December Coalition Newsletter

Grants were awarded. West Van for Youth and Prevent Together: Battle Ground Prevention Alliance were awarded DFC grants. New CPWI coalitions were formed in Longview and Klickitat. Prevent was awarded funding to implement vape education and joined the Washington Youth Marijuana Prevention Collaborative. The SW region attended CADCA 3-week academy. Prevent welcomes a Tobacco Prevention Specialist to the team.

Legislation was passed. Tobacco 21 was signed and the region celebrated five years of advocacy. The region advocated on marijuana packaging/labeling and retail licensing. ESD 112 worked with schools to promote alternatives to suspension and review school discipline policies.

Toolkits were published. After vapor-related lung illness woke the nation to the potential harms of vaping, ESD 112 developed a vape toolkit for schools. Coalitions partnered with cannabis retailers to launch the Secure Your Cannabis point of purchase campaign and Prevent released a Making the Connection toolkit online facilitator training video allowing instant access to the materials. The Dover Youth Empowerment Toolkit was shared in the region and was used to kick off the Youth Empowerment Project (YEP).

Awards were delivered. Prevent & STASHA member Madison Langer was awarded Tobacco Free Kids Youth Advocate of the Year and a Washington Prevention Excellence Award. The region honored Rep. Paul Harris with an achievement award for getting youth engaged in policy change.

Click here for the Prevent year in review infographic.

Click here for a timeline of prevention history in Washington.

On December 5th, over 60 youth leaders learned how to use their voices and advocate for policy change in the community and at the state level. Southwest Washington Coalitions, Student Assistant Professionals and Schools brought youth to this day long advocacy training co-hosted each year by Prevent Coalition and Unite! Washougal Coalition.

Students learned how laws are made, worked on public speaking skills and split into groups to craft messages on issues important to them. The groups discussed issues like whether flavored vaping products should be banned, bringing better mental health services into schools, how a community center could help students stay out of trouble and taking away the stigma of seeking help for mental health.

The Southwest Coalitions and Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids partnered this year to award Rep. Paul Harris for his work on passing legislation to raise the legal age to purchase tobacco products, Tobacco 21. The Attorney General Bob Ferguson made a personalized video recording congratulating Rep. Harris for the event.

Use Your Voice prepares youth to engage in conversations about policy change with any decision maker, but is specifically useful for advocacy days in Olympia, like Prevention Policy Day on January 20th, 2020.

Click here to read the full Columbian article.

Click here for the ESD 112 spotlight.

Thank you to all coalitions supporting this event, thank you to Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids for donating the trophy, thank you to Madison Langer for developing all program materials and thank you to Unite! Washougal for donating photography and planning support as well as the event location. Thank you ESD 112 for developing a press release and providing photography and communications strategic planning.

Vancouver Housing Authority is seeking applicants for the Community Prevention Project Coordinator position that will coordinate the Drug Free Communities (DFC) grant with the West Van for Youth coalition. https://recruiting.paylocity.com/Recruiting/Jobs/Details/206265

On October 30, 2019 the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) announced West Van for Youth of Vancouver, Washington is one of 150 new grant recipients for the Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program in the US. West Van for Youth will receive $625,000 in DFC grant funds to involve and engage their local community to prevent substance use among youth. Vancouver Housing Authority is the fiscal agent for the Drug Free Communities grant.

The DFC Program provides community coalitions the funding and support necessary to strengthen the infrastructure among local partners to create and sustain a reduction in local youth substance use. Recognizing that local problems need local solutions, DFC-funded coalitions engage multiple sectors of the community and implement comprehensive strategies that address local substance use problems in the unique environments in which substances are used and promoted.

The mission of the coalition is to build the community in order to promote healthy choices and reduce youth substance use so young people can grow into resilient and healthy adults. More information about West Van for Youth can be found at www.westvanforyouth.org.

• The WA Dept. of Health updated their “Vapor Products on Campus” poster with information about the Tobacco & Vapor 21 Law. A link to view and download the poster can be found on www.YouthNow.me/Schools in the printables section.
• Also newly posted on the main “Schools” page is a short video by MD Anderson Center that presents broad information on the dangers of e-cigarettes.
• On the “Vaping in the News” page there are many new articles posted! Including a recent article, “What are Washington Schools doing to help kids fight the vaping habit?” which highlights the great work done by prevention/intervention specialists.
• Newly added on the “Administrator Resources” page is a printable two-page question & answer about the new Vaping Cessation app offered by the Washington Department of Health. Is it right for your school?
• On the “Counselor Resources” page a link has been added to “Smokefree Teen” in the cessation resources section. Also some great printables; a “Quit Vaping” flyer about the new Dept. of Health quit app for teens and young adults, and a one-pager “Advice to Pediatricians: Supporting Youth Who Are Addicted to Nicotine”.
• The “Prevention Resources” page now has a link to “Bloomberg Philanthropies – Fighting Flavored E-Cigarettes” and “Protect Kids – Fight Flavored E-Cigs”.
• New on the “Educator Resources” page is curriculum called “Virtual Field Trip – The Facts on E-Cigarette Use” which is a multi-video e-course developed by the Surgeon General/Discovery Education with lesson activities and guide.
• Also on the “Educator Resources” page is a newly added video called “Hiding in Plain Sight”. You’ll be surprised how hard it is for teachers and parents to find vaping devices!

December is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month!

Join Connect Evergreen Coalition on December 19 at 6:30 pm for a Town Hall Meeting to discuss how to prevent underage drinking and driving while under the influence of alcohol and marijuana. Hear from a panel of state and local experts in law enforcement, traffic safety, prevention and more! Come early to tour Washington State Patrol's Mobile Impaired Driving Unit (MIDU) from 6:00-6:30 pm.

Free & open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.
More info: 360-604-4171 or connectevergreendfc@gmail.com
Download Flyer: https://tinyurl.com/stumwds

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/446149146083887/

Hosted by: Connect Evergreen Community Coalition, STASHA (Strong Teens Against Substance Hazards and Abuse) Peer Education Program, Washington State Patrol, Clark County Sheriff's Office, Vancouver Police Department, Target Zero, and State Farm. Panel moderated by Shane Gardner.

Prevent Coalition events:

Youth Advocacy Training

December 5th from 8:30-1:30 pm

Excelsior High School

1401 39th St, Washougal, WA 98671

Registration required. Contact christopher.belisle@esd112.org.

Click for full calendar of coalition and community events.

Community events not sponsored by Prevent Coalition:

12/11/19 Webinar: The Cost of Addiction in the Workplace. Online from 10-11 am.

12/19/19 Communities Talk: Town Hall Event from 6-7:30 pm

1/20/20 Prevention Policy Day in Olympia, WA

3/17/20 Save the date! Teens Care Too Summit at WSU Vancouver from 10-3 pm

We especially send affirmation and regards to all those experiencing a blue season. We acknowledge this time of year is especially difficult for many.

Our mission is connecting and supporting communities to build resilience and prevent youth substance use. We envision a healthy, thriving community free of substance abuse.

Email: preventcoalition@esd112.org
Website: www.PreventCoalition.org
Location: 2500 NE 65th Ave., Vancouver, WA, USA
Phone: 360-952-3457
Facebook: Facebook.com/PreventCoalition
Twitter: @preventcc112