It was becoming obvious to many that the suburb of Kingsville now had a drug problem, but few wanted to admit it. The community’s residents liked their quiet neighborhoods and most never thought that drugs would be a problem. Within the past year, the climate of the town had changed considerably. Incidents of teenagers being arrested for possession of alcohol or even other drugs, such as marijuana, were being reported more regularly in the newspaper. There seemed to be more reports of burglaries too. There had even been a robbery and two assaults reported within the last month. The population of young adults in the community seemed to be increasing, and many of these individuals seemed to be driving impressive cars, using the hottest new digital devices, and wearing the latest clothes. All of these signs were obvious to a group of concerned citizens in Kingsville and suggested the possibility of a drug problem. So the concerned citizens decided to take their concern to the city council. Based on what you know about the problem in the scenario, answer the following questions:
How would you find out the real problem?
Who do you think are the gatekeepers in the community?
What groups of people in the community might be interested in solving the problem?
How would you organize these groups of people?
What groups might have a vested interest in seeing the problem unsolved?
What interventions would be useful in dealing with the problem?
How would you evaluate your efforts to solve the problem?
What strategies might you recommend to make the solution lasting?