Senior College/Career Readiness Week

The Van Buren Community School in conjunction with the Van Buren County SAFE Coalition, The Van Buren County Sherriff’s office, local financial institutions and Iowa Works are putting on an educational event for graduating seniors. This week will consist of sessions that graduating seniors will attend each day to help better prepare them for their exit from high school and entrance into college or the career world.

The Van Buren County Sheriff’s office will hold a session on personal safety. They will talk to the students about the importance of being aware of their surroundings, some basic self-defense and safety information they need to know if they are moving to a larger city to attend college, the military or start their career.

Three local financial institutions will provide financial education and safety information to the students. Community First Bank, Libertyville Savings Bank and Farmers and Traders bank will share information on identity theft, financial security, credit card safety and money management. This session will have great information for the students to help them be fiscally smart as they leave high school.

The Van Buren County SAFE Coalition will be providing the students with information about drug and alcohol safety as they leave high school. Many students will be exposed to many new things as they leave Van Buren County and they want ensure they are prepared for the dangers of these drugs and the long term problems they may cause for their future.

The students will spend one day taking the national career readiness certification. This test will provide them with a score that employers will be looking for in the future as they hire new employees into the workforce. NCRC is a great opportunity for students because it increases employment opportunities and helps build a resume.

The final session the students will be a part of is Iowa Works A-Game training. This session will teach the students about good work habits and soft skills that they will need as they enter the workforce. This session will be high energy and a lot of fun for the students as well as providing them with crucial life lessons.

For more information about senior week you may contact Julie Chapuis at the Van Buren Community School- 319-293-3184 or Heidi Bainbridge at the Van Buren County SAFE Coalition 319-293-6412.

Teens Selected to attend CADCA National Leadership Forum in Washington D.C.

Lydia, Faith and Cassie

Three Van Buren County Teens have been selected to attend the CADCA National Leadership Forum and the National Youth Leadership Initiative Experience. This event is being held in Washington D.C. February 3-6, 2014. Cassie Johnson and Faith Murphy, both 12th grade Van Buren High School students, were selected by a team of adult SAFE Coalition members who reviewed all applications submitted for the event. Their applications were rated the highest and they were given the honor of attending this year.  Lydia Heald a 12th grade Van Buren High School student will be attending as a Youth Trainer for CADCA’s National Youth Leadership Initiative Experience.  This will be Lydia’s third training that she will be involved in as a trainer.

CADCA's NYLI Experience is built on the framework of the National Coalition Institute's National Coalition Academy. In these sessions, both youth and their adult advisors learn how to help community coalitions be more effective in producing community change. The NYLI Experience helps coalitions build their capacity to foster youth leadership in the design, implementation and evaluation of action strategies addressing community problems. In addition, this training builds the relationship between the youth leader and the adult coalition coach.

The participants learn about the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF), logic models, strategic planning, developing interventions, advocating for change, evaluation, and sustainability. The NYLI Experience is a CADCA workforce development strategy that teaches what is required to create and nurture the growth of committed leaders and their work within coalitions. It better equips youth and adults to develop an action plan that clearly defines the strategies that young leaders will carry out to address the problems and goals that the coalition is striving to affect.

It is an honor to be selected to attend this event. The coalition only sends two Van Buren County students each year based on applications of the YLC members. These teens should be commended for their hard work and dedication to their community!  Congratulations Cassie, Faith and Lydia!  The adult coalition members attending with the girls this year will be Ginger Shaw and Kris Rankin.

For more information on NYLI or the YLC Program please contact the Van Buren County SAFE Coalition at 319-293-6412 or info@vbsafecoalition.com.

HARMONY YOUTH LEADERSHIP COUNCIL TEENS TAKE PART IN NATIONAL DRUG FACTS WEEK BY SHOWING THE UGLY TRUTH ABOUT DRUGS

By: Braxton Dye

Teenagers from Harmony Youth Leadership Council have joined forces with other teens and scientists across the United States as part of “National Drug Facts Week” (NDFW).  The week-long health observance, organized by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, takes place Monday, January 27^th through Sunday, February 2^nd.  NDFW celebrates the inquisitive minds of teens by giving them a space (virtual or physical) to ask questions about drugs and to get scientific answers from experts.  As part of the NDFW celebration, Harmony YLC students are holding a variety of activities in their school and community.

“I feel like it is important to keep kids and young adults from smoking so we are sharing information about tobacco dangers” said Dalanie Jury. “We want to keep people from hurting themselves and others and we can do this by sharing the information we have learned” noted YLC member, Taylor Kruse.

 The Harmony YLC members will be completing the following activities for National Drug Facts Week- Posters in their school and community, providing information to convenience stores about access to alcohol, holding a fact scavenger hunt at the school during the lunch period, and sharing information at the basketball game via popcorn bags, announcements and messages on the program.

