As the summer is winding down and you're starting to prepare for another school year, you may be filled with many emotions knowing it is going to look different than in the past. It will be a year of strategic planning and many new experiences, but OS, Inc. is here for you every single step of the way.
We will be scheduling a 15-30 minute call with every Snowball Team to keep you updated on our state-wide programming offered this year, hear what you have planned and see how our office can assist you in your initiatives. We are here for YOU and want to be involved in the amazing work you are doing in your communities! The week of September 20-24 will be dedicated to meeting (virtually) with each team. Please reach out to Riley Blythe at [email protected] with two dates and times you are available to set up your consultation call during that week.
We want to also remind all of our groups that in January of 2021 our mission statement, website and logo were all updated. Moving forward all teams are to utilize the updated logo when creating content for their groups. This includes: shirts, event banners, flyers, etc. There is a link below to take you to a shared Google Drive where you can find and download all of the new logos. We also are offering graphic design consulting to create an individualized logo for your group, this may mean we incorporate your school colors, additional logo and to add your team name as well.
Below you will find OS, Inc. upcoming training topics, save the date for our OS 5K event, resources, and more!
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Upcoming OS, Inc. Trainings |
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We are offering FREE OS, Inc. training registrations. Our hope is to take financial strain off by offering additional trainings throughout the year. We have 25 trainings scheduled from September through the end of the school year. These trainings are also open to prevention professionals interested in learning more!
2021-2022 Training Topics:
- Weekly Wellness Lunch Break Sessions
- Suicide Prevention Week Sessions
- SEL Strategies for the Transition Back to In-Person Learning
- Building & Empowering Connections
- Facilitation
- Teambuilding
- New Trends Among Youth with Vaping
- ATOD Trends in Youth During Pandemic
- Uploading Our Brain: Taking Charge of Our Choices to Bring Out Our Best
- You(th) Can Be Advocates for Change
- Focus! Community Exhibition
- Mindful & Compassionate Listening
Please look out for communication next week on the FY22 OS, Inc. Training Catalog!
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Register to participate in our 2nd annual Virtual 5K. Walk or run your 5K on Saturday, October 16 between 7:00AM and 12:00PM (CST) to support youth prevention, leadership, and action plans that create a healthier community!
What is a Virtual Race?
A virtual race is a race that can be completed by running, jogging, walking, or biking from any location you choose. You complete it at your own pace and time it yourself.
How It Works
- Register for your spot and choose if you'd like the swag.
- Complete the race on Saturday, October 16 between 7:00AM and 12:00PM CST.
- Track your distance and finish time with any fitness device or app.
- This race is based on the honor system and we ask that you share your results with us on social media, but there is no formal submission process for your time and distance.
- We will send out race items (shirts & bibs number) the week of the race. Shirts will arrive by 5K day!
- Last day to guarantee shirts is Friday, October 1.
- If you are interested in registering a group or Team, please reach out to Riley Blythe at riley@ilabh
Registration & Sponsorship
Registration for individuals and teams will launch next week and will be open until October 1st. We will also be offering sponsorship with the opportunity to have your name or company logo added to our event t-shirt.
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Operation Snowball, Inc.
Membership Team/Individual Enrollment
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Have you submitted your team's information yet? As you know, we ask for updated information each year, but gone are the days of accreditation fees and training costs!
We are now be offering FREE team and individual registrations. No longer do we have accreditation fees and individuals can sign up versus being affiliated with a team or group from your school.
If your team has not done so already, please take a few moments to have the primary adult contact fill out the enrollment form below so you continue to receive information from Operation Snowball, Inc. and can run programming under our name.
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Suicide Prevention Week Campaign |
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Operation Snowball, Inc. is committed to providing teams and individuals with concrete tools on how to get involved and spread awareness about prevention topics throughout the year. The entire month of September is Suicide Prevention Month. Throughout this month you'll see multiple organizations focus on ending the stigma surrounding suicide, promoting awareness, sharing resources and more. The calendar also acknowledges the week surrounding September 10 as National Suicide Prevention Week with September 10 always being observed as World Suicide Prevention Day.
