Addison County, Vermont
So I’m Celia Heath, I’m with United Way of Addison County. We’re based in Addison County, Vermont. Vive18 is a fun and energetic group of really talented speakers.
They come in, they do everything, they’re so organized and talented. They really engage with students and they talk about topics of mental health, substance use prevention, and how to stay safe and achieve their goals. Vive18 reached out to us and right from the start they were just super energetic, fun, straight to the point about their message that they wanted to help relate to students and also they had a super easy way to sign up for their services. Had it all laid out, just super easy and great. Yeah, so today we went to three different Addison County high schools.
We talked to juniors and seniors at each of the three schools. Zion came and talked to the students about their goals, what they want to do in life. Students were really, really receptive of the message. They were engaged. They were smiling. They were laughing. And they really took it all in. And I think it’s going to make a great impact.
Vermont
My name is Marcus Aloeis. I am the field director for Flavors Hook Kids Vermont, and currently I live in Winooski. So VIVE18 just gave us a training on other activities that we can administer with some of our middle school constituents and it was really a unique and powerful approach that I agree to be the right way to treat prevention.
Looking at the psychology and how substance abuse kind of go hand in hand is really, is powerful and resonates with everyone. Thanks to the amazing sponsor of Prevention Day here in Vermont, PW Prevention Works, I went to the conference yesterday and I heard that there was one more breakout activity lesson today and I got really lucky. I touched on it a little bit, but I think that it’s a different approach. Rather than talking about substances and substance abuse, it’s rather focusing on some of life stressors and things that would make people result in using substances to cope. And rather than talking about that, talking about why we’re feeling those emotions and things.
And it was really, I think it’s the way that prevention is headed. And I think that VIVE18 really embodies that for everything it is, and I would recommend it to anyone that has any preventative effort. I would tell them purchase it. I would tell them don’t think about any cost or anything like that because the things that they’re going to give you, you’re going to be able to administer not only in lessons but you’re going to take what you learned and apply it to yourself as well. And so I really don’t think it’s a cost thing.
Montpelier, Vermont
“Taysa Lynch, I work for Prevention Works Vermont. I’m a certified prevention specialist and we are a statewide coalition who supports the coalitions in the state of Vermont. Yes, it was magical. We hosted a workshop today with the professionals in Vermont who focus on prevention.
We gathered today to go over the Vive 18 toolkit. We did a lot of fun activities and learned some new strategies to work with the youth in Vermont. yesterday we hosted our third Prevention Day. We had 104 professionals from across the state, not just prevention professionals, but across the continuum who gathered together to celebrate prevention and everything that that means had legislators come, 40 plus students who came and represented really well. We were able to go over to the Capitol building and celebrate the youth that came. The senators rocked the house with them there and made them feel so, so powerful, is exactly what we were trying to do. we had some additional grant monies that we needed to spend. So I put a blast out on our statewide listserv and had some referrals from CADCA, which was awesome. And I reached out immediately. We weren’t sure what we were going to do, but this came to fruition over time and we’re so grateful it did. I am selling this all over the place. think I’ve probably had 10 people ask me how to get you all to come back in. And so it’s just happening naturally. And we couldn’t be any more proud than we are right now.
Vive18 is an amazing organization full of energy, compassion, kindness, energy, right? That’s exactly what we all needed. Many reviews last night saying how cups were filled during the day and just this energy is overwhelmingly helpful and motivating to get back to doing the hard, hard work that we do. So my goal is to provide support to those that are doing the work on the ground, right? we’re not on the ground doing the things, but we’re supporting all of the people that are. And we’ve heard recently that the people that are doing the work aren’t feeling heard, they’re not feeling seen, they’re not feeling energized, they’re not feeling supported even. Specifically in the last year, we’ve really buckled down and wanted to make a change. And I think this was the perfect event to do that. And the feedback is saying that too.
So Vermont is a very different state. They’re very, we’re very small. We’re very rural. It’s very tough to get into the field, right? And to feel comfortable, feel supported. And today, yesterday across the board, we had prevention professionals, recovery professionals, and everything in between coming and sharing the same common goal, right? And I think Vive 18 really hit home. Like this is a curriculum that goes across the continuum. We’re all doing the same work. It’s about those coping skills, leadership skills, how we communicate effectively and positively, and how we build these kids up. And myself.
I’ve got high energy, right? And I’m a hype girl. I love to empower people. And Vive18 just helps me do that. And thank you because now my energy isn’t so much because it was matched by others. And I saw others who don’t have that energy level up throughout the day. And it was very powerful.”
Springfield, Vermont
“My name is Alexandria Solly. I’m a Youth Empowerment Support Recovery Coach and I serve Springfield, Vermont and the surrounding counties.
We did like a training, a seminar thing that was very interactive which made it very interesting rather than just sitting somewhere and watching it on a computer which was very very nice and I feel like I was able to gather a lot of information and activities to do with my students. He’s very into it, which is very nice. It doesn’t seem like just a job to him. It seems like something he’s passionate about, which engages the room and makes us all extra passionate as well.
I would say, do it. It’s the least boring training you’re ever going to take. Bringing all of these activities back to my students. They’re middle school and high school age and every single one would love every single one of these activities. The one that we just did that was interactive with the X’s on the floor, that was fun and it was teamwork and it was a nice way to end the seminar.”
