Representatives of Barton County Youth Crew (YC) participated in a global learning and training opportunity when they recently attended the popular CADCA conference at Chicago, said Tyler Morton, prevention advocate at Juvenile Services.
CADCA stands for Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America.
Three YC members shared a few highlights of what they gleaned from networking with their peers and CADCA leaders from all over the world.
MaKiah Webber, Hoisington High School freshman, indicated the conference was a “great experience” for her.
“My breakout sessions focused on recruitment techniques, while the communications class encouraged me to share information locally and hold a public-speaking class,” Webber said. “CADCA truly is an opportunity that I highly recommend to every youth.
“It is so educational and, of course, fun. I have made so many valuable memories, while learning about more prevention strategies.”
Mya Brewer, Hoisington Middle School seventh grader, enjoyed meeting new people from all over the United States and appreciated the thoughtful and knowledgeable instructors.
“I also enjoyed the meetings and am bringing what I learned back home to share with others,” Brewer said. “The experience was good because it gave me the chance to get to know everyone who came with me to CADCA. They are kind, nice and funny; I couldn’t have asked for a better group.”
In addition, Brewer noted, “I appreciated learning from other coalitions; the members were friendly and taught me a lot.”
Jasmine Figueroa, Great Bend High School (GBHS) senior, attended the CADCA National Advisory Youth Council track at the event. This included training on public health and effective prevention techniques.
“My favorite session was ‘Everyone Deserves to be Healthy’ where we did a deep dive into the social drivers of health and access to quality healthcare,” Figueroa recalled. “A highlight was bonding with my peers from this youth council who serve across the nation just like me.”
Figueroa took advantage of the opportunity to be part of the Kansas Planning Group for the new CADCA and YLinK collaboration, which is called “Upstream Kansas.” YLinK refers to Youth Leaders in Kansas.
“We took two evenings to begin planning the future of this program in Kansas,” she reported. “CADCA is unlike any other training. The sessions are applicable to us locally, and our peers and adults share the same drive to create local change within our communities.
“You could feel the energy throughout the event. I would recommend it to anyone.”
Other YC members who attended are Damian Palma, GBHS senior; Alvin Bowyer, Ellinwood High School junior; Jamesray Short, GBHS sophomore; Brooklyn Cooley, GBHS freshman; and Branson Holinde, GBMS eighth grader.
Adults were Tyler Morton, Juvenile Services prevention advocate; Holly Bowyer, parent and YC stakeholder at The Center for Counseling & Consultation; and Nichelle Holinde, parent and YC stakeholder at the Family Crisis Center.
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Tyler Morton at Juvenile Services noted CADCA “broadens the scope of prevention and allows youth to share their experiences. It provides a setting to work with prevention experts and build the foundation to work in their communities.
“Because of this event, they are better equipped to communicate with local officials and citizens about why their prevention work is so important.”
Morton noted that a highlight for him was building upon relationships that began at last year’s conference. “We kept in contact with these folks. We continue to learn from other coalitions.
“There is something special in realizing you are not the only ones advocating for change. We shared success stories and recapped things that didn’t go so well, while finding ways to re-group and try again. This is beyond beneficial to a youth-led program.”
When the youth weren’t in the classroom or breakout sessions, they toured Chicago and enjoyed some of the fun things to do. They went to a Blue Man Group show, The Bean and a fireworks display on the Navy Pier. For a not-so-fun thing, they hunkered down during two tornado warnings.
A Drug-Free Communities grant paid for most of the July 14-18 trip, with some assistance from CADCA.
20th Judicial District Juvenile Services empowers youth in Barton, Rice, Ellsworth, Stafford and Russell counties to achieve positive outcomes by offering Juvenile Intake & Assessment, Immediate Intervention, Intensive Supervised Probation, Case Management, Journey to Change, Life Skills, All Stars and Youth Crew. Parents and guardians also are offered The Parent Project. Visit 1800 12th in Great Bend or call 620-793-1930.
