Waltham Youth Peer Leaders Attend Training for Preventing Substance Abuse

WALTHAM, MA – Two high school peer leaders from Waltham attended a week-long training convention in Las Vegas last month on best practices for combating youth substance abuse.

Junia Gauvin and Shy Civil were among 200 teens who attended the 2016 Mid-Year Training Institute, hosted by the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America. They were accompanied by Watertown peer leaders Shariel Joseph and Kaitlyn Tracy, as well as Wayside Youth & Family Support Network Advisors Shanesha Christmas and Dawn Graham from the Watertown Youth Coalition and Waltham Youth & Community Coalition.

The week-long workshop, held at The Mirage, consisted of about 2,000 substance abuse and treatment prevention specialists from across the country and offered more than 70 half-day and two-day courses on addressing the substance use crisis.

Teens who attended received the opportunity to take part in the CADCA's youth-led, adult-guided National Youth Leadership Initiative, where they learned how to become drug prevention advocates and community leaders.

Gauvin, Civil, Joseph and Tracy also participated in the Medicine Safety Youth Educators Pilot Project; with the assistance of adult advisors, they will develop a strategic implementation plan and deliver the Over-the-Counter Medicine Safety program to 5th and 6th graders this fall.

This year's mid-year session featured a number of substance abuse and prevention experts, with a keynote presentation by Dr. Moira O'Neil, senior researcher and director of interpretation at the Frameworks Institute.

The training covered topics ranging from preventing prescription drug abuse and reducing heroin use to creating tobacco-free environments, reducing impaired driving and developing policies to reduce marijuana use, synthetic drug abuse and underage drinking.

"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," Gen. Arthur T. Dean, CADCA's chairman and CEO, said in a press release. "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."

• 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

Photo submitted by the Wayside Multi-Service Center