York Hospital

Youth Resiliency Coalition Drug Free Communities Program - Project Abstract Summary the Youth Resiliency Coalition (YRC) of Southern Maine Is a New Coalition Covering and Made Up of Members and Partners in Four Small Rural Communities With a Combined Population of 36,000: Kittery, Eliot, South Berwick and York. These Communities and Their School Districts, Kittery, Marshwood and York, Have Combined to Strengthen Their Efforts to Support and Improve Youth Wellness and Resiliency and Prevent Youth Substance Use. the Coalition’s Membership Represents the Twelve Sectors and Is Drawn From Three Experienced Collaborative Groups, Yorkwise, the Marshwood Wellness Committee, and the Kittery Youth Council. the Challenges and Tragedies of the Past Year Plus Have Strengthened the Yrc’s Resolve to Reduce Youth Alcohol and Marijuana Use as Well as to Prevent More Suicides Related to Unattended Mental Health Issues and Lack of Resiliency in Families. the Youth Resiliency Coalition Mission Is “to Build Resiliency Among Our Youth and Caring Adults to Reduce and Prevent Unhealthy Outcomes From Drug and Alcohol Misuse and Poor Mental Health.” We Will Do This by Improving Greater Understanding of Substance Use Disorders and Mental Health Problems and Reducing the Stigma Attached to Both. the Yrc Will Collaborate With and Learn From Local, Statewide and National Groups, Organizations and Individuals to Improve Capacity for Prevention Thereby Improving the Health of Our Youth, Especially Those at Highest Risk Including Our Much Underserved LGBT Youth. the Youth Resiliency Coalition Will Work to Reduce Youth Marijuana and Alcohol Use Rates, Some of the Highest in Maine. We Will Accomplish This in Part by - Empowering Youth So They Feel Like They Matter; - Educating Adults to Be the Help and Support Our Youth Deserve; and, - Reducing Access to Legal Drugs at Over 125 Alcohol Outlets and Nearly 30 Retail Marijuana Outlets. Our Goal Is to Change the Environment in Our Four Small Towns So That Healthy Resilient Youth, Not the Alcohol and Marijuana Industries, Define Us.