards  community  

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

National  (2007) Chicago  (2006) Back  of  the  Yards  (2008)

FIGURE  6-­‐  8th  GRADE  30  DAY  ALCOHOL  USE  RATE

This  brochure  was  created  with  funding  from  the  State  of  Illinois  

Department  of  Human  Services-­  Division  of  Community  Based  Prevention

has  a  certain  tolerance  of  alcohol  use  by  minors.    Alcohol  is  o en  present  at  family  par es,  and  o en  the  youth  are  permi ed  access  to  alcohol  at  these  events.    Addi onally,  even  if  the  use  is  not  permi ed,  these  family  func ons  provide  easy  access  to  alcohol  without  the  parents’  permission.    Also,  the  idea  that  drinking  alcohol  makes  a  boy  a  man  and  that  real  men  can  handle  their  alcohol  con nue  to  pervade  not  only  this  community,  but  the  society  at  large.    This  idea  does  not  explain  the  increased  use  of  alcohol  by  La na  girls.    One  suggested  explana on  for  this  is  the  increased  produc on  and  marke ng  of  fruity  malt  beverages,  such  as  Mike’s  Hard  Lemonade  or  Smirnoff  Ice.    Though  the  alcohol  industry  denies  marke ng  to  youth,  they  con nue  to  produce  beverages  that  look  and  taste  like  candy  or  soda.    Research  has  shown  that  Hispanic  youth  see  more  alcohol  adver sements  than  other  youth,  and  they  seem  to  be  responding  to  these  ad  campaigns.  Ul mately,  the  so-­‐cial  access  youth  have  to  alcohol  mostly  happens  at  family  gatherings  and  par es.  Thus,  community  norms  and  social  access  greatly  influence  to  the  consump on  of  alcohol  by  youth  in  Back  of  the  Yards.

Preven on  Strategies

Under  the  Strategic  Preven on  Framework,  the  Peace  and  Educa on  Coali on  has  developed  three  main  strategies  for  decreasing  30-­‐day  alcohol  use  rate  of  8th  graders  in  Back  of  the  Yards  to  the  city  average  for  8th graders.  Each  strategy  is  meant  to  achieve  a  specific  preven on  objec ve  by  addressing  one  or  more  of  the  intervening  variables  priori zed  during  the  strategic  planning  process.    

Strategy Objec ve  (for  June  2010) Intervening  Variable

Communica on  Campaign                                        (Parent  Patrol)

1.  A  5%  decrease  of  8th  graders  repor ng  acquisi on  of  alcohol  from  their  parents.

Social  AccessSocial  Norms

                                         (Parent  Patrol)2.  A  7%  increase  in  8th  graders  repor ng  their  parent/guardian  talked  to  them  about  drug/alcohol  use.

Social  Norms

               (Marke ng  Campaign)3.  A  10%  increase  in  8th  graders  hearing  preven on  messages  within  the  past  12  months.

Social  Norms

               (Marke ng  Campaign) 4.  A  4%  decrease  of  youth  between  the  ages  13-­‐17  repor ng  access  to  alcohol  from  friends.

Social  AccessSocial  Norms

Party  Patrol 5.  A  3%  decrease  of  youth  between  the  ages  13-­‐17  repor ng  access  to  alcohol  at  par es.

Social  AccessEnforcement

Compliance  Checks 6.  A  2%  decrease  of  youth  between  the  ages  of  13-­‐17  repor ng  access  to  alcohol  from  retail  outlets  by  using  compliance  checks  and  innova ve  punishments  and  sanc ons.

EnforcementRetail  Access

Preven on  as  Social  Capital  Development

Although  the  table  above  highlights  the  strategies  and  their  specific  purposes,  it  does  not  illustrate  how these  strategies  will  work  and  how  they  will  also  build  the  community’s  capacity  to  prevent  violence,  improve  educa on,  or  address  other  issues  of  importance.    In  order  to  understand  exactly  how  these  strategies  can  achieve  all  of  this,  it  is  useful  to  think  about  the  preven on  strategies  as  strategies  for  social capital development  in  the  community.    

Social  capital  is  a  term  that  refers  to  social networks and the norms and sanc ons  that  govern  their  character.    Examples  of  social  networks  range  from  families,  to  poli cal  par es,  to  soccer  leagues.    In  order  to  gain  or  maintain  successful  access  to  any  of  these  networks,  its  members  must  behave  and  act  in  an  acceptable  way  to  others  within  the  network.  Without  behavioral  guidelines  (norms)  and  sanc ons  for  those  who  do  no  comply  with  norms,  stability  and  trust  are  hard  to  achieve  and  social  networks  disintegrate  or  fragment.    In  summary,  

the  concept  of  social  capital  illustrates  that  communi es  are  not  made  up  of  atomized  individuals,  nor  are  they  a  homogeneous  block  of  people.    Rather,  communi es  are  made  up  of  a  variety  of  social  networks  and  the  nature  of  rela onships  within  these  networks  greatly  affects  with  whom  and  how  community  members  interact.

