Engage, Educate, and Empower to Build Resilient Communities

At Makin’ It Happen, we engage, educate, and empower individuals, youth, and families within the region to live healthy lives and build resilient communities. We do this through collaboration, communication, partnerships, connections, facilitation, and leadership.

Collaboration

We lead two distinct collaboratives with our partners, both striving to foster healthier communities. Our Community of Care Collaborative pulls together prevention, treatment, and recovery as well as our mental and physical health partners. This collaborative is focused on the needs, issues, and concerns of our 18+ population. Learn more in our Recovery Ready Communities focus area.

The second collaborative, the Youth Wellness and Prevention Collaborative, is a unique partnership between Makin’ It Happen and Amoskeag Health. This initiative brings together youth-serving organizations and community sector representatives supporting the city of Manchester. Focused on our 18 and under population, the collaborative brings organizations together to discuss needs and concerns, and most importantly, provides an opportunity to build and strengthen partnerships and collaboration.

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Communication

We support national, state, and regional prevention-focused communication and information campaigns. As a member of the NH Suicide Prevention Council and the NH 988 coalition, we participate in monthly meetings where progress and concerns are voiced. Through Strong As Granite, we share mental health and substance use support and resources such as the national 988 crisis line, NH Rapid Response Access Point, and 211.

With a robust social media presence and our developing podcast series, we strive to support national, state, and regional prevention efforts. Check out our social media on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and LinkedIn.

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Partnerships

In partnership with the Manchester Health Department, we provide prevention leadership for the Greater Manchester Regional Network. We work together to expand primary prevention throughout the region, support Harm reduction prevention, and offer prevention and mental health wellness trainings.

Our partnerships with the four public school districts and private schools within the region allow us to identify prevention needs, such as vaping awareness and over the counter medicine safety trainings, and to bring youth leadership and mentoring projects to middle and high school level youth.

Partnering with health organizations such as Amoskeag Health, Catholic Medical Center (CMC), Elliot Health Solutions, and Dartmouth provides direct access to timely prevention strategies, and allows us to offer insight from our communities.

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Connections

Throughout the year we provide learning and leadership opportunities for youth/young adults ages 13-25. In addition, we actively participate in Project Safeguard, National Night Out, DEA Take Back, as well as Red Ribbon events, Wellness on Wheels (WOW), and other events with our middle and high schools, all with a goal of connecting and discovering prevention opportunities together.

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Facilitation

We facilitate discussions between partners to tackle issues and concerns identified during our listening and learning sessions. These sessions allow us to listen to the concerns and identify ways we can address them. This may be through providing resources, scheduling trainings or presentations, or simply making connections to allow partners and community members to collaborate.

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Leadership

We support a youth-led, adult-supported model for our projects and initiatives with young people. We lead by example and continually work to identify and support collaboration among partners. Young individuals have participated in youth leadership trainings, took part in the Zero Left Challenge distributing Deterra Bags – a safe way to dispose of medications that are no longer necessary – to their communities, and coordinated and engaged in mental health and leadership summits.

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Want to get involved or learn more?

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Makin’ a Difference

Attendance at Youth Wellness and Prevention Collaborative in 2024

Youth participation in vaping prevention and over-the-counter medicine safety trainings

Deterra Pouches given out annually

What They’re Saying:

“… please reach out to Max and I if you need any future volunteers for events or classes! We would both like to help out again and love the mission of Makin’ it Happen!”

Ryan Manning

Manchester WOW Student Volunteer

“The Manchester Youth Wellness and Prevention Collaborative is one of my favorite meetings every month! Makin’ It Happen has done a tremendous job of planning, organizing, and executing the meetings to make the content and experience so worthwhile.”

Tricia Brannen

Executive Director, YouthWell New Hampshire