about
DTL Coalition and History
Young people that use and abuse harmful substances, are at greater risk of early sexual activity, substance dependency, school drop out and juvenile crime. What makes helps a young person grow to his or her fullest potential? It is parental and community education, and youth guidance toward positive outlets.
Eleven years ago, Drawing the Line on Underage Alcohol Abuse (DTL) was established by Montgomery County (MC), to create a countywide effort to prevent youth alcohol use and abuse. The result? The number of deaths due to post-prom drinking and driving reduced to almost zero, and the number of funded activities designed to provide youth positive things to do greatly increased. Now, The mission of the DTL Coalition has grown to include strategies to reduce use and abuse of substances such as tobacco, marijuana and other dangerous substances.
Leading the DTL effort has been the Family Support Center (FSC) (www.fscone.org) since 2002, by winning the competitive grants for three consecutive periods. FSC is a private nonprofit organization located in Bethesda, Maryland whose twenty-year mission has helped youth, families and school staff in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area prevent, recognize and overcome a broad range of problem behaviors among school-age children. FSC is a full-service social service agency that provides educational, supportive and referral services to 80 public and independent schools. In keeping with FSC’s mission and history, DTL is one of its major efforts as it is designed to change public perception and youth behavior regarding underage substance use and abuse.