Submitted by the San Juan Island Prevention Coalition

Zach Fincher will present at the 28th National Leadership Forum for the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America. This is the nation’s premier and largest training event for community prevention leaders, treatment professionals and researchers. It is also Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s 14th Prevention Day. It will be held on Feb. 5 through the 8 in National Harbor, Maryland and is slated to bring roughly 3,000 local, state and national experts in the drug prevention and treatment fields.

Zach’s training session, entitled “Rock Solid Youth Rocks!” is one of more than 70 in-depth training sessions offered at the CADCA Forum. Zach will present this course as he shares his experiences with prevention projects he’s led and the training opportunities he’s learned since 2011, culminating this year, in his team winning the grand prize honors at the Washington State Spring Youth Forum.

Youth Leadership Training opportunities have been the cornerstone of the San Juan Island Prevention Coalition, investing in youth leadership skill-building events has been pivotal in gaining youth support and involvement. The San Juan Island Prevention Coalition adopts the philosophy of “youth-led, adult guided,” a National Youth Leadership Institute motto. Youth want to help, but often don’t know the resources available or lack the skills to move forward. Zach will discuss how to keep engaging youth and giving them a voice at the table, but more importantly, in their community, while helping them leverage their power in implementing the seven strategies to affect community change.

Also, other Rock Solid members, including Chiara Power, Luke Fincher, chaperone Penelope Haskew, and team advisor Debbi Fincher will attend the forum as part of the team’s grand prize at the state forum. Attending the National Leadership Forum as a team, they can harness their new skills and knowledge of the latest strategies to fight substance abuse as they hear from nationally-known prevention experts, federal administrators, and concerned policymakers, which they can share with our community upon their return.

For info, visit www.cadca.org/events/forum2018. The coalition is a member of CADCA, whose mission is to strengthen the capacity of community coalitions to create and maintain safe, healthy and drug-free communities globally.