Ottauquechee Community Partnership

OCP is an intergenerational community coalition of partners serving the towns of Vermont's Windsor Central Supervisory Union based in Woodstock, Vermont.  Our mission is to build a network of community support for young people so they can grow up to be caring, healthy, responsible community members. 

We focus on creating positive youth asset development, parent outreach, and alcohol, tobacco, and other drug prevention initiatives.

We build community relationships and bridges to:

• Promote healthy choices
• Empower youth and families
• Support intergenerational communication
• Increase community connectedness
• Engage inclusive and diverse partnerships and collaborations

OCP’s projects include long-running projects and new initiatives. 

• The Shining Light Mentoring Program pairs positive caring adult mentors with young people in a school based mentoring program through the Woodstock Union Middle and High School.  In 2010, the program is expanding to include mentoring at Reading Elementary School and Bridgewater Elementary School. 
• Youth Activism is supported through Vermont Kids Against Tobacco (VKAT) and Community Dialogues.  In 2010, the first OCP Youth Activist Awards are being granted to graduating senior activists for outstanding youth organizing work.  These young people were key to the success of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data Analysis Project (YURBS for short) which led to four action areas: 

               -Youth Matter – community members and young people partnering to create a community in which young people feel they matter.

              -Youth to Parent Awareness of Underage Drinking project – young people talking to parents about underage drinking and drug use, and how parents can help their kids make healthy choices

              -WUHS ATOD Policy review – the WCSU policy committee and students review the school ATOD policy

              -Woodstock Healthy Teens – developing a community wide model for building and sustaining healthy teen relationships

• Many partners come together for the Healthy Eating Active Living projects, including the HEAL Challenge,  Trek to Taste,  the Walking School Bus/Safe Routes to School,  OHC’s Prescription Walking Program and Farm to School programs.
• Parent Empowerment initiatives include the WUMS Parent Network,  Second Mondays: Workshops for Parents and Guiding Good Choices, a highly acclaimed parenting series for parents of children in grades 4-6. 
• Other OCP initiatives include the Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Taskforce, the Tobacco Advisory Board and support of the Spectrum Teen Center and the WUHS chapter of Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD).

OCP meets at 5:00 on the second Tuesday of every month September through June.  All are welcome to attend!

As a non-profit organization, OCP relies on grants and donations for its funding. Your tax deductible donation will help sustain OCP’s outreach initiatives. Thank you!