Youth Set the Stage for Change at CADCA Forum

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.

Take workshops in our Summit for Youth Leaders: Participants in this track will have the opportunity to increase their skills and knowledge by attending a series of interactive workshops. An emphasis will be placed on progressive strategies for community work and state-of-the art presentation techniques. Workshops address comprehensive approaches to developing youth advocates, implementing civic-led change movements, and training youth as change agents to foster systems change. This track is for young people and interested adults.

Participate in CADCA’s National Youth Leadership Initiative: the intensive competency-based leadership training, and CADCA’s flagship workforce development program, teaches strategies to create and nurture the growth of committed young leaders through their work within coalitions. The NYLI Experience helps youth and their adult coaches develop an action plan that clearly defines strategies that young leaders will carry out to address the problems and goals that the coalition is striving to affect. Join us for a leadership experience that reflects our motto: “Youth-led and Adult-guided.”

NYLI arose out of a need for youth engagement and was conceptualized by Kareemah Abdullah, Vice President of Training and Youth Programs and Deputy Director of Training and Technical Assistance for CADCA’s National Coalition Institute.

“In 2004 we realized that we needed a cadre of youth to provide insights and strategies to support coalitions and to help develop this important sector of the community,” Abdullah said. “In order to build a workforce against substance use and abuse, CADCA needs to develop young leaders for the present and future.”

Some graduates of the NYLI program progress to trainer positions by attending CADCA’s Training of Trainers. They use their experience with the NYLI and the Training of Trainers to continue the cycle of youth engagement.

“Watching youth come together all across the nation for a common purpose of substance abuse prevention is inspiring,” said Julia Mohr, a NYLI and Training of Trainers participant. “The experience of being a NYLI facilitator has helped me define what type of career path I want to take.”

Past NYLI participant and current NYLI Youth Trainer Melanee Piskai said, “The trainers and facilitators of this event were skilled, personal, and inspiring. I will never forget my urge to inspire youth like they inspired me. Immediately, we began implementing what we learned. I left the NYLI confident in my coalition, and proud of the network of youth that stood beside me in living substance-free lives.”

Piskai continued, “I hope to continue working to make reducing substance abuse a national effort. From my local coalition, to the vast events of CADCA around the nation, I want to strive to inspire other youth leaders, other adult leaders, and other communities.”

To participate in NYLI at the Forum, both youth and their adult advisors must attend ALL NYLI sessions throughout Forum week. Adults must attend with at least one youth and pay the adult registration rate. All youth must provide the Parent Consent Form and the Youth Consent Form to CADCA by Feb. 2 via e-mail to Kristine von Brook at kvonbrook@cadca.org or fax to 703-705-0573.

For more information about either track, please call 1-800-54-CADCA or 703-706-0560, Ext. 233.

Also note that if you haven’t already made your hotel reservation at the Gaylord National Hotel, then you are in luck because the hotel reservation deadline has been extended to Friday, Jan. 14, 2011. The hotel is filling up fast and is almost sold out, so make your reservation today! Please click here for further information about making your reservations.