Youth Connections is driven to empower youth and promote positive youth development by engaging all sectors of our community to create opportunities for youth to thrive and succeed and reduce substance abuse and other risky behaviors among youth.

Description:
Youth Connections uses comprehensive prevention strategies to identify community needs and support the healthy growth of our community, families and youth. We collaborate as a community in order to fill gaps and avoid duplication of services. We communicate through a wide variety of medium to increase awareness of risky behaviors and how we as a community can be a part of the solution to prevent such risky behaviors. We advocate for youth participate in healthy activities and community involvement. We mobilize the community to effect environmental and social norms change. We encourage critical thinking skills through media literacy. We identify youth at risk and provide resource and referral information to youth and families. We evaluate efforts as a continual assessment of effectiveness.

History:
Youth Connections, a entity of the Helena School District, began with a handful of dedicated school personnel with a mission of reducing substance use among our youth. In 2003, Youth Connections formally became a community coalition after receiving federal grant funding. With nearly 300 community member connected in a variety of ways, Youth Connections continues to be grant funded and has worked to ensure a comprehensive approach to prevention of all risky behaviors.

Contact people:

Drenda Carlson, Executive Director, (phone), (email) Tracy Moseman, Program Coordinator, (phone), (email) Katy Fields, Administrative Assistant, (phone), (email)

Address:

1025 North Rodney Helena, MT 59601 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.YouthConnectionsCoalition.org

Directions:

Youth Connections office is located on the second floor of Helena Middle School

Last updated on July 27, 2009