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Who We Are

WHAT IS A COALITION? 

A coalition is a formal arrangement for cooperation and collaboration between groups or sectors of a community. Each group retains its identity, but all agree to work together toward a common goal of building a safe, healthy, and drug-free community. 

 

WHAT DO MEMBERS DO IN A COALITION? 
  • Members bring the perspective of the group of people/sector they represent to the coalition and function on behalf of those they represent to carry out strategies for the local community. 

  • Members act within their sphere of influence, thus enlarging the coalition’s ability to create needed change and implement multiple strategies.

  • Members act as leaders to promote and gather support for the coalition’s information, strategies, and activities from the sector they represent. 

  • New members are invited to join to expand the coalition's sphere of influence and increase capacity to address additional root causes. 

 

WHAT IS THE SSAY COALITION? 

A group of community members working together to reduce youth substance use and promote healthy activities. 

 

WHAT DOES THE SSAY COALITION DO? 

Creates positive community change through education, enhancing skills, providing support and engaging youth, parents and our community. 

 

WHO REPRESENTS THE SSAY COALITION? 

The Coalition includes leadership representation from 12 different sectors, community members and relies heavily on Youth input and involvement.

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WHO RUNS THE SSAY COALITION? 

The SSAY Coalition began with the Amador Tuolumne Community

Action Agency who's staff spear-headed the efforts to encourage

community involvement and build the membership needed

to apply for DCF funding. Pat Porto, ATCAA Family Services Director

oversees the grant and Wilma S. Fortich, SSAY's Project Coordinator

runs the day-to-day operations.

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WE ARE PART OF THE NATIONWIDE DRUG FREE COMMUNITIES SUPPORT PROGRAM
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The Drug Free Communities Support Program (DFC), created by the Drug Free Communities Act of 1997, is the Nation’s leading effort to mobilize communities to prevent youth drug use. Directed by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), in partnership with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the DFC program provides grants to local drug-free community coalitions to increase collaboration among community partners and to prevent and reduce youth substance use.

Recognizing the fundamental concept that local problems need local solutions, DFC-funded coalitions engage multiple sectors of the community and employ a variety of strategies to address local drug problems.

 

The DFC program mobilizes more than 9,000 community coalition members throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and Palau.

  • Coalition members conduct ongoing community assessments to prioritize efforts to prevent and reduce youth drug use. These assessments are used to plan and implement data-driven, community-wide strategies.

  • The DFC program requires funded coalitions to employ environmental strategies – broad initiatives aimed at addressing the entire community through the adaptation of policies and practices related to youth substance use. In so doing, coalitions can address the environment as a whole and get the most out of available resources.

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The Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program is the nation's leading effort to mobilize communities to prevent youth substance use. Get involved in our local coalition to prevent youth substance use in Amador County..

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© 2025 Substance Solutions for Amador Youth.  All Rights reserved.

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