Jessica McGinnis, LMSW, and Teagan Kern, LMSW, recently traveled with four local high school students to Nashville, Tennessee, to attend the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) Mid-Year Training Institute, a national conference focused on youth substance use prevention.
THE TRIP was made possible through support from the Drug-Free Communities (DFC) grant, managed by Allen County Multi-Agency Team (ACMAT) and Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center, along with funding from the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services through the Youth Leaders in Kansas (YLINK) grant.
The students, Shaylee Karns and Jordan Spillman of Iola, both entering their sophomore year, and Yareli Medrano and Myleigh Eslick of Moran, incoming juniors, were selected to represent their communities and participated in the Key Essentials track, a specialized youth leadership and prevention training program.
The conference, July 20-24, brought together youth and adult leaders from across the nation.
Students engaged in hands-on workshops where they learned how to assess local substance use challenges, analyze data, develop strategic action plans, and implement prevention efforts tailored to their schools and communities. The training emphasized real-world application and collaboration with youth coalitions from other states.
PARTICIPATION IN the CADCA Mid-Year Institute helps further ACMAT’s mission of reducing youth substance use in Allen County by empowering young people to take on leadership roles in local prevention efforts.
Through the combined support of the DFC and YLINK grants, students returned home with tools, confidence, and a renewed passion to create positive change.