Harmony YLC members are committed to sharing the truth about the dangers of drugs, alcohol and tobacco in their school and community. They put positive peer pressure on their friends to choose to live alcohol, tobacco and drug free and be above the influence. You can find out more about YLC on their website at www.ylc.vbsafecoalition.com.

VAN BUREN COUNTY YLC TEENS TAKE PART IN NATIONAL DRUG FACTS WEEK

Teenagers from the Van Buren County Youth Leadership Council (YLC) have joined forces with other teens and scientists across the United States as part of “National Drug Facts Week” (NDFW).  The week-long health observance, organized by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, takes place Monday, January 27^th through Sunday, February 2^nd.  NDFW celebrates the inquisitive minds of teens by giving them a space (virtual or physical) to ask questions about drugs and to get scientific answers from experts.  As part of the NDFW celebration, the Harmony Community Schools YLC students will have displays/posters in their school, announcements made at the school, posters in the community, share facts at the basketball games and an article in the local newspapers.  The Van Buren Community Schools YLC students will have displays/posters in their school, a video shown during lunches at school, handing out Shatter the Myths booklets to fellow students, pass out facts on faux medicine bottles and posters in the community. 

About a third of high school seniors across the country report using an illicit drug sometime in the past year, and more than ten percent report non-medical use of a narcotic painkiller.  While drugs can put a teenager’s health and life in jeopardy, many teens are not aware of the risks. Even for those teens who do not abuse drugs, many have friends or family who do, and they are often looking for ways to help them. 

We want teens to have the opportunity to learn what science has taught us about drug abuse and addiction.  There are so many myths about drugs cluttering our popular culture.  National Drug Facts Week is for teens to get honest answers about drugs so they can make good, informed decisions for themselves and share accurate information with friends.

Van Buren County YLC Members are active all year long working to prevent substance abuse in Van Buren County especially with their peers and younger children.  For more information on YLC please contact the SAFE Coalition at 319-293-6412 or at info@vbsafecoalition.com.  Please also check out the Coalition website at www.vbsafecoalition.com for information on YLC or about how to help prevent substance abuse in Van Buren County.

Importance of Prevention

Prevention should be woven into all aspects of our lives, including where and how we live, learn, work and play. Everyone—government, businesses, educators, health care institutions, communities and every single American—has a role in creating a healthier nation. 

In order to make this happen a National Prevention Strategy was developed. This Strategy is a comprehensive plan that will help increase the number of Americans who are healthy at every stage of life. Created by the National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council in consultation with the public and an Advisory Group of outside experts, the Strategy recognizes that good health comes not just from receiving quality medical care but from stopping disease before it starts. Good health also comes from clean air and water, safe outdoor spaces for physical activity, safe worksites, healthy foods, violence-free environments and healthy homes.

Increasing the focus on prevention in our communities will help improve America's health, quality of life and prosperity. For example, seven out of 10 deaths among Americans each year are from chronic diseases (such as cancer and heart disease), and almost one out of every two adults has at least one chronic illness, many of which are preventable. Racial and ethnic minority communities experience higher rates of obesity, cancer, diabetes and AIDS. Children are also becoming increasingly vulnerable. Today, almost one in every three children in our nation is overweight or obese which predisposes them to chronic disease and the numbers are even higher in African American and Hispanic communities.

Focusing on preventing disease and illness before they occur will create healthier homes, workplaces, schools and communities so that people can live long and productive lives and reduce their healthcare costs. Better health positively impacts our communities and our economy:

• With better health, children are in school more days and are better able to learn. Numerous studies have found that regular physical activity supports better learning. Student fitness levels have been correlated with academic achievement, including improved math, reading and writing scores.
• With better health, adults are more productive and at work more days. Preventing disease increases productivity—asthma, high blood pressure, smoking and obesity each reduce annual productivity by between $200 and $440 per person.
• With better health, seniors keep their independence. Support for older adults who choose to remain in their homes and communities and retain their independence ("aging in place") helps promote and maintain positive mental and emotional health.

Investments in prevention across the life span complement and support treatment and care. Prevention policies and programs can be cost-effective, reduce health care costs, and improve productivity.

Prevention programs are happening in Van Buren County to help prevent disease and illness before they occur. The Van Buren County SAFE Coalition focuses on reducing youth drug, alcohol and tobacco use leading to healthier youth in our community. Healthy Villages focuses on leading a healthy and active lifestyle. Thanks to a CDC Community Transformation Grant Healthy Villages and Van Buren County Hospital are focusing on ways to reduce chronic disease in the county. For more information on The Van Buren County SAFE Coalition you may contact the coalition office at 319-293-6412 or info@vbsafecoalition.com and Healthy Villages information can be obtained by calling the Van Buren County Hospital at 319-293-3171 ext. 1271.