In my experience, the most powerful thing that people, particularly youth, respond to is that they want to be considered normal. If they are growing up in an environment where the conditions send a message to them that it is acceptable to take risks, to use and abuse substances, to become desensitized to violence within the home and the neighborhood, and if that is what normal is, there is a likelihood that they will participate in those activities. We also have to acknowledge as communities that addiction and substance abuse exist, and their total elimination may not be a realistic goal. Many community coalitions think they have failed if they have not eliminated substance abuse or chemical dependency, despite making progress against these problems. Sometimes, relapse prevention is primary prevention for the child of an addict.
Policy is important.
We did not have an environmental movement when I was growing up. The combination of public policy, public information, social change, and awareness changed that behavior and created a new set of attitudes about the environment and the community we live in. Much attention should be placed on where the change agent and the change dynamic begin. The approach must be multifaceted from the behavioral, public policy, and community development points of view. We need research into how those intersecting, layering initiatives intersect into the daily life and perception of ordinary people and how that creates a sense of change.