THE MASON SQUARE DRUG FREE TASK FORCE: AN UPDATE

By Marie Graves

When you think of Mason Square what comes to mind? For many it is where they were raised. For some, it is where they work. For others, it is where they play. Mason Square is different things to different people, young and old.

Today, our young people may not have the opportunity to figure out what Mason Square means to them, due to the risk and distraction of drugs and alcohol. The Mason Square Drug Free Task Force (MSDFTF) is here to provide resources, bridge gaps, offer strategies and collaborate around prevention of drugs and alcohol among our youth. Community participation will always ensure the community has a voice.

The Mason Square Drug Free Task Force has a new coordinator, Marie Graves, who is fired up to serve the Mason Square youth and the community. If there are any questions or concerns, her office is located at 106 Wilbraham Road and she is there Monday through Friday and can be reached at 413-746-3655 ext. 127.

The goals of the MSDFTF are to increase awareness in the community of the specific risk factors facing Springfield youth and to identify strategies to increase their health and their strength to resist drug and alcohol use. Also, to build a community wide understanding of substance use and abuse prevention models for our youth, including understanding risk and protective factors encompassing our youth.

Our local community centers and faith-based organizations address protective factors by simply opening their doors and offering alternatives. Many agencies and organizations in the Mason Square area provide specific evidence-based prevention curricula for our youth, such as All-Stars at the Dunbar Community Center. The Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center has yearlong programming and events specific to the Mason Square youth in addition to community wide activities. Other organizations contribute to the community’s protective factors such as The Girl’s Club Family Center, who want to keep their doors open until 10pm, in order to give our youth a safe, structured environment to gather, and Northern Educational Services, Inc., which not only provides youth services, but provides HIV/AIDS testing and education.

By collaborating with residents, local agencies and police, together we can increase the effectiveness of the MSDFTF by building a common framework or plan with the community and other stakeholders or invested members, such as residents, parents, teachers and business owners. The MSDFTF also recognizes the importance of the neighborhood councils, which also provide a platform for Mason Square residents to come together and unite around the challenges facing Old Hill, Upper Hill, Bay and Mason Square. The task force’s goals are to provide substance abuse prevention services and support to youth and their families that are based on youth development principles. Together, we can create the framework for a substance abuse prevention foundation in Mason Square and the city at large, which is effective, efficient and fully utilizes citizen participation among all sectors and organizations within the community.

Many exciting activities and events are planned for MSDFTD this spring that we will report on next month in POV.