Hanley Foundation partners with Broward County School District for 2018 Teen Summit on diversity, prevention and intervention, peer counseling

L to R: Pompano Beach High School Teacher Michele Pallagi, students Genesis Pullins and Camilla Gomez, Hanley Foundation Prevention Specialist LaQueda Lewis, students J’nayah Lake and Mya Lazenby, and Hanley Foundation Prevention Coordinator Diamond Howard. (All students are in the 12th grade) 
L to R: Pompano Beach High School Teacher Michele Pallagi, students Genesis Pullins and Camilla Gomez, Hanley Foundation Prevention Specialist LaQueda Lewis, students J’nayah Lake and Mya Lazenby, and Hanley Foundation Prevention Coordinator Diamond Howard. (All students are in the 12th grade)

By Heather G.

     WEST PALM BEACH, FL – Hanley Foundation, a community leader in substance abuse prevention programming throughout Florida, recently partnered with the Broward County School District’s Diversity, Prevention & Intervention Department (DPI) to present the 2018 Teen Summit, the second of a planned annual event designed to bring educators and student leaders together to work on programs to prevent substance abuse and conflict, and to foster greater understanding of cultural diversity and enhance positive school environments.

More than 260 students from 40 middle and high schools throughout Broward County attended the 2018 Teen Summit, held at Pompano Beach High School and organized by Kimberly Young-Oliveras, Peer Counseling,

L to R: Hanley Foundation Prevention Coordinators Kathryn Grace and Diamond Howard, Kimberly Young-Oliveras, Peer Counseling, Character Education & Prevention Liaison Coordinator for the Broward County School District, Hanley Foundation Prevention Specialists LaQueda Lewis and Amanda Aiken.

Character Education & Prevention Liaison Coordinator for DPI. The students who attended are participants in their schools’ Diversity, Prevention & Intervention and Peer Counseling programs.

“The mission of the Summit is to empower our youth to effect positive change in their school and communities,” said Young-Oliveras. “Students participated in engaging breakouts sessions provided by Diversity, Prevention & Intervention and other outside district supports, including Hanley Foundation.  These breakouts students help to build the foundation and provide resources for students to create a platform for prevention throughout their school community.”

Hanley Foundation, established more than 30 years ago by Mary Jane and Jack Hanley, is a charitable 501(c)(3) organization with a mission to give hope to individuals, families and communities affected by substance use disorders. The Foundation provides programming and grant support throughout Florida for advocacy, prevention, education and access to quality addiction treatment. The organization’s prevention programming is available to schools, churches and community groups through grant funding provided by the Florida Department of Children and Families, office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health.

“At this exciting and innovative summit, students learned about available substance abuse and conflict prevention concepts,” said Diamond Ho-ward, Regional Prevention Coordinator for Hanley Foundation in Broward County, who attended the summit on behalf of the Foundation with Prevention Specialists Amanda Aiken, Michelle Duret and LaQueda Lewis, as well as East Coast Regional Prevention Coordinator Kathryn Grace. They presented the Alcohol Literacy Challenge (ALC) to students and provided an overview of ALC and the Botvin LifeSkills Training (LST) programs to teachers.

The 90-minute ALC program is designed to correct erroneous beliefs about the effects of alcohol, decreasing positive and increasing negative expectancies. These shifts in expectancies have been shown to predict lower levels of alcohol use. ALC also demonstrates to students the advertising and marketing formula’s alcohol companies use to market to younger users. LST is a research-validated sub-stance abuse prevention program proven to reduce the risks of alcohol, tobacco, drug abuse, and violence by targeting the major social and psychological factors that promote the initiation of substance use and other risky behaviors. This comprehensive program provides adolescents and young teens with the confidence and skills necessary to successfully handle challenging situations.

 

About Carma Henry 24455 Articles
Carma Lynn Henry Westside Gazette Newspaper 545 N.W. 7th Terrace, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33311 Office: (954) 525-1489 Fax: (954) 525-1861

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