March 13, 2020
Rural Youth Engagement Toolkit
The opioid epidemic has wreaked havoc among many small towns in rural America as demonstrated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Report that shows higher rates of opioid-related deaths recorded in rural areas. The disease of addiction has infiltrated, and in many areas severely damaged the very fabric of rural communities. Treatment and recovery continue to be extremely important, however, more attention must be paid to addressing the problem upstream through universal prevention efforts.
Youth represent the future and offer unique perspectives on how certain drugs impact their communities. These perspectives, ideas, and energy are imperative to cause a generational disruption in substance misuse in rural America and increase the safety and health of communities.
This tool kit was created by CADCA (Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America) in partnership with The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry with the generous support of the Rx Abuse Leadership Initiative (RALI), with content contributions from the STAND Coalition of Scott County, TN and the Rural Youth Advisory Council, composed of rural youth throughout America who care about positive community change.
New toolkit for rural youth engagement https://www.cadca.org/resources/rural-youth-engagement-toolkit