Montgomery County Youth Program Is Giving Youth a Voice

Courtesy of Montgomery County ADAMHS

The Montgomery County Prevention Coalition has landed on a winning formula to help students in grades 6-12 build skills in mental wellness and drug and alcohol prevention. The secret?

“Go to them,” says Sarah Badger, a Coalition volunteer who chairs its Youth Leadership in Prevention (YLP) program. “Involve them in the solutions.”

Funded in part by Montgomery County’s Human Services Levy, YLP supports student-led groups in individual schools. “They can apply for grants of up to $10,000 per year to sustain their program,” Badger says. “Students complete the grant application, manage the budget, attend prevention training, evaluate data and create a strategic action plan to address specific issues at their school. Then they implement those strategies throughout the school year, and in the process, they develop a whole skill set.”

Serving 13 Montgomery County Schools

YLP has about 400 students active in 13 schools across Montgomery County. The student teams report to the Coalition’s advisory committee twice annually about their projects, which focus on drug and alcohol prevention, and also more broadly on mental health issues impacting young people. Entirely youth-led, each group is supported by a school staff member and a Coalition volunteer mentor.

Some YLP groups create peer mentoring programs, meeting with their peers to talk about mental health issues or substance use prevention. “This isn’t an adult talking to them about this, it’s someone on their level,” Badger says. “One group just started a high school to elementary mentoring program. Trained high school students meet with elementary students periodically throughout the year, almost like a big brother or sister.”

The school groups participate in national programs, like Red Ribbon Week or bullying prevention. “They’ll host a spirit wear competition or poster contest, or bring in guest speakers, all helping spread the message,” Badger says.

Community Outreach

There’s also outreach to the broader community. “One school did a winter clothing drive,” she says. “One organized a neighborhood cleaning day, and another has a mural club that creates art about health and wellness. They designed cards and gave them to area senior centers.”

Whatever the project, Badger says, the focus aims to lower the stigma around mental health and connect people to needed resources. “Even activities just for fun, like a dodgeball tournament, still include swag and other ways to get their message out.”

Courtesy of Montgomery County ADAMHS

Tristyn Ball, director of Prevention and Early Intervention services for Montgomery County Alcohol, Drug, Addiction, and Mental Health Services, the area’s behavioral health authority that includes the Coalition, says, “The No.1 thing you can do for any youth is to be a trusted adult. That determines whether or not a young person will lead a successful life and make safe choices. So we want to make sure kids have the opportunity to connect with a mentor through YLP.

“It can be hard to be in high school or middle school,” Ball says. “They may not have other groups they feel a part of, so giving them this sense of community and purpose can be pivotal in their school career. Here, their voices are heard.”

For more information about the Montgomery County Prevention Coalition, visit preventionmc.org.