CADCA
2012 22nd Annual National Leadership Forum
February 6 through February 9, 2012
An Organization of Excellence Building Drug-Free Communities.
2012 C.A.D.C.A. Leadership Forum Group
Beau Caouette, Moses Howard, Casey Juergens, John MacDonald, Nikol-Zhaklin Minkina, Brooke Reid, Francesca Riggione, Vanessa Salcido, Megan Stewart and Amy Vo.
Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) works on behalf of over 5,000 community coalitions from across the country to realize its vision. More than any other entity, community coalitions are poised to connect multiple sectors of the community, including businesses, parents, media, law enforcement, schools, faith organizations, health providers, social service agencies, and government. By acting in concert through the coalition, all of the partners gain a more complete understanding of the community's problems. Together, the partners organize and develop plans and programs to coordinate their anti-drug efforts. The result is a comprehensive, community-wide approach to substance abuse and its related problems.
CADCA works daily with over 30 public, private and non-profit organizations. CADCA engages partners and seeks their expertise to increase our effectiveness, whether it be by jointly producing a publication, delivering training, co-chairing a committee or task force, or advocating a policy position. CADCA is currently sharing its coalition expertise with the following partners: the Office of National Drug Control Policy, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA and its centers, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment and the Center for Mental Health Services), the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, the Department of Justice Community Capacity Development Office and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the National Guard Bureau, the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration, the Department of Education, and the Department of State.
CADCA's National Youth Leadership Initiative (NYLI) is a component of the National Coalition Academy developed by the Community-Anti Drug Coalition Institute at CADCA. Participants are selected through an application process. In these sessions, both youth and their advisors learn how to help community coalitions be more effective in producing community change. The NYLI helps coalitions build their capacity to foster youth leadership in the design, implementation, and evaluation of action strategies to address community problems. This training builds the relationship between the youth leader and the adult coalition coach. They will learn about the Strategic Prevention Framework, logic models, interventions, evaluation, and sustainability. This highly interactive training teaches what is required to create and nurture the growth of committed leaders and their work within coalitions. It will better equip youth and adults to develop a strategic action plan that clearly defines the strategies that young people will carry out to address the problems and goals that the coalition is striving to effect.
It is often said, "Youth are our future leaders." While this is true, we believe that youth are leaders for today. If you are looking for interactive workshops the Summit for Youth Leaders is the place to be. If your desire is to be trained in community problem solving the National Youth Leadership Initiative is right for you. Again, this year CADCA has developed two experiences to equip our youth to be the leaders of today. Choose between the Summit for Youth Leaders! and the National Youth Leadership Initiative. Both successfully train youth to be catalysts for change.
2011 21st Annual National Leadership Forum
Ten selected local Orange County students from Drug Use Is Life Abuse’s Next Step program attended the 21st Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) Leadership Forum. CADCA is referred to as “the mecca” for people involved in the substance abuse field. DUILA’s Next Step program is a drug educational program which uses high school students to mentor junior high school students with continuing drug education efforts. Orange County Sheriff Department deputies administer the program.
Drug Use is Life Abuse, a support group of the Orange County Sheriff's Advisory Council, was formed to bring together leaders in business, government, education, religion, families, and law enforcement to work together towards changing the way society perceives drug use.
Lectures by R. Gil Kerlikowske, Director, White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and Nora D. Volkow, M.D., Director National Institute on Drug Abuse/NIDA inspired the students at the CADCA conference. Students were able to attend different forum workshops such as “The Epidemiology and Prevention of Prescription Drug Abuse.”
At the “Youth Meet-n-Greet” event Drug Use Is Life Abuse Next Step’s students competed against other school groups in a “game show” contest called Think Fast. Each group was intensively grilled with drug related questions. In the end DUILA’s Next Step students won the top prize!
In addition to the conference, the students visited some Washington DC’s most famous sights: The Lincoln Memorial, Mount Vernon, and the changing of the guard at Arlington National Cemetery.
Drug Use Is Life Abuse’s Executive Director Marilyn MacDougall and Deputy John Blank coordinated and supervised the trip. Deputy John Blank oversees the Next Step mentoring program.
Students selected for this year’s forum were based upon their involvement with the Next Step or IMPACT programs and a written essay.
Students attending the 21st Leadership Forum:
Miranda Campellone, La Quinta
Beau Caouette, Mission Viejo
Britanny Clark, SMCHS
Cam Huynh, La Quinta
Casey Juergens, SMCHS
Casey Le, La Quinta
John MacDonald, SMCHS
Avery Miyahara, Tesoro
Francesca Riggione, SMCHS
Amy Vo, La Quinta
The alcoholic abuse of drugs in Orange County continues to threaten the lives of our young people and the future of our society. Executive Director of Drug Use Is Life Abuse, Marilyn MacDougall, poses a question to Rear Admiral Steven K. Galson, M.D., M.P.H., Acting Surgeon General.
Drug Use Is Life Abuse | P.O. Box 28 | Santa Ana, CA 92702