Marquette County Cares asking public to identify top risk factors for youth

MARQUETTE — Marquette County Cares (MC2) held their quarterly meeting Friday at Marquette-Alger Regional Educational Service Agency to discuss the results from the latest Communities That Care survey.

Students in 6th, 8th, 10th and 12th grades in Marquette County schools were surveyed about risk and protective factors as well as behavioral outcomes in the community.

From there, MC2 determined the four most concerning risk factors, including low commitment to school, favorable attitudes toward alcohol and drug use, community norms favorable towards alcohol and drug use and parent’s attitude toward favorable alcohol and drug use.

The coalition is asking the community to vote for which two risk factors MC2 will work on over the next two years.

“Prevention services and treatment services in our community can be more effective if we know specifically what our youth is struggling with. There are a lot of different potential things to provide services for, so this helps us funnel our money towards the most effective prevention effort,” said Mary Harris, the Marquette County Cares coordinator.

To vote online, click HERE.

To learn more about Marquette County Cares, visit their website HERE.