HOP members Neha Ninan (left) and Keira Souza attended an anti-drug conference in Chicago. PHOTO/HOPKINTON POLICE DEPARTMENT

Two Hopkinton Organizing for Prevention (HOP) Youth Coalition students recently attended a training conference led by the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA), Hopkinton Police Department Chief Joseph Bennett and Hopkinton Youth & Family Services Director Dawn Alcott-Miller announced Friday.

Also attending the conference were HOP and HPD representatives. The training course took place from July 14-18 in Chicago.

The Hopkinton attendees at the conference included:

• Colleen Souza, a Youth & Family Services clinician and co-leader of the HOP Youth Coalition;
• Cassandra Bigness, the Drug-Free Communities coordinator and co-leader of HOP Youth Coalition;
• HPD Sgt. Aaron O’Neil,  a HOP Coalition member and mental health liaison;
• Neha Ninan, a Hopkinton High School senior and HOP Youth Coalition youth intern;
• Keira Souza, an HHS junior and HOP Youth Coalition member.

This is the third time the HOP Youth Coalition has attended the CADCA conference. CADCA is a substance use prevention nonprofit organization that focuses on collaborating with communities to ignite social change. As part of its 23rd annual Mid-Year Training Institute, CADCA offered youth leadership training courses to empower young people ages 13-19 years old to take youth-led civic action in their communities.

During the courses, participants discussed topics including embracing substance-free lifestyles, learning to make the most of their personal strengths and cultivating happiness for themselves and within the community. Additionally, they learned advocacy skills to make their case to decision-makers, the media and the public to create a powerful change in their community.

“It was an honor to watch the youth grow and learn about new prevention techniques, resources, education and programs they can bring back to their community,” Souza said. “Networking and getting new ideas from coalitions around the country helped us to see what we can do in our own community.”

“This was an experience I am grateful to be a part of and is something I will use to make a positive change in our town and as far across as I can,” added Ninan. “With all the empowerment I saw at the conference, I know that our future will be bright!”

“I am thrilled that our Police Department played a role in educating youth on substance use prevention,” Bennett said. “This was a fantastic effort in fostering multi-discipline collaboration that will truly benefit our communities’ future.”

“Aaron brings invaluable participation and partnership to the HOP Youth Coalition,” added  Alcott-Miller. “He has been such an asset to the group, and we really appreciate him.”

HOP is a community-wide collaboration working to prevent substance use. HOP was founded by Youth & Family Services in 2015 with the goal of providing education, resources and support to empower youth to live a healthy, substance-free life as well as promote well-being for all Hopkinton residents.

HOP’s membership includes parents, clergy, youth, youth-serving agencies, pediatric health professionals, business professionals, people in recovery and family members affected by addiction. It also includes representatives from the police and fire departments, the Health Department, the Hopkinton Public Schools and the School Committee.

HOP’s work within the community is funded through two grants, the Massachusetts Collaborative for Action, Leadership and Learning (MassCALL3) award and the federal Drug-Free Communities (DFC) grant. The funding supports HOP and its initiatives to build relationships with community partners and implement strategies and programs that aim to reduce youth substance use rates.

Hopkinton students interested in participating in the HOP Youth Coalition can learn more here.

This initiative was funded by the Drug-Free Communities grant. Hopkinton is approaching its fourth year out of five years using the grant, which the coalition can apply for to receive an additional five years of funding.