Tonight the Ottauquechee Community Partnership launches the first of two free community forums on the issue of youth substance abuse. The first get-together tonight includes a panel of “adult experts” while the May 2nd forum with be run by WUHS students. Tonight the line-up of presenters includes:
Woodstock Police Chief Robbie Blish
Windsor County Sheriff Mike Chamberlain
Windsor County State’s Attorney Bobby Sand
Woodstock Ambulance Director/Paramedic Pat Cassidy
Woodstock Substance Abuse Counselor Robert Bryant
The public — young, old, parents with kids or residents without kids are ALL invited to take part. This is an effort to involve the community and the high school — including kids — in opening up discussion about substance abuse.
According to Healthy Youth, Healthy Communities Coordinator Jim Grossman some of the pre-trained student facilators who are involved are Avery Mornis, Evan Sawyer, Dylan Stuntz, Marissa Farbman, and Sam van de Ven. Grossman says the forum organizers include WUHS associate principal Garon Smail and Vermont Teen Leadership Program coordinator Gwen Hagenbarth.
Here is the text of a press release provided to WEB by the Community Foundation:
School/Community Working Together to Ensure Students’ Well-being
An important 2 session program about substance abuse trends and what to do about it:
Community Forum on April 25, 7-8 p.m. Teagle Library, WUHS
Please join us for a school community panel to learn about trends they are seeing in substance abuse, what’s being done about the trends and what more can and needs to be done.
Panelists include local experts from school, law enforcement, counseling and community.
The purpose of the panel is to learn what’s going on with substance abuse with our children and youth from people who experience it on an everyday basis. This is the first of a two part series, attendance at both is not required.
Community Dialogue on May 2, 7-9 p.m. Teagle Library , WUHS…Woodstock Union High School administrators and leadership team, and Ottauquechee Community Partnership invite you to attend a youth facilitated community dialogue. This informed dialogue about youth substance abuse trends in our community will be followed with action planning about how to support our young people, what to do when you/we have a concern about a friend/young person and how to create an empowered healthy community for our young people. Trained youth facilitators in conjunction with adult supporters will lead youth, parents and community members in this important dialogue.
Julia Carlisle
Woodstock Early Bird 