Did you know?
MOST HUSKIES would rather NOT drink alcohol, vape, or use marijuana when hanging out with friends.*
*Based on 2024 student PCN survey funded by MN-DHS-BHA
PATH was founded in 2021 with a focus on the youth of the Jackson County Central Schools District in Jackson and Lakefield, MN. Our One Husky Pack campaign uses evidence-based and data-driven Positive Community Norms messaging to reduce and prevent youth substance-use. Join us for our meetings on the third Tuesday of each month. Contact Us for more information!
Our Mission
Uniting our communities to inspire all learners to live a healthy, positive lifestyle, with a focus on reducing and preventing alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use.
Our One Husky Pack Campaign was founded to share the truth that MOST Huskies choose NOT to drink alcohol, smoke marijuana, or vape. Together, we can keep growing the good that is already happening at JCC.
Why Positive Community Norms
Positive Community Norms is an evidence-based practice in community transformation. “Change people's perceptions and you will change their behaviors: that is the magic of Positive Community Norms” (The Montana Institute, 2022). By shifting the way that our community talks about substance use, we are able to create a big impact here in our own beautiful communities of Jackson and Lakefield.
Don’t just take our word for it! Hear about the remarkable journey that Deer River, Minnesota went through when implementing Positive Community Norms; ultimately, the community saw a 50% reduction in their youth’s alcohol use rate!
We Follow the Science of the Positive
PATH is excited to use the Science of the Positive framework to achieve efficacy in our work. “The Science of the Positive is the study of how positive factors impact culture and experience. It focuses on how to measure and grow the positive, and has been applied over decades with agencies, communities, and businesses. It is based on the core assumption that the positive is real and is worth growing – in ourselves, our families, our workplaces, and our communities” (Linkenbach, 2007). In this framework, we acknowledge that true community transformation is a cycle and we honor all parts of this cycle.
Why 7 Core Principles
Our 7 Core Principles frame our work and help guide us. According to the Montana Institute, this framework can increase the effectiveness of organizations. “By engaging with their personalized core principles, organizations and coalitions can create a positive, strength-based frame for their work; identify and connect with the true spirit and purpose of what they do; build greater leadership capacity; ask the right questions and collect the most salient data; find effective, authentic ways to engage with their communities; and create the conditions most favorable to lasting cultural transformation. These principles become an invaluable tool to help them navigate times of complexity and ambiguity” (The Montana Institute, 2016).
PATH has defined, refined, and implemented our own individual 7 Core Principles to follow this evidence-based framework in our community. We are excited to use this framework as a guide for our work within our local Jackson County Central Schools.