Downeast Partnerships for Success
The Downeast Maine Partnerships for Success (PFS) project, 2019-2024, was a five-year initiative funded through the Department of Health & Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) collaborative effort to prevent youth substance use across Washington and Hancock counties, with a focus on alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis use prevention using the evidence-based IThe Downeast Maine Partnerships for Success (PFS) project (2019-2024) was a five-year initiative funded by the Department of Health & Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). This collaborative effort aimed to prevent youth substance use in Washington and Hancock counties, with a focus on alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis. The project employed the evidence-based celandic Model for Adolescent Substance Use Prevention , adapting it to the unique needs and opportunities of rural Downeast Maine. The goal was to strengthen protective factors and reduce risk factors associated with youth substance use, particularly in relation to alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis.
Key objectives of the five-year project included:
Increasing parent/caregiver, school, and community awareness of and capacity to reduce risk factors and increase protective factors associated with youth substance use.
Implementing evidence-based programs, policies and practices to increase protective factors and decrease risk factors for substance use among youth ages 9-20 years.
In 2024, we concluded our fifth and final year of mini-grant funding opportunities for community partners working with youth. Mini-grants are no longer available. Over the past five years, schools and community organizations serving youth ages 9-20 in Hancock and Washington counties, Maine, had the chance to apply for grants to support positive youth development, resilience, peer-based mental health support, pro-social activities, and parental engagement. Grants ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 were awarded to schools, community centers, and nonprofits committed to creating new opportunities that foster social development and substance use prevention.
We are grateful for the opportunity to have supported more than 60 incredible projects across the region. These projects, which included new after-school programs, summer camps, outdoor recreation opportunities, and more, made a significant impact on the lives of youth during a critical time for our communities.
Downeast Project for Success was supported by a five-year grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) under Partnerships for Success Grant # 1H79SP081695. Learn more by visiting www.samhsa.gov or by calling 877-SAMHSA-7. For questions or more information about Downeast Partnerships for Success, please email Maria Donahue: at maria@healthyacadia.org or Sara McConnell: sara@healthyacadia.org