The coalition encourages family management skills, emphasizes graduation from high school and accentuates ways for youth to feel bonded to the community. BAG also has a high emphasis on substance abuse prevention and is an advocate for adult accountability for adult provision of alcohol to youth.

The coalition is actively involved in helping to spearhead the Underage Drinking Prevention Task Force and the Methamphetamine Prevention Task Force.

BAG recognizes that there is not one magic answer to any problem. They advocate strongly for and recommend multiple science-based, prevention strategies with measurable outcomes. In addition, they promote multiple sectors of the community such as parents, prevention specialists, youth, law enforcement, teachers, elected officials, media, the faith community, the courts and recreation departments to become involved in solutions of problems, affecting youth.

Under the umbrella at Partners, BAG helps fund the One-to-One Mentoring program, the Minors in Possession classes and Life Skills training for youth in the Restitution Program, plus implements public awareness campaigns about choosing healthy behaviors.

Also offered under the BAG format, is the Social Norms/Social Marketing Campaign. The Social Norms Model is based on using survey results to promote the true healthy norm of a particular behavior and to diminish the false, perceived norm. This program is being implemented at Mesa State College, Central High School and East Middle Schools.

An example of social norms would be: when a student perceives that more of their peers are drinking alcohol than actually are, this false perception can increase drinking behaviors. Whereas, when students are aware of the true, healthy norm, they adjust their behaviors to meet this norm. The majority of youth engage in healthy behaviors. Promoting researched and documented healthy behaviors through survey results is known as Social Marketing.

The mission statement for BAG is: “Mesa County Build A Generation is a group of concerned and involved community leaders and members who coordinate efforts to influence attitudes, behaviors, public policy and resource allocation regarding youth in Mesa County using a risk-focused prevention planning process.”