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Family Engagement and Resource Fair
Hosted by:
Hidalgo County Health Council (HCHC) and Southwest Prevention Network (SPN)
Please briefly describe your Communities Talk activity.
The Family Engagement & Resource Fair took place on August 10, 2024, at Lordsburg High School, offering parents, guardians, and children a wealth of resources and support. Free to the public and running from 9:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., the event aimed to equip families with tools to address modern challenges, focusing on cyber safety, stress management, and substance abuse prevention. Youth enjoyed activities tailored to their age, while parents attended specialized breakout sessions. In one session, “Cyber Safety for Parents,” which was led by the District Attorney’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations, parents learned important ways to keep children safe online. The Hidalgo County Health Council hosted a Narcan training, teaching attendees how to use this lifesaving tool in an opioid overdose emergency. The National Center for Frontier Communities provided Communities Talk resources that focused on preventing youth substance use, supporting mental health, and providing information on access to local food. Other highlights included a talk by the New Mexico National Guard on the dangers of fentanyl and social media drug trafficking, and a drug prevention session from the Southwest Prevention Network, which addressed vaping, alcohol, and marijuana risks. The fair also featured over 20 resource tables with local service information, ensuring families left with valuable connections and knowledge to support their well-being.
How does alcohol and other drug misuse affect your community?
Hidalgo County is a small community with a prevalent drinking culture, low perceived risk, and a “rite of passage” mentality surrounding alcohol use. According to the 2024 New Mexico Community Survey by Partnerships for International Research and Education (PIRE), 71.7% of respondents believe it is easy for teens to access alcohol, with 37.5% of 18- to 20-year-olds reporting they obtain it from adult family members. Data from the 2021 New Mexico Youth Risk and Resilience Survey (YRRS) shows that 19.8% of high school students had their first drink before age 13, and 23.9% reported current alcohol use; among middle school students, 10.1% drank before age 11, and 23.3% have tried alcohol. Enforcement is minimal, with the last alcohol-related citation in the Juvenile Probation Officer (JPO) system dating back to November 2019.
Which prevention strategy(ies), as defined by SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, best fit your Communities Talk activity?
- Environmental Strategy - focuses on establishing or changing community standards, codes, and attitudes thereby influencing incidence and prevalence of alcohol and other drug use within the community. The strategy depends on engaging a broad base of community partners, focuses on places and specific problems, and emphasizes public policy.
- Information Dissemination Strategy - focuses on improving awareness and knowledge of the effects of AOD issues on communities and families through “one-way” communication with the audience such as speaking engagements, health fairs, and distribution of print materials.
- Education Strategy - focuses on “two-way” communication between the facilitator and participants and aims to improve life/social skills such as decision making, refusal skills, and critical analysis.
What goal(s) did you hope to accomplish with your Communities Talk activity?
- Hold meetings or discussion groups on alcohol and/or other drug misuse prevention.
Did you accomplish your goal(s)?
Yes
What challenge(s) did you face in planning your activity this year?
How did you overcome these challenges?
What are your next steps?
- Host follow-up meetings or activities
- Expand our coalition with new partnerships in the community
- Create a public education campaign to raise awareness and/or change behaviors around underage drinking (i.e., create PSAs and other promotional materials)
If you’ve conducted Communities Talk activities in prior years, how has your repeated participation contributed to progress in achieving your prevention goals?
Organizations that conduct Communities Talk activities often involve other organizations in the planning and execution of events. Please indicate which type(s) of organizations you involved in your activity planning.
- Law enforcement
- Youth-led organizations
- Secondary schools
- Local chapters of national organizations
- Charitable organizations
- State and local government agencies (e.g., public health departments)
Which of the following best describes the primary audience(s) for your Communities Talk activity?
- Youth
- Parents
- Hispanic community members
How did you reach and engage your primary audience(s) to encourage them to participate in your activity?
Our outreach efforts included extensive social media campaigns, flyer distribution, and word-of-mouth promotion. To encourage participation, we offered about a dozen raffle prizes. Additionally, we provided a variety of free materials and resources, such as lock boxes, Deterra bags, kids’ crafts, and informational handouts. Additionally, we held the event in a central location that residents were familiar with.
Which Communities Talk resources (or other SAMHSA resources) were most helpful for your activity?
- Communities Talk website
- Communities Talk toolkits
Organization held a free resource fair that included activities for youth as well as specialized breakout sessions for parents.
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