Youth Development

Engaging and working with youth in a community is an important component of a successful coalition. Fostering strong partnerships with youth not only allows them to develop professionally as community change agents, but also allows a coalition to tap into the most active minds and personalities in a community.

Engaging and working with youth in a community is an important component of a successful coalition. Fostering strong partnerships with youth not only allows them to develop professionally as community change agents, but also allows a coalition to tap into the most active minds and personalities in a community.

CADCA’s Drug-Free Kids Campaign’s silent auction opened this week. Your participation in our silent auction contributes to CADCA’s Drug-Free Kids Campaign to help us continue our work with youth and adults to make significant changes in America’s communities. Up for bid are items such as a Canon PowerShot digital camera and a three-nights’ stay at the Westin Mission Hills Resort & Spa in Rancho Mirage, Calif. Items change frequently, so log onto our website to place your bid.

Would you like to create stronger youth leaders for your coalition? Then, send your youth coalition members to CADCA's National Youth Leadership Initiative (NYLI), at CADCA’s 2011 Mid-Year Training Institute, July 24-28 at the Hyatt Regency Orange County in Anaheim, Calif.

In an effort to provide multimedia resources for community coalitions around the world, this week CADCA launched its first foreign language podcast series.

The NFL Super Bowl is known for its commercials as much as the game itself. Did you know that about 18 percent of the Super Bowl's total viewing audience will be youth under 21, meaning that children and youth will be exposed to the dozens of alcohol-related commercials shown during the Super Bowl? To help shed light on how alcohol advertising impacts youth, the Drug-Free Action Alliance is inviting youth to participate in their Big Bowl Vote 2011, an annual survey open to middle and high school students.

As coalitions who have active youth groups already know, youth who are heavily involved in coalition work contribute to community change. To support the leadership development of your youth, CADCA has created two experiences at our National Leadership Forum to equip youth with the essential knowledge and skills needed to make significant community-level change.

Learn how to incorporate Above the Influence youth activities into your existing prevention efforts by taking the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign's new monthly webinar "Implementing Above the Influence (ATI) in Your Local Community."

Time and time again, the most successful community coalitions are ones that have an active youth group to initiate and sustain environmental change. The Gunnison County Substance Abuse Prevention Project in Colorado will share their success with recruiting and partnering with youth at their workshop "Tapping into the Powerful Student Voice: Creative Ways to Engage Youth in Your Community" at CADCA's 21st annual National Leadership Forum Feb. 7-10th.  

CADCA's National Youth Leadership Initiative, traditionally offered at the Mid-Year Training Institute and National Leadership Forum, challenges youth to develop the necessary skills for significantly contributing to coalition work on the local and national level. Recently, CADCA expanded its youth engagement services by partnering with Community Connections, Inc. (CCI) to deliver the first year-long, statewide NYLI program in West Virginia.

Calling all aspiring film producers and actors! It's time to dust off your video camera and put your creativity to the test. CADCA has launched a video contest to see who can create the most entertaining and creative video about CADCA and CADCA's Forum. The winner will get free Wii system!