Representatives from the Levittown Community Action Coalition (LCAC) virtually joined thousands of substance use and misuse prevention specialists and community coalition advocates for CADCA’s recent (Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America’s) 20th Annual Mid-Year Training Institute.
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.
This year’s CADCA Mid-Year Training Institute was originally scheduled to be held in Chicago. 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.
LCAC has recently impacted the community by reducing underage drinking by 14 percent. They look forward to utilizing the skills they learned through CADCA’s Mid-Year Training Institute to further these initiatives and further our impact.
