Westwood Cares is a community coalition seeking to prevent and reduce youth substance misuse through effective communication, coordination, collaboration, and action.
The coalition is supported by staff at the Westwood Department of Human Services and the Westwood Health Department, along with sector representatives and community partners across the town. The coalition has applied for federal prevention funding and continues to grow their capacity for youth substance use prevention.
Data above comes from the MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey, administered biennially to Westwood Public School students in grades six through twelve (2025).
In the spring of 2024, Over 120 high school students from Dedham, Needham, Walpole, and Westwood shared their “why,” or their motivation for choosing to stay healthy and substance-free in a project, titled “#MyWhy: Sharing our Voices,” through the MassCALL3 regional youth substance use prevention grant.
The project is based on #MyWhyNDAFW from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and asks student participants to think about the question “What motivates you to stay healthy and substance-free?” and to write their responses on a handout provided by MassCALL3 Prevention Partners staff.
Westwood High School students’ responses were compiled into this video that serves as an uplifting reminder of some of the unique reasons our students have for choosing to navigate away from high-risk behaviors.
