Around Town
Watertown Students Attend Anti-Susbstance Abuse Confrerence in Las Vegas
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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.
