Representatives from the Levittown Community Action Coalition (LCAC) virtually joined thousands of substance use and misuse prevention specialists and community coalition advocates from July 9 – 15, 2021, for CADCA’s (Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America’s) 20th Annual Mid-Year Training Institute.
“Our coalition was honored to be part of CADCA’s Mid-Year Training Institute,” says Janet Lombardo, LCAC Project Coordinator. “During the week, we worked on building our skills and strategies to address substance misuse issues throughout the Levittown and Island Trees Communities. We also had the opportunity to network and share strategies with fellow coalition leaders, which sparked new substance misuse prevention ideas to incorporate into our community.”
LCAC is a Drug Free Communities grant recipient, which enabled it to send four students to CADCA this year. Youth coalition members participated in sessions that encouraged them to think critically about their roles as leaders in social change. Youth participants left the course with substance use and misuse prevention tools including a Logic Model, Community Assessment, Interventions and an Action Plan. Sofia Ferreiro, a student at Division Avenue and Vice President of LCAC’s youth coalition, Levittown Y.O.U.T.H. (Young Organizers United to Help), was selected to present during the youth session’s closing ceremonies. “LCAC is so proud of our youth for participating and having the desire to learn more about the ways they can influence positive change in their community,” said Evanthia Mamtsaderis, Youth Advisor – YES Community Counseling Center.
This year’s CADCA Mid-Year Training Institute was originally scheduled to be held in Chicago, Illinois. Due to continuing safety precautions for the Covid-19 pandemic, the event was alternatively provided as an online training experience, centered around the theme of “Every Day CADCA Trains: Community Coalition Leaders.” More than 100 sessions were offered over five days of training for adults, youth, and international prevention advocates featuring a plethora of topics.
Mid-Year attendees also had the opportunity to open a dialogue with some of the nation’s top prevention leaders, who featured as speakers for the event.
LCAC has recently impacted the community by reducing underage drinking by 14%. It looks forward to utilizing the skills we learned through CADCA’s Mid-Year Training Institute to further these initiatives and further our impact.
About LCAC
The mission of Levittown Community Action Coalition (LCAC) is to create a safe, healthy and secure community for children and adults where untimely deaths are reduced and fewer lives are affected by addiction, through prevention, education and engagement.
About CADCA
The mission of CADCA (Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America) is to strengthen the capacity of community coalitions to create and maintain safe, healthy and drug-free communities globally. This is accomplished by providing technical assistance and training, public policy advocacy, media strategies and marketing programs, training and special events.
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