Project Northland
Project Northland is based on the most rigorous alcohol-use
prevention trial ever funded by the National Institute on Alcohol
Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and was developed in a region of the
country that led the nation in alcohol-related teen traffic
fatalities. The program was designed by prevention researchers to
delay the age when youth begin drinking, to reduce use among young
people who have tried alcohol, to limit the use of other drugs, and
to reduce alcohol-related problems.
How it works Project Northland employs grade-specific tasks,
exercises, and activities in a variety of highly engaging,
interactive formats--such as comic books and posters--to reach
young people at an age when they are most likely to try alcohol.
Because this program includes important community components, it
can be effectively implemented by schools as well as by community
programs.
Sixth Grade: Slick
Tracy
: With a comic-strip theme and entertaining
activities, the Slick Tracy program draws young people and their
families together to discuss alcohol-related issues.
Seventh Grade:
Amazing Alternatives!
: Imaginative, kid-tested ideas
about resisting alcohol and appreciating alcohol-free activities
get students and their peers talking and problem solving.
Eighth Grade:
PowerLines
: Reinforcing the messages and strategies of
Slick Tracy and Amazing Alternatives!, PowerLines gets kids
thinking about how community groups and organizations, parents,
police, schools, media, liquor stores and bars, and local
government--influence prevention efforts.
Study outcomes
Project Northland is a CSAP-approved curriculum with
proven outcomes. Overall, outcomes from an initial three-year test
of the program show that, relative to the control group, students
who participated in Project Northland demonstrated reduced levels
of alcohol, marijuana, and cigarette use and displayed more
resilient behaviors.
Students who participated in Project Northland:
Showed reduced levels of alcohol use
30% lower weekly drinking
20% lower monthly drinking
Engaged in significantly less cigarette and alcohol use over
time
27% lower use of cigarettes by the end of eighth grade
27% lower use of alcohol by the end of eighth grade
Demonstrated markedly lower drug use by eighth grade. Intervention
group students who never drank alcohol at the beginning of sixth
grade showed
50% lower marijuana use by the end of eighth grade
37% lower cigarette use by the end of eighth grade
History Project Northland was developed in the 1990s in a northern
Minnesota region that led the nation in alcohol-related teen
traffic fatalities. After an initial three-year test of the
program, teen alcohol use decreased by 30% and tobacco and
marijuana use declined significantly. Project Northland can work in
your corner of the world, too, by:
• targeting the years when kids are most likely to try alcohol
• focusing on three key prevention goals: delay, reduce, and
limit
• preventing use of other drugs by aiming at the "gateway" drug of
alcohol
• integrating classroom activities, parent involvement, peer
leadership, and community support
