In May, the Chief Umtuch DREAM Team, a youth drug and alcohol prevention leadership group based out of Chief Umtuch Middle School, attended the 2023 Washington State Spring Youth Forum and were awarded the grand prize of $5,000 for their prevention project efforts.
They were one of 40 teams who were awarded scholarships to attend and present at the conference, which took place May 9 and 10 at the Great Wolf Lodge in Grand Mound.
The goal of the Spring Youth Forum is to recognize and reward youth prevention teams that have implemented a successful prevention project within their communities, a press release by Prevent Together: Battle Ground Prevention Alliance stated.
The forum is funded by the Washington State Health Care Authority and serves as the follow-up conference to the Washington State Prevention Summit, which takes place each fall. The Spring Youth Forum provides youth prevention teams the opportunity to learn from others while showcasing their own education and planning skills.
Youth teams share successes and lessons learned from projects, which are based on education received at the Prevention Summit or other prevention-related trainings. The Prevention Summit and Spring Youth Forum work in tandem to create momentum and encourage, reward and support youth-led prevention work in communities throughout Washington.
The Chief Umtuch Dream Team presented “Igniting Student Sparks,” a project about creating connections for young people through “sparks,” the things students are passionate about.
“After the pandemic, we were feeling really disconnected,” shared one of the team’s members in the release. “The DREAM Team wanted to do something that would help us, and our peers, feel less alone and basically just improve mental health overall,” the seventh-grader at Chief Umtuch added in the release.
The idea for using “sparks” to help connect students came from research done by the Search Institute, which shows that when young people are active in their interests and have caring adults in their lives, they are less likely to get involved in risky behaviors, such as using substances.
As part of their project, the DREAM Team surveyed students in their school to learn about their interests, and then set out to connect related opportunities for engagement in their school. As an example, the survey revealed that animals were one interest shared by many, so the DREAM Team partnered with 4-H to host a three-part Animal Science Club after school. The goal was to introduce students to 4-H and provide information on ways to get involved with the organization.
“The DREAM Team was one of only three middle school teams who were at the forum to present their projects,” said Jennifer Kirby, one of the team’s adult advisors. “The remaining 37 teams were all high school students, which made their win even more remarkable.”
The project presentations are evaluated by the other youth in attendance and scored on their innovation, impact, collaboration, sustainability and professionalism. Teams with the highest score in each of the categories receive an award and the team with the highest overall score is awarded the grand prize. As the grand prize winner, the DREAM Team received $5,000 to help pay for a trip to Washington, D.C., this winter to participate in the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) National Leadership Forum. CADCA’s National Youth Leadership Initiative is part of this four-day conference and helps equip youth with the tools necessary to help coalitions achieve community-level change. While in the nation’s capital, the students will have an opportunity to participate in Capitol Hill Day to meet with congressional leaders.
The DREAM Team was recognized for their achievements by the Battle Ground City Council at its June 15 meeting.
The Chief Umtuch DREAM Team is supported by Prevent Together: Battle Ground Prevention Alliance, a community coalition in Battle Ground that helps to organize and fund their efforts. The coalition was awarded a federal Drug Free Communities grant in 2019, which is run through, and supported by, the City of Battle Ground. Anyone interested in being part of the coalition is encouraged to contact Jennifer Kirby at preventtogetherBG@gmail.com. More information about the DREAM Team can be found at preventtogetherbg.org/dreamteam.
