Youth Wellness & Prevention Initiative
Youth Wellness and Prevention Initiative Builds Resiliency
The Youth Wellness and Prevention Initiative strives to promote healthy behaviors, provide leadership opportunities, and reduce substance use for the youth in the Greater Manchester Region. We do this through the Youth Wellness and Prevention Collaborative, networking events such as the Youth Wellness & Prevention Showcase, professional development offerings, and trainings for parents and youth. These efforts all help to build resilient youth, families, and communities.
Youth Wellness and Prevention Collaborative (YW&PC) Brings Members Together
Formed in partnership with Amoskeag Health in 2024, the YW&PC brings together youth serving organizations and community sector representatives in the city of Manchester. Focused on our 18 and under population, the YW&PC is dedicated to promoting wellness, preventing substance misuse, and building life skills for healthier, more resilient youth, families, and communities. The collaborative has thrived since its inception, with members creating a strategic plan, a YWPI FY25 Review, attending monthly meetings, and participating in events and trainings. The Amoskeag Health 2023 Community Assessment was inspiration for the YW&PC and the Botvin LifeSkills Training.
Youth Wellness & Prevention Showcase Highlights Connections
In collaboration with Amoskeag Health, Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU), and youth serving organizations in the Manchester region, Makin’ It Happen hosted a Youth Wellness & Prevention Showcase. The showcase brought over 50 professionals from 28 organizations together and provided a platform to connect and learn about each other’s programs. YW&PC members chose ten organizations to present at the event, and throughout the day participants networked and learned how the organizations can work together to improve the services provided to youth and families and strengthen our communities.
Professional Development Provides Learning Opportunities
YW&PC members have taken part in professional development opportunities such as The Mandt System training and Boundary Spanning Leadership. The Mandt System training is a holistic, evidence-based training to reduce workplace violence. It teaches prevention and de-escalation concepts as well as conflict resolution to help people safely manage behavior so that everyone can be safe in their environment. YW&PC members also attended Boundary Spanning Leadership, a training offered by our partner Amoskeag Health. This training focuses on encouraging new ideas, collaboration, and teamwork while bridging divides among different groups.
Get involved with us! Reach out to us at [email protected] to see how you can participate in professional development opportunities.
Raising Resilience/Botvin LifeSkills Training Engages Caregivers
We offer Raising Resilience: A Family Workshop Series, a training that focuses on effective family communication, substance use awareness and prevention, and general life skills. The workshops are based on the evidence-based Botvin LifeSkills Training Parent Program, a powerful prevention program designed to strengthen communication and prevent youth from using substances. Raising Resilience is a dynamic, engaging program that empowers caregivers to help raise resilient children.
Interested in attending a Raising Resilience training or scheduling one for your organization? Contact us at [email protected].
Empowering Youth with Important Life Skills
Amoskeag Health is offering Botvin LifeSkills Trainings (LST) for youth in partnership with youth-serving organizations in Manchester. This evidence-based program, led by trained facilitators, teaches young people important life skills to help them make healthier choices and reduce risky behaviors.
Rather than merely teaching information about the dangers of drug abuse, LST promotes healthy alternatives to risky behavior through activities designed to:
- Teach students skills to resist social pressures to smoke, drink, and use drugs
- Help students develop greater self-esteem and self-confidence
- Enable students to effectively cope with anxiety
- Increase their knowledge of the immediate consequences of substance misuse
- Enhance cognitive and behavioral competency to reduce and prevent a variety of health risk behaviors
The program consists of three major components that cover the critical domains found to promote drug use:
- drug resistance skills
- personal self-management skills
- general social skills
Research has shown that students who develop skills in these areas are far less likely to engage in a wide range of high-risk behaviors.
Botvin LifeSkills Training is designed for elementary, middle/junior high, and high school students. It can be held in schools as well as community, faith-based, summer school, and after school settings.
View the reports below to learn more. Amoskeag Health has teamed up with Catalyst Evaluation Group, experts in data collection and evaluation.
Interested in scheduling Botvin LifeSkills Training for your organization? Reach out to us at [email protected].
Want to get involved or learn more?
Makin’ a Difference
Botvin LifeSkills Training proven to cut drug use by up to 75%
Participating youth-serving and partner organizations supporting Manchester youth
Hours of professional development members have benefited from through the YW&PI to date
What They’re Saying:
Check out our Resource Hub to learn about the many supportive partner, community, state, and national resources to help you stay healthy and to prevent, treat, and recover from substance abuse disorder.
This project is supported by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number 5H79SP083836-03 for the Community-Based Strategic Prevention Framework. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, SAMHSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government.
