Salisbury Township commissioners were introduced recently to a new program working in the township "to prevent adolescent problem behavior and promote positive youth development."

Denise Continenza is Lehigh County coordinator for the program, Communities That Care (CTC), run by Penn State Extension where Continenza is an extension educator.

Continenza described herself as the "mobilizer for the project" at the May 9 township board of commissioners meeting, when she spoke.

"I love working in Salisbury," Continenza said.

The next meeting of the Salisbury CTC is 3 p.m. June 5 in the Salisbury Middle School library.

"This is exciting. I'd really like to attend that meeting," Board of Commissioners President James Brown said.

"We want to engage everybody in the township in engagement of our youth," Continenza said.

"We get everybody around the table everybody who has an investment in our youth.

"Law enforcement is a big piece of it," Continenza said.

"We want for the kids to stay on the right track."

Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency began funding the program in 2011 for the CTC to work in the Salisbury School District and Whitehall-Coplay School District.

The Center for Humanistic Change, Inc. is fiscal agent. Penn State Extension is subcontracted to coordinate the program.

CTC involves schools, youth organizations, law enforcement, government, faith organizations, businesses, human services, parents, youths, local leaders and health-care workers.

"We're pretty much in the getting-started phase," Continenza said.

The first phase of the five-phase CTC process is a Pennsylvania Youth Survey taken by sixth, eighth, 10th and 12th grade students. The survey is the basis for a report that will indicate a community's strengths and weaknesses.

"Let's get to the root of the problem," Continenza said. "What are we doing right? Let's keep doing it."

The Salisbury CTC is in Phase 2, which is organizing, introducing and involving.

Phase 3 is developing a community profile. Phase 4 is creating a community action plan. Phase 5 is implementing and evaluating the action plan.

"It's very accountable and that's what makes this work," said Continenza.

"With all these positive things going on, the kids are going to do better in school," Continenza said.

The goal is to have a CTC in every Lehigh County school district.

For information, contact Continenza at dhc128@ pspu.edu or 610-391-9840.