We will be launching our state-wide activities for Suicide Prevention Month in September as well as releasing a Suicide Awareness & Prevention Toolkit which serves as a manual to guide Action Teams and Individuals through the steps of bringing suicide awareness and prevention to your local schools, organizations and communities.
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The Cebrin Goodman Teen Institute successfully held their summer conference in-person in Bloomington-Normal July 20 – 22. The week featured an incredible roundup of keynotes, workshops, small group skill building, action planning, large group team building and much more!
CGTI was proud to host youth and adults from over 40 different schools and over 20 Action Teams. Teams and individuals spent time throughout the week creating plans for prevention and positive change to bring back to their communities. These plans include events and activities such as hosting trainings during September’s Suicide Prevention Month, holding safe and substance-free activities during school activities such as Homecoming and Prom, and promoting prevention education throughout the community through social media and paper campaigns.
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CGTI looks forward to seeing what all Action Teams and Individuals accomplish throughout the first semester of the school year and reuniting again at the Mid-Year winter conference January 14 – 16, 2022! |
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FOCUS! Youth Gambling Prevention |
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FOCUS! Gambling Prevention has been working closely with youth groups on the FOCUS! PhotoVoice Project. This project puts the camera in the hands of youth to show their perspectives on issues in their communities, specifically with underage gambling. Currently, the Coalition for a Safe and Healthy Elgin and Aurora Operation Snowball are at the final part and in the process of planning their community exhibitions, where youth will display their creative pieces. If you are interested in attending a community exhibition to support other groups or want to get a feel for the project, follow us on social media to stay up to date. We are on Instagram and Facebook @focusgamblingprevention. |
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In addition to the FOCUS! PhotoVoice Project, we will be offering other opportunities to participate in gambling prevention programming. Through our social media, you will be informed of the releases of our new campaigns - Messaging Campaign, Gift Responsibly Campaign, and Problem Gambling Awareness Month Campaign. |
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If any part of this interests you and you want to learn more, signup for one of our info sessions in September! We will have info sessions on September 15th at 10am and 6pm. You won’t want to miss out on this great opportunity to learn more about the program and get any questions answered. |
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Operation Snowball, Inc. wants to continue to highlight new OS Teams each month in our newsletter, so please continue to share with us the amazing work that you are doing in your schools and communities. This may mean sharing photos of your events or weekly meetings, graphics and videos your group has created for your prevention programming, maybe its a write-up from one of your students reflecting on a project you all completed. In other words, we want to celebrate YOU!
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How to Bring tMHFA to Your
Snowball Team
With your OS membership we are offering a discount to bring tMHFA to your youth leaders.
Things to Note:
- 30 students max per training group.
- We can train up to 150 students at a time.
- Implemented in three 75 minute sessions or six 45 minute sessions.
- 100% OS Adults must be Youth MHFA certified.
- Virtual sessions will be offered soon!
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What is tMHFA?
The teen MHFA course teaches high school students how to provide mental health first aid to their friends. The course was developed in response to research indicating that young people have a preference for sharing problems with peers.
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In tMHFA, teens learn about the following:
- Anxiety disorders
- Depressive disorders
- Eating disorders
- Alcohol and other drug use disorders
- Psychotic disorders
Mental health crisis situations covered in tMHFA are:
- Having thoughts of suicide
- Threatening violence or harm to others
- Engaging in self-injury
- Being very intoxicated on alcohol or other drugs
- Experiencing a traumatic event such as bullying, abuse, or assault
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For inquiries and scheduling requests please contact Riley Blythe
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If you or someone you know is in a suicidal crisis, call or text a suicide hotline (toll free, 24 hours/day, 7 days/week):
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Text HELLO to 741741 to connect with someone
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Call SAMHSA’s National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
- Call 1-800-SUICIDE (784-2433)
- Call 1-800-799-4TTY (4889) for hearing & speech impaired
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Call 1-866-488-7386 for the Trevor Project, a suicide hotline for LGBTQ youth
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MISSION STATEMENT: Through the development of leadership skills, Operation Snowball shall be a youth and adult partnership, providing awareness and prevention of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use, while encouraging healthy decision-making in an active community of caring.
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Operation Snowball, Inc.
937 South 2nd Street | Springfield, IL 62704
217.528.7335 ext. 27
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