Drug use among Underage Kids

The initiative focuses on promoting constructive activities such as sports to children as a way of diverting their attention from drugs. The paper will highlight this initiative and use both a needs assessment model and an evaluation model to show significance of the initiative. The paper will present a plan that covers the tasks and timelines the initiative is to undertake in achieving its goal. Programs that seek to use sports and other character building activities to deter children from using drugs have been initiated in the past. Although lack of adequate data on the success of these programs is available, they have shown a significant impact in promoting drug abstinence among children. Needs Assessment Model Needs assessment models are measures that are put in place to analyze a specified function.

These measures can be used to determine the gaps in an initiative and assess the significance of these gaps or needs to the overall performance of an initiative. The measures are mostly used to assess the significance of an initiative’s plans to the successful attainment of its objectives. There are various needs assessment models that can be used to analyze the gaps in an initiative. These models are based on various extents of research into a program as well as the presentation of different types of information. McKillip also presented a series of steps that were critical in the needs assessment analysis (Zheng 447). The first step involves identifying the users and the needs of each of these users. The second involves describing the population on which the initiative is to assist.

This step is followed by the identification of needs for the target population and the assessment of these needs based on their significance. The final step was the compilation of the results from the entire assessment. As a result, it is used to show the progress an initiative seeks to take to accomplish its objectives. The model builds a framework that can be used at various stages to measure the progress of an initiative and evaluate the performance of the initiative (Renger & Allison 495). The logic models simplicity and organization have made them a common evaluation model for many social programs (McLaughlin & Gretchen 8). Assessment Plan The initiative highlighted in this paper focuses on developing activities that can address the issue of drug use among underage children.

Children often imitate adults in their life as they grow and learn. Underage children lack a clear understanding of the relationship between actions and consequences. Although some actions may be viewed as being correct, they are not necessarily productive to every individual. These are lessons better taught through sports. The initiative seeks to engage the minds of these children by providing them with a tool to express themselves physically, emotionally and psychologically. This is the first step in providing a solution to the drug use challenge. Program Evaluation Plan Activity Timeline Personnel Evaluation (Logical outcomes) Community integration Monthly Community The community actively engages in the programs offered by the initiative and ensures the objectives of the initiative are met. Organizational involvement Monthly Organization members Offers tools and support required by the participants to achieve the initiative.