A local nonprofit will receive $625,000 over a five-year period to continue its mission of educating youth about the harms of substance abuse.
The money comes from the Drug-Free Communities Support Grant, and is the continuation of a matching grant that began awarding Empower Johnson County $125,000 a year five years ago, provided Empower puts the same amount of money — or the volunteer-rate equivalent — into its programs. The federal volunteer rate is $28.54, and Empower can take away from their match of the grant by multiplying that amount by volunteer hours, said Michelle McMahon, the organization’s community coordinator.
Empower’s main goal is to encourage minors to reconsider alcohol, drug and tobacco use, and to be engaged in alternative, sober activities, she said.
“We’ve also done a lot of education regarding reasons why youth would not want to use anything from alcohol to vaping devices, marijuana (and) prescription medication or over-the-counter misuse,” McMahon said.
The grant money will help fund outreach efforts, such as vaping seminars last year at Center Grove schools. The money also helps Empower distribute educational materials to students and parents, sponsor events and pay staff members. Reaching students and their families using education, not scare tactics, will continue to be a goal of Empower during the next five years, she said.
“A lot of it is education,” McMahon said. “We’re trying to make sure we’re educated as a coalition, and anyone participating in the coalition understands how to prevent youth substance use.”
One way to do that is through students themselves.
Empower Youth, a more recent venture of Empower Johnson County, is a countywide group of high school students that hosts events to encourage a substance-free lifestyle among peers. One such event was a town hall to prevent underage drinking in the spring. The youth group also participated in Take Down Tobacco, a national day of action against the tobacco industry, she said.
“We’re utilizing youth to inform our coalition,” McMahon said. “If we know the types of things they’re experiencing in the realm of youth in terms of substance use, (we can promote better) decision making and mental health. We know if they’re experiencing anxiety or depression they’re more likely to make that decision to self-medicate using substances or alcohol. We use our youth to educate us on what they’re seeing in the community and dealing with, and formulate plans on how to prevent these things.”
Next up for Empower is Red Ribbon Week, which will take place during the last week of October. Last year, the event, put together by Empower to reach students across all six Johnson County school districts, reached a record 11,000 students at 21 schools.
Red Ribbon Week focuses on positive, drug-free messaging for elementary students. Last year, for example, students wore red for the ‘Proud to be Drug Free’ kickoff, and camo for ‘Drugs Can’t Find Me’ day, she said.
The outreach events seem to be working, as most middle- and high-school students surveyed say they aren’t using drugs, alcohol or tobacco products, McMahon said.
At the end of the day, parents are the best resource, she said.
“Part of our goal is changing the perception in the community that everyone is doing it,” McMahon said. “You hear about individuals making a bad decision and you don’t hear about the right or good decisions, and we want to change that. We’re trying to build awareness of Empower as a trusted resource for parents, so they know how to talk to their youth. Most of their youth are making really good decisions and abstaining from really risky behavior.”
