Director FROM THE
ABOUT EXCELSIOR SPRINGS SAFE (Substance Abuse-Free Environments) Excelsior Springs SAFE (Substance AbuseFree Environments) is a community coalition made up of people who live in or work in Excelsior Springs. We are one of the many coalitions throughout the Northland working to prevent youth substance use. We do this through education, advocacy, media campaigns, and environmental change. Our Mission: Through community involvement, leadership, and the sharing of resources, Excelsior Springs SAFE works to reduce underage drinking, nicotine and other drug use, violence and other negative behaviors and improve the lives of all Excelsior Springs citizens. If you would like to join us in our mission, please reach out to Julia Mees, Program Director, at safedfc@gmail.com.
LEARN MORE ABOUT SAFE Website: www.excelsiorspringssafe.com Facebook: facebook.com/ESSAFE
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July 2019
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YC MAGAZINE
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excelsiorspringssafe.com
elcome to the first issue of Youth ConnectionsExcelsior Springs! This new magazine will highlight some of the great things going on among the youth of our community, while also addressing important topics of interest to youth and parents. Excelsior Springs SAFE (Substance Abuse-Free Environments) is excited JULIA to bring this magazine to Excelsior MEES residents as part of our mission to educate and empower families about youth resilience, mental health, and substance use. This first issue features articles about youth vaping and screen time and explores several factors that help kids to be successful, including the 40 developmental assets. Check out page 10 for Faces in the Crowd, which features local kids who are doing some amazing things! Read on to page 11 for an introduction to the 40 Assets that help with positive youth development, along with photos of local youth who exemplify these assets. There are so many good things going on in our community and we’re happy to be able to highlight some of these. If you would be willing to share a few snapshots of your child that would fit into these local sections, we would love to feature them in our next issue! We are thankful for our community partners (some of which are featured in the advertisements in the magazine), and proud to be working alongside many local organizations to find ways to help prevent youth substance use in our community. We can all be a part of prevention in Excelsior by being a positive influence in the lives of kids around us and by learning more about topics important to youth development. The future of our community depends on the strength of our youth. Thank you to all of you who are striving to encourage and nurture the youth around you each day. We hope you’ll enjoy this magazine and feel free to reach out if you have any ideas for upcoming issues.
JULIA MEES, PROGRAM DIRECTOR safedfc@gmail.com