Wayside Multi Service Center
Clockwise from bottom-left: Shariel Joseph and Kaitlyn Tracy (WYC Peer Leaders) teamed up with Shy Civil and Junia Gauvin (WYACC Trailblazers) at CADCA’s Mid-Year Training Institute.
Four high school peer leaders and their Wayside Youth & Family Support Network Advisors, Shanesha Christmas and Dawn Graham, from the Watertown Youth Coalition (WYC) and Waltham Youth & Community Coalition (WYACC) joined approximately 2,000 substance abuse prevention and treatment specialists from across the country in Las Vegas from July 17-21 for CADCA’s (Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America) 2016 Mid-Year Training Institute.
The week-long training, held at The Mirage, taught participants how to address one of our nation’s biggest public health challenges – youth substance use.
CADCA’s Mid-Year Training Institute was a one-of-a-kind intensive training opportunity, offering more than 70 half-day and two-day courses geared towards helping participants find solutions to their community’s toughest substance abuse problems.
“The Mid-Year is a unique professional development opportunity for anyone trying to prevent and reduce drug abuse, and its related problems, in their community,” said General Arthur T. Dean, CADCA’s Chairman and CEO. “After four days of intensive training, participants will return to their communities with new skills and strategies, and a clearer roadmap to create environments where young people can thrive.”
This year’s Mid-Year featured a number of renowned experts in the field of substance abuse and prevention, with keynote remarks by Dr. Moira O’Neil, senior researcher and director of interpretation at the Frameworks Institute. The training event covered a wide range of topics – everything from how to prevent prescription drug abuse and reduce heroin use to how to create tobacco-free environments, reduce impaired driving and develop policies to reduce marijuana use, synthetic drug use and underage drinking.
The Mid-Year also welcomed nearly 200 youth from around the country who took part in CADCA’s youth-led, adult-guided civic engagement training, the National Youth Leadership Initiative (NYLI), where they learned how to become drug prevention advocates and powerful community leaders.
In addition to the NYLI, Shariel Joseph and Kaitlyn Tracy (peer leaders from Watertown) and Junia Gauvin and Shy Civil (peer leaders from Waltham) participated in trainings for CADCA’s Medicine Safety Youth Educators Pilot Project. The peer leaders will be supported by adult advisors to develop a strategic implementation plan and deliver the Over-the-Counter Medicine Safety program to fifth and sixth graders in the fall. Joseph said, “The CADCA training was really empowering! CADCA taught me that youth like me can make a big change in their community if they set their minds to it.”
Participation in the Mid-Year was made possible by WYACC’s SAMHSA Drug Free Community Support Program, the Miller/Tracy Children’s Foundation, a CADCA Scholarship, and funds raised through Wayside’s 5K4Kids.
About Watertown Youth Coalition and Waltham Youth & Community Coalition
WYC (overseen by Wayside Multi-Service Center) and WYACC (overseen by Waltham Partnership for Youth) are community coalitions of youth, parents, residents, educators, police officers, medical professionals and local business owners committed to promoting healthy and positive lifestyles among Watertown and Waltham youth.
Contact Shanesha Christmas, Youth Advisor, at shanesha_christmas@waysideyouth.org or 617-926-3600 x 305 for additional information on WYACC or WYC Peer Leaders.