Who Is the Coalition?

Find out who we are--and get involved!

Coalition Leadership & Staff

Margaret Watt, she/her
(Role at TNP: staff, substance misuse & parent sectors)

Prevention Director, Positive Directions -
The Center for Prevention & Counseling

Margaret is the Director of Prevention at Positive Directions-The Center for Prevention & Counseling. She oversees prevention grants, including the Drug-Free Communities grant and other grants that fund TNP, and leads community coalitions in Norwalk and Westport in their efforts to promote mental health and prevent substance misuse and suicide. Margaret also directs the online young adult-created mental health project known as TurningPointCT.org and chairs the NAMI CT Public Policy Committee. Previously, Margaret served as Executive Director of the Southwest Regional Mental Health Board and Co-Director of The Hub. Her prior background includes 12 years in global health and eight years as an educator. As a Norwalk resident, she is the proud parent of a 2021 P-TECH/NCC graduate and a 2023 BMHS graduate. She is also a past SGC and PTOC member. She can provide presentations and trainings in Spanish and French.

Coalition Members

Prevention coalitions operate by bringing 12 key stakeholder groups, aka "sectors," together, as shown in the graph.

We work hard to make sure all 12 sectors are actively involved in our coalition. Current participants are listed below:

YOUTH: Contact Dayna to join our Norwalk Strong clubs at BMHS and NHS.
PARENTS: We have a number of Norwalk parents in our coalition, some participating both as professionals and personally. We welcome more parents at all times!
NONPROFIT & VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATIONS: Positive Directions*, Human Services Council*, Norwalk ACTS, Community Action Agency of Western CT, Family and Children's Agency
FRATERNAL ORGANIZATIONS: Triangle Community Center
SCHOOLS: Norwalk Public Schools
GOVERNMENT: Norwalk Community Services, Norwalk Youth Services Bureau, Norwalk Health Department
LAW ENFORCEMENT: Norwalk Police Department
YOUTH-SERVING ORGANIZATIONS: Child & Family Guidance, Kids in Crisis/Teen Talk, Mid-Fairfield Community Care Center, Youth Business Initiative (YBI)
HEALTHCARE: School-Based Health Centers, Norwalk Community Health Center, Catholic Charities of Fairfield County
SUBSTANCE USE ORGANIZATIONS: Courage to Speak Foundation, CT Counseling Centers, High Focus Centers
BUSINESSES: Ase Kreationz, Chamber of Commerce
MEDIA: Katie Gallo (Daydream Communications)

We also prioritize involvement from all the cultures that represent Norwalk's full diversity. We have Spanish and Creole-speaking members available to work with our English Language Learners.

*Positive Directions - The Center for Prevention & Counseling and the Human Services Council are the fiduciaries for TNP.

Join Us!

We are looking for caring, concerned community members to help create lasting change to promote healthy behaviors and prevent substance use among Norwalk youth & young adults.

Expression of Interest Form

Coalition Involvement Agreement

Community Partners

We have special partnerships with Norwalk ACTS and Norwalk Public Schools, collaborating on Social-Emotional Health, conducting our youth survey, and disseminating the results.

We welcome representation from all youth-serving groups in Norwalk--faith ministers, scout leaders, sports coaches, enrichment program directors, etc.--to collaborate with us. We are stronger together!

We can support your work through:

sharing our data
providing presentations & trainings
helping share your programs and events
amplifying your social media
giving your youth a place to participate in prevention work

You can support our work through:

following us on social media (Facebook & Instagram)
subscribing to get our blog posts and resharing our information & resources
joining our coalition meetings to share your insights and help develop plans
sharing your program & event information