Posted by Ark Valley Voice Staff | Feb 17, 2023

The Chaffee County Communities that Care program (CTC) has moved into another year, and has announced an online event from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, on February 22 called Youth2Youth. This youth empowerment program was developed in Dover, NH. It highlights the kinds of alcohol advertising and the emerging brand methods being used to target youth, which could lead to early substance use. Backpacking Packs

“This will be a great opportunity to learn directly from youth, and to leave with some resources and a greater awareness of advertising issues around substance use,” says Chaffee County Youth Alliance (CCYA) Coalition Coordinator Craig Bingham. CTC is part of the county’s Family and Youth Initiatives (FYI) programming.

As it began the new year, the CTC discussed three strategies to continue into 2023:

The three goals come directly from what has been learned from the Healthy Kids Colorado survey. With data in hand, Olson says the group notes it “is seeing some promising things for the middle school age group.”

Just over a year ago, the group began what is referred to as the “Listen Longer” campaign. “It addresses the fact we have parents who party; that model normalizes kids who party,” says Bingham. “The thought is to tease out specificity from that language, show parents there is an alternate response from their permissive culture.

Youth from the Buena Vista Boys & Girls Torch Club presented the top priorities for Chaffee County youth at a 2018 Buena Vista Trustees meeting. From left; Emi Brooker, Julianna Martinez, Catie Morgan, Jeremiah Tremble, and Carter Stromer, with CTC Facilitator Miki Hodge.

“It’s about challenging our own habits, creating vocabularies in which we can communicate about substance abuse, and age-appropriate use. About explaining brain development — using the Listen Longer campaign to connect folks to.

The CTC coordinator and FYI are planning small events that parents and children can do together. the idea is to inspire conversations within a household by creating common spaces to connect.

One idea mentioned in the CTC January session was handing out packets of sunflower seeds branded “Listen Longer”. Another, is to create picnic blankets branded with “Make Time to Connect.”

CTC representatives say that normalizing “asking for help” is one of the primary messages for the campaign. But a recent survey showed them that many folks in Chaffee county know that FYI exists, but they don’t know how to connect to the services it can provide. The next stage of the campaign will be announced in a few weeks and it will include public art installations in Salida and Buena Vista that reinforce practical, positive social norms.

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