What We Have Done So Far!

On the 12th of December, we were able to host our first event. We brought in guest speaker Barny Zeitz to talk about the Alateen program offered here at the high school, and we were lucky enough to meet with him prior to the event in order to get it started up again. During this time we also shared a video composed of interviews that we had done, as well as clips of students answering a yes or no question. The question was, “Has alcohol ever impacted you or someone you know in a negative way?”. All but one of the students responded with yes. By showing these interviews we hoped to show students that they are not alone, and to break the stigmatism that surrounds this sensitive topic. In addition to these short interviews, the film we created featured three testimonials from people who have struggled with addiction. Those people were our mothers and a young woman named Mia who overcame her addiction and has now used her voice to help those affected by it. Making this film was a lengthy and challenging process.  

Those who attended the event were also given the opportunity to meet with Angela Knapp, director of Youth Task Force who had set up a table with us, offering many useful resources. Towards the end of the event we were also offered a generous donation from Michael Blanchard, he donated two of his books to the MVRHS library. Overall, the event was a success and we were left with numerous contacts. We hope to continue collaborating with some of these amazing people as we plan out our next steps.