Our Mission

To foster a community within School District 317 that supports youth by preventing underage alcohol, tobacco and other drug use. We use an evidence-based approach called Positive Community Norms that implements local youth surveys, collecting data, and letting science guide our work strategies.

Our Vision

We recognize the power of perceptions and misconceptions. We work on closing the gap between what is real around youth substance use and what we perceive to be real and the direct correlation perceptions have in making healthier choices. We envision a community focused and driven towards subtance free youth.

The coalition is made up of volunteer members from various sectors of the ISD 317 communities. Those sectors consist of:

School Administration | School Staff | Business | Parents | Youth | Spiritual | Health Care | Government | Civic | Fraternal | Media | Law Enforcement | Justice and Corrections | High-risk Sub Populations | Volunteer Groups | Youth Serving Organizations

• Step Up is a youth-led drug and alcohol prevention group from the Deer River School District in northern Minnesota.

• We are a passionate group of young individuals, working under the guidance of the Drug-Free Communities Federal Grant and the S.T.E.P. (Standing Together Embracing Prevention) Coalition, committed to reducing alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use among teens in our community.

• Students involved in the STEP UP program are ambassadors and influencers in their community.

• The students are all about sharing the good in their community while also sharing substance abuse education.

• STEP UP knows that nobody is perfect, but people deserve to know the truth and facts regarding substance use to make educated choices when facing peer pressure.