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 Maine Youth Voices (MYV) is a grant funded youth organization dedicated to creating the opportunity for youth to proactively engage in prevention strategies surrounding underage alcohol use in their schools and communities throughout the state of Maine. There are currently fourteen MYV groups across the state.
By combining the resources of invested students, dedicated adult coordinators and a sponsoring agent from a school or community organization, groups deliver events, activities and presentations specifically designed to educate adults and youth on a broad spectrum of underage drinking issues. These efforts include examining news and advertising issues and writing newspaper articles, partnering with law enforcement agencies, studying and making recommendations on school, local and state alcohol policies, creating and airing public service announcements, documentaries and live forums, preparing and delivering presentations and interactive theatre performances to students, school boards, administrative staff, agencies and communities, as well as many other creative activities.
MYV utilizes environmental strategies for change. This means that our primary focus is on changing adult behavior and adult mixed messages about underage alcohol consumption in our communities. We want to change the environment surrounding young people's lives that tells youth that drinking is fun, safe and okay to do.
Maine Youth Voices groups identify and change community perceptions, norms and actions associated with underage drinking issues and generate awareness of their work at school, local and state levels. The project operates on a youth empowerment model, meaning that each group is run by the students and guided by their adult coordinator in partnership with their sponsoring agent and AdCare.
Group members and communities benefit from the Maine Youth Voices project by:
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Having the issue of underage drinking publicly addressed at school and in the community.
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Providing and receiving ongoing education that works to create attitudinal and behavioral changes which promote healthier choices and lifestyles.
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Strengthened adult and youth relationships in the community.
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Educational components that foster youth participation in alternative activities.
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Experiencing growth in youth leadership skills.
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Having a powerful youth resource on a local and state level.
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Fostering a youth-to-youth connection between diverse Maine communities.
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Having a group that provides awareness to adult decision makers in schools, law enforcement agencies, businesses and on a state level of the importance of modeling clear messages to youth regarding underage drinking and its consequences.
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Maine Youth Voices is a
project of the Maine Office of Substance Abuse, funded primarily
by a federal grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, designed specifically to actively involve youth in reducing underage drinking in their communities. The
project is administered by AdCare Educational Institute of Augusta, ME.
This web site is maintained
by:
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New
England Institute of Addiction Studies and
AdCare Educational Institute of Maine
75 Stone Street,
Augusta, ME 04330
207-621-2549 (Phone)
207-623-0830 (TTY)
207-621-2550 (Fax)
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AdCare
Educational Institute of Massachusetts
5 Northampton Street, Worcester, MA 01605
508-752-7313 (Phone)
508-752-8111 (Fax)
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