Yorktown Patch–
Yorktown’s Alliance for Safe Kids will join nearly 3,000 substance abuse prevention and treatment specialists and advocates from throughout the country during the week of Feb. 6 to Feb. 9 in Washington, D.C.
The meeting is part of Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America’s (CADCA) 22nd annual National Leadership Forum. CADCA’s National Leadership Forum is the nation’s largest training for substance abuse prevention and treatment professionals and researchers.
Besides the opportunity to learn the latest strategies to prevent alcohol, tobacco and other drug use, the coalition will also hear from such conference headliners as Gil Kerlikowske, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy and James Fowler, Ph.D., author of Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives, and a Professor in the School of Medicine and Division of Social Sciences at the University of California, San Diego.
The coalition will also have the opportunity to meet and brief Senators and members of Congress from their state during CADCA’s Capitol Hill Day.
“We are so excited to be able to spend a week in our nation’s Capitol, learning and honing our prevention skills so our community can be a better place, one that doesn’t suffer from the harms of drug and alcohol abuse,” said Erica Stanzione, ASK Coalition Coordinator. “We hope to come back re-energized with new strategies under our belt to tackle our drug use in the Yorktown community.”
ASK works to combat drug and alcohol abuse in the community by: raising awareness of issues endangering youth; providing education and training to youth and adults, sponsoring safe, alternative activities and programs for youth; and collaborating with law officials on enforcement initiatives.
On-going projects include compliance checks and responsible vendor training for local businesses, prescription drug take back days, community forums, Teen Nights among others.
CADCA’s National Leadership Forum features more than 100 training courses to help community and state leaders prevent and reduce substance abuse and its related problems. CADCA is the national membership organization representing more than 5,000 coalitions and affiliates working to make America’s communities safe, healthy and drug-free.
CADCA’s mission is to strengthen the capacity of community coalitions by providing technical assistance and training, public policy advocacy, media strategies and marketing programs, conferences, and special events. Learn more at: www.cadca.org.
For more information about CADCA’s National Leadership Forum, visit http://forum.cadca.org/