The GRAA (Grant to Reduce Alcohol Abuse) was designed specifically to work closely with SS/HS and the entire consortium of agencies (Dodge County Connections-DCC). The DCC, GRAA, and SS/HS is a true collaboration and continues to strive to share knowledge and resources among many contributors to attain the GRAA goals.  As part of our GRAA goals we will provide and institutionalize a comprehensive set of needs-based services, evidence based programs, and effective strategies that collectively promote the prevention and reduction of alcohol use and abuse among the consortia’s high school students in grades 9-12.

Our project goals are designed to accomplish the following:

• Decrease the number of students (grades 9-12) who binge drink and increase the number of students who disapprove of people having multiple drinks of alcohol.
• Decrease the number of students who rode in a car with someone that had been drinking alcohol.
• Decrease the number of students who are involved in disciplinary consequences related to alcohol use.
• Increase the number of students who feel there is a moderate or great risk with drinking every day.
• Increase the number of students who report their parents would feel it wrong for them to drink alcohol.

The grant is shared between 6 school districts:  Beaver Dam, Dodgeland, Horicon, Hustisford, Lomira, and Waupun.  The GRAA Director and AODA/SAP Prevention Coordinators created the following vision and mission statement in order to facilitate the design and implementation of programs in the consortium schools:

Vision statement:

The Dodge County Visionaries will strive to raise standards for youth and adults by impacting social attitudes to eliminate high risk behaviors, primarily alcohol consumption, and encourage alternative choices for achieving a safe and healthy lifestyle.

Mission statement:

The Dodge County Visionaries will promote healthier lifestyles by reducing the number of students that believe underage alcohol consumption is acceptable, reducing the number who binge drink, and by eliminating underage drinking and driving. The Dodge County Visionaries will develop additional partnerships with community members to model responsible behaviors regarding alcohol consumption.

The Dodge County Visionaries realize that use and abuse of alcohol is part of the culture in Wisconsin communities and as preventionists we must work closely with parents, law enforcement, businesses, and community members to change social attitudes associated with alcohol use and abuse.

Our future plans will work to build strong student leadership programs in our schools, develop effective social media and marketing campaigns, and use innovative technologies to showcase curriculum in a new and engaging way.