Youth Advisory Board Prevention Planning
Over the past 6 months, our Youth Advisory Board (YAB), made up of 15 youth, has worked on the planning and execution of an anti-vaping/smoking awareness campaign. YAB designed posters to put up throughout the local community in downtown Klamath falls, and throughout their middle schools and high schools. In addition to hosting that competition, YAB is planning 2 upcoming community events where they will talk with their peers and parents, sharing useful information while dispelling common misinformation about fentanyl use or vaping.
‘Prevention Programing’ - Our YAB members participated in Klamath Basin Behavioral Health's Fentanyl education initiative at the Ross Ragland Theater, where community members who work closely with populations affected by drug and alcohol addiction were able to answer youth questions and clear up myths or half truths. In addition to that, they participated in activities where they were asked to compare ingredients in vapes vs more industrial and non-edible consumer goods, such as fridges and weed killers.
The ‘Clear the Air Campaign’ is an awareness campaign where youth can learn about the what and why behind drugs impacting our community, such as vaping/ fentanyl. We had YAB youth create different awareness poster designs to go to print. We then hosted an internal competition where 118 youth enrolled in our programs voted to choose CFSS Mentee Korbin's design as the competition winner. In his design, Korbin demonstrated the confusion, and brain fog that vaping can cause, as well as the hidden chemicals that fruity flavors of vapes cover up. Korbin is one of our most passionate kids on the topic of drug and tobacco prevention, often talking about the ways in which he can personally reconcile or help with his peers' drug and tobacco use. Go to the bottom of this webpage to see the winning poster!
‘Community partnerships & Youth Summit’- Annually, CFSS partners with Klamath Basin Behavioral Health and Klamath County Public Health in the endeavor of hosting the Klamath County Youth Summit, which is geared towards educating Middle & High School youth on pertinent teen topics that strive to empower them to get involved in their community. Community involvement is a major boon in reducing the likelihood of youth drug usage and crime involvement. YAB Leaders planned and facilitated two workshops at this year's Klamath County Youth Summit: one on community involvement, and the other on building positive character traits associated with reduced likelihood of youth becoming involved with drugs or crime.
On the Horizon - YAB has planned a community event wherein they would show a short film they create, detailing supportive and trauma-informed methods to respond to your peers' disclosure of drug and/or tobacco use, as well has how to properly administer Narcan/Naloxone in the case of an opioid overdose (an issue on the rise with the increased usage of fentanyl as an additive to numerous illicit substances). They would also like to partner with Max’s Mission, where prevention programming staff would interview an anonymous recovered individual with questions created by our youth regarding real-life experiences in and out of active addiction.
Prevention related field trips 2x Klamath county Health Fair, Ross Ragland trip.
8 Week Prevention Education cohort - 8x
Once monthly campaign check-in - 4x
Youth summit Prep 2x as of now
