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Conte-me sobre a sua comunidade e as comunidades que a sua coliga\u00e7\u00e3o serve \u2013 a sua popula\u00e7\u00e3o e caracter\u00edsticas \u00fanicas. Quando a coaliz\u00e3o foi formada?<\/strong><\/p>\n The Pledge for Life Partnership (PfL) serves Kankakee and Iroquois counties in Illinois. While the coalition is made of prevention champions from diverse sectors from both counties, PfL\u2019s Drug-Free Communities grant focuses on Kankakee County and its 113,000 community members who have found a home about 50 miles south of Chicago. Despite many challenges, Kankakee County is making strides to reduce substance abuse prevention by working to become a trauma-informed community and to raise up young prevention champions. For almost 30 years, Life Education Center Universal Prevention Program has focused on healthy lifestyle choices and social and emotional development in their prevention efforts to students throughout Kankakee and Iroquois counties.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Que problemas \u00fanicos sua coaliz\u00e3o est\u00e1 enfrentando?<\/strong><\/p>\n Because Kankakee County is so close to Chicago, the community experiences spillover of the effects of gangs, drugs, and violence and many of the social problems that plague larger cities. The ease of access to drugs combined with rural areas where there is less enforcement makes it seem like an ideal place for people to come to find trouble. Youth have made the claim in focus groups that \u201cit is easier to get marijuana than water.\u201d The community\u2019s perceptions of social norms where parents seem to think that, because they engaged in underage drinking, \u201ceveryone is doing it,\u201d is a cycle that is starting to break. Despite these obstacles, through teaching children at a young age through the Life Education Center program and following them year after year, these little ones are being transformed into prevention champions.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n De qual atividade ou programa sua coaliz\u00e3o mais se orgulha e\/ou qual atividade voc\u00ea gostaria que real\u00e7\u00e1ssemos?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThe Pledge for Life Partnership is most proud of our Life Education Center programs,\u201d said Coalition Coordinator Kate Reed<\/strong>. \u201cThis environmental strategy to reach 10,000 kids every year and then stay consistent to reinforce these messages each year until they graduate high school and beyond has made a significant difference. It is so exciting to see youth start to stand up for the changes they want to see in our community because of the lessons they learned in the LEC. PfL\u2019s Youth Advisory Council is also making a tremendous impact. They have presented at city council meetings, had ordinances changed to help make our community safer and healthier, and have led the charge to increase collaboration with youth across our community and state. Currently, PFL\u2019s youth are collaborating with other youth-led coalitions across Illinois. Because these teenage leaders feel they are more effective when working together, they invited the State\u2019s Attorney\u2019s Youth Advisory Board, the NAACP Youth Council, the Hispanic Partnership Youth Representatives, and even reached up for help from some Olivet Nazarene University social work policy students. This is how real transformation will occur in our communities \u2013 when our youth join hands and stand up together for a safer and healthier Kankakee County.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Como voc\u00ea chegou l\u00e1 e quais s\u00e3o seus resultados? <\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIt is all about relationships,\u201d said Reed<\/strong>. \u201cWe cannot say that enough. Change takes time. That is why for almost 30 years (even when there wasn\u2019t any grant funding) these educators have dedicated their lives to teaching thousands of kids about healthy lifestyle choices through the Life Education Center programs and diverse environmental strategies. The Life Education Center teachers and prevention champions throughout our community, not only teach these amazing children that they have the option to make healthy choices, but they also do an excellent job of equipping these children to be positive influencers and to lead conversations with their parents, siblings, and peers about why this is important to them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Que conselho voc\u00ea daria a outras coaliz\u00f5es que podem estar abordando algumas das mesmas quest\u00f5es?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIt is healthy to need,\u201d said Reed<\/strong>. \u201cPeople want to be involved in the process that creates the change. Sometimes not having the answer or the necessary resource is healthy, because it means that someone else will be elevated to steward what they have been entrusted with to help impact their community.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Feel free to add anything else that you think is important for other coalitions to know about your progress, journey etc.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIt is so necessary to start prevention at the youngest age possible,\u201d said Reed<\/strong>. \u201cThere is a commonly known Proverb that says \u2018Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.\u2019 This is something we cling to in prevention. The LEC reaches 10,000 students every year, which means children in our community have had 300,000 impactful lessons on healthy lifestyle choices reinforced consistently throughout their lives. This is something that Kankakee County could not be more thankful for. While not every child will choose to abstain from substance misuse, it is encouraging to see the youth who become a voice for their peers and the adults who came through the LEC who are passionately working to help their organizations become trauma-informed and to fight substance abuse prevention.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe feel hope for our community as we collaborate to reduce substance misuse, to cultivate more prevention champions, and to become a trauma-informed community,\u201d said Reed<\/strong>. \u201cThe fact that Kankakee County was once called the \u2018worst place to live,\u2019 and is being transformed into a thriving, trauma-informed community, is a testament to the power of prevention.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u00a0 Tell me about your community and the communities that your coalition serves \u2013 its population and unique features.\u00a0When was<\/p>","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":13586,"template":"","resource_type":[281],"drug_specific_issues":[],"action_to_do":[],"class_list":["post-17278","resource","type-resource","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","resource_type-coalitions-online"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n