On his way to the May 13 COMPASS planning meeting that was held at the Park North Administration Building, Amityville school district’s Assistant Superintendent Michael Cohen was stopped by a teenager from the community. "The student recognized me from school, and he asked if I would help him find a job," said Cohen. "He’s had no luck in finding work, although he’s tried. He said that if he couldn’t find something soon, he’d have no other choice than to start selling drugs. For too many in our community, the situation is that desperate."

It is that sense of hopelessness that the Amityville School District seeks to turn around through its partnership with the Suffolk Coalition to Prevent Alcohol and Drug Dependencies, the Hauppauge-based not for profit umbrella agency that developed an innovative program called COMPASS. COMPASS, which stands for Community, Parent, School and Student, is a science-based research approach which builds on the belief that community coalitions can prevent alcohol and drug dependency as well as reduce youth crime rates. COMPASS programs, which are funded through federal and New York State grants, have been adopted by other school districts as well, including Bay Shore, Babylon and Southampton. The Coalition is currently working to bring the program to Amityville.

The May 13th meeting discussed ways to generate additional interest in the program and provided a basic overview of the COMPASS approach. In attendance were representatives from the Suffolk Coalition, students, school personnel, community advocates, and the clergy.

Suffolk Coalition’s Ann Haney gave a presentation that explained how the program works.

"The most important thing to remember is that COMPASS is a process," Haney began. "Our goal is to promote a child’s healthy choices across his life’s span, but this doesn’t happen overnight."

Taking a holistic approach to further its goal, the Coalition forms linkages that connect existing community groups, parents and schools, increasing awareness and understanding of the risks facing today’s kids and pinpointing ways to decrease those factors over a period of time.

"Children are exposed to many risk factors, including HIV, domestic violence, crime and bullying, but they don’t always have positive family role models they can turn to for help" observed Haney.

"We can’t stop this exposure, but we can build in protective factors to lessen the risk, and we can connect the child with the community, the school and any adult interested in the child’s total well being."

And while some may feel somewhat apprehensive about a partnership between the school district and a group outside the community, Cohen says the fears are unwarranted.

"The great thing about COMPASS is that it doesn’t seek to reinvent the wheel," added Cohen. "They form connections. They don’t try to replace or gobble up other community groups; rather, they enable the school and the community to develop efficient programs that are tailored to the needs of the student."

To accomplish this, COMPASS relies heavily on the latest social science research available, sharing this information with all program participants. "Research is a strong component of the COMPASS approach," notes Haney. "If two people are exposed to the same risk factors, why can one person pull it together and not the other? Why did Denzel Washington succeed while Daryl Strawberry spiraled out of control? If we look at things like this, research it, then maybe we can replicate the positive examples."

With the school year coming to an end, it is impossible to implement the full COMPASS program until the fall. In the meantime, members on the planning committee will develop a mission statement and reach out to others to ensure the program’s success. Additionally, a community-wide meeting to introduce the COMPASS concept is slated later this year.

"If we are to make a difference in a young person’s life, we must involve as many people as possible. This must be a total community effort.," said Cohen. "After all, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts."

For information on how you can get involved, contact Michael Cohen at (631) 598-6513. To learn about COMPASS, call at (631) 366-1717.