One Voice staff members attend CADCA Mid Year Training Institute in Chicago - July 14-18, 2024
The opening plenary at the CADCA Mid-Year Training Institute (MYTI) this year in Chicago was memorable for many reasons. Most significant were the words from Dr. Allison Arwady (Director of CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control). For over 30 years, the Injury Center has been at the forefront of addressing some of today’s most pressing public health challenges, such as suicide, drug overdose, and adverse childhood experiences. Dr. Arwady referenced the violent storm from the previous night as thunder, lightning and tornados whipped across the city of Chicago. She highlighted an image from the storm where lightning struck 3 Chicago skyscrapers at the same exact moment. Years ago, this would have translated to fires and damage and destruction; but the infrastructure of the modern skyscrapers is built to withstand the threats of nature. This is analogous of the work we do in prevention. In our communities it is critical to build an infrastructure of prevention so that when threats of the latest drug trends, or overdoses hit our neighborhoods, we are prepared to prevent the death and destruction of lives affected by these threats.
Lesley Gabel, Executive Director of One Voice, delivered two well-attended training sessions at CADCA Mid-Year on capacity building and partnerships. It was an honor to represent One Voice of Hunterdon, whose dedicated partnerships and collaborations continue to shine on a national level. We are deeply grateful to highlight the work of our continued partnerships with the Prosecutor’s office, Faith Leaders, Healthcare Partners, legislators, as well as many others.
Held for 4 days during the summer, the Mid-Year Training Institute (MYTI) offers in-depth, interactive training sessions geared specifically for community coalition leaders and staff. From fundamentals of coalition building and strategic planning to evaluation and research, we came away motivated and inspired to work with our community in Hunterdon County to reduce youth substance misuse.