(Chelsea Update would like to thank Jesse Kauffman for the information in this story.)
SRSLY will be surprising their members – new and old – with fun games and treats beginning Sept. 14.
Dubbed “SRSLY Week” by a committee of volunteers, the youth substance abuse coalition will be recruiting new members and celebrating continuing members throughout the week of Sept.14 ending with SRSLY’s annual Kickoff Rally at Chelsea High School’s home football game against Lincoln on Friday, Sept. 18.
During SRSLY Week the coalition will be visiting school lunches to facilitate fun activities and distribute SRSLY membership cards to volunteers who have donated their time at two or more SRSLY events in the last year. Membership cards will bring benefits to members throughout the year to thank them for being involved in SRSLY. The first of those perks will be revealed at the Kickoff Rally next week.
“We really appreciate all the hard work SRSLY members put into making Chelsea a better place, so what better way to thank them than surprising them with benefits throughout the year,” said SRSLY Coalition Director Reiley Curran.
In addition to the events and activities during SRSLY Week, the coalition will be promoting their new social norming campaign. The new campaign uses survey data collected from 7th – 12th grade students during Chelsea School District’s Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Survey.
Conducted in the fall of 2014, the survey results challenge the commonly accepted myth that “most teens” are using alcohol or marijuana.
“It is easier for kids to make healthy choices when they know most other kids are too,” said Renae Kempf, a member of SRSLY’s youth steering committee.
This summer a group of 30 dedicated volunteers worked to re-imagine how the SRSLY coalition (a community coalition dedicated to the prevention of destructive behavior in Chelsea youth) would exist and engage the Chelsea community. One of the new ideas that the group proposed was SRSLY Week – a week when the coalition celebrates all the work that SRSLY has done in the community and invites new members to join.
The coalition consists of representatives from across Chelsea including the schools, hospital, library, law enforcement, churches, businesses, parents, and youth.
SRSLY focuses primarily on students aged 10-15, but is open to anyone interested in preventing youth substance use by promoting a more positive and healthy Chelsea.
Those interested in learning more about SRSLY or joining the coalition are welcome to attend SRSLY’s next coalition meeting on Thursday, Sept. 24, from 6:30-8 p.m. in the boardroom at Washington Street Education Center.
SRSLY is a community coalition dedicated to the prevention of destructive behavior in Chelsea youth. It was formed in 2008 in response to local data showing that teens in Chelsea are more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol than state and national averages.
SRSLY promotes positive family and community involvement and school bonding, and works to limit youth access to alcohol and other drugs, and reduce parental approval of youth drug use. The group receives support from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, Chelsea Community Hospital and the Coghlan Family Foundation.
For more information, click here.
(Publisher’s note: I am a member of the SRSLY board.)
