PACT Needs and Goals

Identifying Needs

Every two years all youth in grades 6-12 are surveyed to get a sense of the strengths and needs of the young people in Amesbury. This survey includes a measure of the 40 Developmental Assets (protective factors) as well as questions about risky behaviors such as alcohol or drug use and time spent watching screens. There are also questions about stress, anxiety and mental health. This data gives us a picture of the highest needs of our young people and programming is built to support those needs. We feel it is important for everyone in the community to have access to this data and join in the conversation about how we can support the youth and families in Amesbury.

For a full report of the 2021 data, see the link below. To watch the full youth data presentation, click here.

The Asset Challenge in Our Community

We know that the more assets youth have, the more likely they are to thrive. The opposite is also true. The more assets youth have, the less likely they are to participate in risk behaviors

Report on Risk Behaviors

Regional Picture of Vaping and Mental Health

PACT's Goals

Goal 1: Capacity Building

• Maintain and increase membership
• Expand awareness of the coalition
• Engage youth leaders
• Build skills 

Goal 2: Address risk and protective factors

• Reduce substance use by increasing protective factors (assets) and decreasing risks
• Develop meaningful community connections
• Increase middle and high school programming
• Explore mental health supports for youth
• Host community forums
• Develop a parent speaker series
• Run a youth-driven social norms campaign
• Implement a city-wide beverage service training
• Develop school curricula