Posted on August 10, 2011

Gathering Data With a Smile

Flashing an engaging smile, Emily Johnson has been asking hundreds of locals, “Could I ask you a few questions?”  If she hasn’t knocked on your door or come into your business yet, don’t be surprised if you see this friendly young woman in the next few weeks.  Don’t worry, Emily isn’t selling anything, nor is she gathering information for a marketing firm or political party.  Johnson has been out and about in the local community as part of one of the data gathering efforts of the Five Town Communities That Care Coalition.

Five Town Communities That Care (CTC) is a small, local, non-profit committed to promoting healthy behavioral development for youth in order to prevent problem adolescent behaviors like substance abuse, suicide, violence, delinquency, school drop-out, and teen pregnancy.  Mainstays of the CTC system are a focus on increasing knowledge of the science of prevention, and the use of data to guide decisions.  One of the main sources of data for the Coalition is a survey taken by students every other year, but the group also collects a wide variety of other data.

The current collection involving Ms. Johnson seeks to gather information on ways to engage more sectors of the community in prevention targeting local youth issues.  The entire interview session usually takes less than five minutes and involves only three main questions.  Results of the mini survey will help inform the coalition’s efforts to engage all sectors in the community in seeking solutions to effectively address the often unique issues experienced by the youth who live here.

Five Town Communities That Care has been active since the summer of 2003, and has garnered national attention for its work in helping to mobilize the community to address the issue of prevention through the use of the CTC prevention system.  To learn more about the group and its efforts, call 207-236-9800 or visit www. fivetownctc.org.

See our calendar page for a calendar view of events, meetings, etc.