Studies  show  that  communi es  with  healthy  and  diverse  amounts  of  social  capital  are  more  likely  to  mobilize  and  take  collec ve  ac on  when  faced  with  a  common  problem.    This  is  why  social  capital  is  so  important  to  preven on  efforts  in  the  Back  of  the  Yards  community.    However,  there  are  few  exis ng  social  networks,  community  social  norms,  and  effec ve  sanc ons  that  prevent  youth  from  consuming  alcohol.    This  is  why  our  preven on  strategies  not  only  seek  to  achieve  specific  objec ves  of  the  SPF  framework;  they  also  build  the  social  capital  infrastructure  needed  for  community  ac on.

While  the  Communica on  Campaign  has  four  specific  preven on  objec ves,  it  also  seeks  to  create  new  networks  of  parents  and  students  at  6  area  elementary  schools  that  can  mobilize  for  ac on,  disseminate  preven on  messages,  and  foster  new  norms  that  encourage  non-­‐use  of  alcohol  by  youth  in  the  community.    By  establishing  volunteer  parent  patrols  at  each  school,  and  implemen ng  a  social  norms  marke ng  campaign  aimed  especially  at  youth,  the  Peace  and  Educa on  Coali on  will  help  foster  norms  in  the  community  through  new  grassroots  networks  that  are  essen al  to  reducing  access  to  alcohol  at  par es,  at  home,  and  in  the  wider  community.  

Modeling                      the  Parent  Patrol                      Network

While  PEC  can  establish  norms  through  its  communica on  campaigns,  it  does  not  have  the  authority  to  sanc on  those  who  do  not  comply  with  these  norms,  making  new  community  norms  much  less  effec ve.    However,  by  crea ng  closer  links  to  the  Police  Department,  it  can  work  through  allies  at  District  9  to  implement  effec ve  sanc ons  that  will  aide  the  preven on  objec ves  and  building  stronger  social  capital.    

The  Party  Patrol  strategy  will  allow  PEC  to  create  sanc ons  for  youth  who  drink  at  par es  by  employing  off-­‐duty  police  officers  to  search  for  par es  where  minors  might  be  on  Saturday  nights.    A  hotline  manned  by  HAS  

PEC

Chavez Parent Patrol

SanMiguelParent Patrol

SewardParent Patrol

Daley ParentPatrol

HedgesParentPatrolParents

Community members

LaraParentPatrol

staff  will  also  be  established  for  members  of  the  parent  patrol  and  other  concerned  community  members  to  call  if  they  have  any   ps  about  underage  drinking  par es.    HAS  staff  then   ps  off  the  party  patrol,  the  patrol  confirms  the  presence  of  minors  at  a  party  and  calls  uniformed  officers  to  officially  enforce  underage  drinking  laws.    Youth  who  are  caught  viola ng  the  law  will  then  be  sanc oned  by  performing  community  service  for  the  Coali on.  

The  second  sanc on-­‐crea ng  strategy  seeks  to  ensure  retailer  compliance  of  all  appropriate  laws  and  training  associated  with  selling  alcohol  to  minors.    Again,  PEC  will  partner  with  District  9  to  carry  out  the  enforcement.    In  contrast  to  the  Party  Patrol  strategy,  however,  the  Compliance  Checks  strategy  does  not  seek  to  create  a  new  system  of  sanc ons.    Rather,  it  ensures  that  District  9  police  are  enforcing  the  established  laws  surrounding  the  preven on  of  youth  from  buying  alcohol,  seeking  to  sanc on  retailers,  not  youth.      

Social  Capital  Objec ves

In  summary,  the  preven on  strategies  not  only  seek  to  decrease  30-­‐day  use  rates  of  8th  graders  in  the  Back  of  the  Yards  community,  they  also  seek  to  create  a  community  with  strong  social  capital.    The  networks,  norms,  and  sanc ons  that  are  necessary  for  the  successful  implementa on  of  our  preven on  strategies  will  also  create  the  social  infrastructure  that  fosters  healthy  behaviors  and  rela onships  in  the  Back  of  the  Yards  community.    

Commun

ity  Levels

New  Networks New  Norms New  Sanc ons

Community-­‐            wide

-­‐Youth  Network-­‐CPD-­‐PEC-­‐Parents-­‐PEC

-­‐Youth  donn’t  drink  at  par es

-­‐Retailers  don’t  sell  to  minors

-­‐Retailers  who  do  not  meet  compliance  checks  are  punished

-­‐Youth  caught  drinking  at  par es  will  be  punished

School -­‐Parent  Patrols-­‐Parents  communicate  with  each  other  at  school

Family/Household

-­‐Youth  shouldn’t  drink  alcohol

-­‐Parents  should  talk  to  the  children  about  dangers  of  alcohol/drug  use

-­‐Families  establish  consequences  for  children  caught  drinking

From  be er  performance  of  social  service  agencies  to  improvements  in  health  outcomes,  studies  show  that  communi es  benefit  in  a  variety  of  ways  from  strong  social  capital.    In  our  case,  developing  social  capital  in  Back  of  the  Yards  is  not  just  a  preven on  strategy  for  youth  alcohol  consump on.    Developing  social  capital  can  also  lead  to  more  effec ve  strategies  for  violence  preven on  and  be er  educa onal  outcomes  for  children.      In  general,  it  increases  a  community’s  capacity  to  solve  the  problems  it  faces.