(Chelsea Update would like to thank Reiley Curran for the photos and information in this story.)
Even a brief power outage couldn’t dampen the spirits or derail the work happening at the SRSLY coalition meeting on April 30 at St. Joe’s Mercy Chelsea hospital.
With 51 youth and adults gathered for a productive evening, the energy level in the room was high.
This is an exciting time for the coalition. Now in the 7th year of SRSLY, the coalition has many reasons to be proud. More than 1,000 Chelsea youth and adults have volunteered for SRSLY, donating more than 16,000 hours. The coalition is celebrating some major accomplishments, including lower rates of youth drug and alcohol abuse, and increased positive family involvement.
Still, as SRSLY approaches the fifth year of federal funding through the Drug Free Communities Support Program, the coalition is focusing on ways to improve in order to increase the chances of another five years of funding through this competitive program.
Those in attendance at the meeting included new and long-time SRSLY members: teens, parents and grandparents, hospital and school leaders, and representatives of member organizations like the senior center, library, police department, 4-H, Rotary, Kiwanis, St. Mary’s and more. The meeting started with members defining SRSLY’s role in the community.
“SRSLY is the only community organization that brings folks together from the police, schools, seniors, small and large businesses, and youth, and talks about ways to minimize risk for youth, and mobilize resources for positive change,” said Nick Angel, Principal at Beach Middle School.
Youth leadership and involvement was a central theme throughout the discussion. SRSLY has been recognized nationally for their strong youth leaders. Most recently, six youth members presented at the National Leadership Forum in Washington DC this past February.
“When youth see their peers standing up for what they believe, they are truly inspired by it,” said Sophie Sjogren, Vice President of the SRSLY Youth Steering Committee.
Parents also play an important role in SRSLY. New to the coalition this year, one mom observed how being in SRSLY facilitates discussion about important issues with her son.
“It is a unique opportunity for parents to talk to their kids about drugs and alcohol, so kids hear from their parents, and it gives kids a chance to decide for themselves,” said Victoria Breining.
The group then discussed the barriers to more active participation and engagement in SRSLY. Some of the challenges include people’s busy schedules, a lack of events and activities specifically for high school students, and unclear roles and responsibilities for volunteers.
“Everyone knows what SRSLY is, but we didn’t really know how to get involved,” said Madilynn O’Hara, 8th grade student at Beach Middle School.
“We currently have a big cohort of 8th grade students on our Youth Steering Committee,” said Reiley Curran, SRSLY Coalition Director. “As they enter high school next year, it will be a great chance for us to come up with new ways for CHS students to have fun with SRSLY.”
Finally, members were asked to brainstorm ways to overcome the challenges to engagement. The final list included 16 recommendations, and members were asked to vote on their top four in order to prioritize.
“SRSLY wouldn’t be here without the youth. Youth involvement brings the imagination,” said Sean McGill, member of the SRSLY Youth Steering Committee.
To keep this momentum going, the coalition is forming a special task force of SRSLY leaders. This group will work over the next six months to improve coalition structure and communication, and come up with fun new ways to engage teens in SRSLY.
While the Task Force is working on this, SRSLY is changing up their meeting structure. Instead of monthly coalition meetings, they will have project team meetings as needed to get the work done. For example, the SRSLY Cinema team had their first meeting May 7. This team is working on finding a new location for the movies, since the current owner of the building that was used for the past six years has informed SRSLY they cannot hold the movies there this year.
Volunteers interested in joining the SRSLY Cinema Team to help organize this summer’s movies should contact SRSLY Program Coordinator Jesse Kauffman, at 593-5283, or [email protected].
SRSLY is working closely with teachers and students at all four schools, and coming up with new ways to collaborate and lead a community-level conversation about youth substance abuse through Community Photovoice, and this year’s Community Read.
Coalition leaders hope this interim meeting format will allow everyone who wants to be involved with the projects they care the most about. If you have questions, concerns, or ideas, please contact SRSLY Coalition Director, Reiley Curran, at 593-5279, or [email protected].
