NR Coalition Graduates from National Program

On February 6th, the North Reading Youth Substance Use Prevention Coalition was one of 160 community coalitions honored during a graduation ceremony at CADCA’s (Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America) National Leadership Forum, just outside of Washington, D.C. The coalitions received a graduation plaque for completing CADCA’s National Coalition Academy, a rigorous training program designed to increase the effectiveness of community drug prevention leaders.

“We are so proud of our coalition for investing the time and resources to take advantage of the best community coalition training in the world. To graduate from this year-long intensive course is no small feat and North Reading’s Coalition is more prepared today to be an effective, sustainable coalition because of this training,” said Drug Free Communities Grant Director Amy Luckiewicz. “We look forward to applying our knowledge and strategies to ensure the youth in our community live drug free.”

The coalition recently worked on educating the community about prescription drug misuse and vaping trends. It next plans on collecting key points of data from grades six through twelve through a survey tentatively scheduled to be administered in March. "Building coalitions and working with stake holders through the community are critical steps in approaching a difficult issue like substance use and abuse among our youth," said Marci Bailey, Chair of North Reading's Substance Abuse Coalition. "Grant Coordinator Amy Luckiewicz's and Detective Paul Lucci's attendance at CADCA and the knowledge they bring back to North Reading will greatly enhance the work of our coalition and help us move our work forward using knowledge gained from coalitions nationwide."

CADCA’s National Coalition Academy (NCA) is a comprehensive, year-long training program developed by CADCA’s National Coalition Institute. The NCA incorporates three, week-long classroom sessions, a web-based distance learning component, an online workstation where participants network and share planning products and free ongoing coalition development technical assistance. To graduate, coalitions must complete a rigorous curriculum. They must participate in all components of the NCA and complete five essential planning products that serve as the foundation of their comprehensive plan for community change. The Community Impact Team would like to recognize the efforts of its intern, Joe DiBenedetto for his hard work with helping to prepared the required products.

CADCA’s National Leadership Forum is a four-day event packed with opportunities to learn the latest strategies to address substance abuse and hear from nationally-known prevention experts, federal administrators, and concerned policymakers. The Forum brings together approximately 3,000 attendees representing coalitions from all regions of the country and internationally, government leaders, youth, prevention specialists, addiction treatment professionals, addiction recovery advocates, researchers, educators, law enforcement professionals, and faith-based leaders. It is the largest training event for the prevention field.