The 2019-2020 school year is moving and in full swing for Operation Snowball. This fall is jam packed with OS, Inc. trainings, Chapter events and a lot of strategic planning to bring Snowball to the next level. We are excited to see the impact that will continue to spread across the state of Illinios.
As you continue to fill your calendars we want to remind you that with your accreditation each Chapter must send one adult and two youth to an OS, Inc. training offered before December 31, 2019.
Please check the schedule of trainings offered to lock that date in. With your accreditation, OS Chapters are also eligible to bring teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA) training to your student leaders. Please check out the section below to find out more information about the tMHFA program.
We welcome you to call and/or email Riley Blythe at
riley@ilabh.org
to discuss your specific Snowball needs. We look forward to working with you this year!
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2019 OS, INC. ADULT LEADER CONFERENCE
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Date
Friday, October 11
Time
8:00am - 2:00pm
Location
Chicago Marriott Naperville
1801 N Naper Blvd.
Naperville, IL 60563
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2020 CGTI/OS MID-YEAR CONFERENCE
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Date
January 18 - January 19
Location
Marriott Hotel and Conference Center
Normal, IL
Registration Fee
$80/person
*additional $80 fee for single room
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Applications will be available October 1
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OS 2019-2020 ACCREDITATION TRAININGS
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FACILITATION 202: BEYOND BASICS
Monday, November 18
Location: North Suburbs
MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS
Tuesday, December 3
Location: South Suburbs
STRATEGIES FOR YEAR-ROUND OS PREVENTION CAMPAIGN
Thursday, February 6
Location: North Suburbs
ATOD TRENDS
Thursday, February 20
Location: West Suburbs
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*accreditation requirement to send 1 adult and 2 youth to a minimum of one OS, Inc. training per calendar year
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TEEN MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID (tMHFA)
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How to Bring tMHFA to Your
Snowball Chapter
CGTI was selected last Spring as one of eight original pilot sites across the country, the only agency in Illinois, to implement tMHFA training to students. With the expansion of the pilot for the 19-20 school year, we can now offer this training to our Snowball Chapters. With your OS Accreditation we are offering a discount to bring tMHFA to your youth leaders.
Things to Note:
- 30 students max per training group
- Implemented in 3X75 or 5X45 minute sessions
- 100% OS Adults must be YouthMHFA certified
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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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On July 21,
20 Operation Snowball Chapters (210 youth)
gathered at Eastern Illinois University to celebrate the 45th Anniversary of the Cebrin Goodman Teen Institute with 500 youth & adults from across the state. We are always astounded by the magic that is created during the Community Action Team meetings, but this year we were blown away by the serious strategic planing OS Chapters delved into during their daily planning meetings. Here is a sneak peak of what some of our Chapters are planning to work on this school year:
- Elmwood Park OS and East Leyden OS will team up for a 5K event.
- West Leyden OS will attend Out of the Darkness Walk.
- Elk Grove OS will create video to recruit leaders.
- Hanover Township OS will hold booth for "Be Who You Want to Be" resource fair
- Evergreen Park OS create/distribute survey to students to gather information on involvement, teen issues & mental health.
- Rich Township OS will create and present Snowball promotional video to administration to gain additional support.
- Homewood-Flossmoor OS will film interviews at Snowball, create video to broadcast to the whole school through VikingTV.
- District 228 OS will request meeting to present about Snowball to Student Council & PTA.
- Livingston County OS will hold Snowflake & Snowflurry event.
- Hinsdale OS will increase numbers to 150 participants at Snowball event.
- Woodland OS will design and distribute flyers about Operation Snowball.
- District 211 OS will hold overnight training event for Snowball leaders.
- Renz Addiction Counseling Center OS will organize positive post-it campaign for Middle School.
- Bloom Township OS will coordinate drug take back days.
- Highland OS will coordinate and hold week long De-stress Fest celebration in March focusing on positive mental health.
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2019 OS Impact Across Illinois
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2019 #'s:
58 Chapters
14 Counties
86,000 Youth Reached
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Operation Snowball, Inc. is the central hub for our Chapters, and we love being able to visit and support your events however we can. Our Snowball family can easily expand across the state to other Chapters and this all begins with knowing what is going on around Illinois. Please go to our website to see when Chapter Snowball events are happening - send each other good luck wishes, and let's continue to see this positivity snowball.
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Hanover
Township
Operation Snowball
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Hanover Township had a jam packed spring semester. They held their 2nd annual Snowflake with Tefft Middle School on April 13, 2019. Their high school leaders were rock stars and the event had a great turn out of 75+, 7th grade students. The theme of their one day Snowflake event was "Color Your Future."
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Over the summer Hanover Township OS set out to expose the group to things they might not be able to participate in during the school year. They met once a week for nine weeks for community event field trips. They spent time volunteering with Feed My Starving Children, held a fundraising event to cover costs to attend CGTI, visited the Chicago History Museum, and ran team building games at their annual Township Olympics.
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Highland High School Operation Snowball
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Highland High School students took a field trip over to the middle school to lead an assembly for their 6th, 7th and 8th graders. Highland students spent time explaining Operation Snowball, CGTI, and led some team building activities with the middle schoolers. They concluded the assembly with the question "now, who is interested in being a part of Snowball?" and hands started going up in seconds. Incredible ambassadors of our program!
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OS BOARD OF DIRECTORS SPOTLIGHT
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Emma Murphy
Youth Advocate
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Q:
Why did you want to join the OS Board of Directors?
Q:
What is your favorite Snowball memory?
Q:
What would you say to a youth who is skeptical of attending an OS event?
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A:
I wanted to give back to the community that has given so many opportunities to me! Snowball has helped me grow as an individual and I wanted to help people realize their potential as a member of their community.
A:
It’s hard to pin point just one memory to call my favorite. I will have say that my favorite memory was getting up onstage with all of my friends and participating in lip sync. We weren’t the stars of the night, but I got a few of my friends to step out of their comfort zones and that was just memorable by itself!
A:
Just do it. I have never met someone who regretted going to a snow event. It will be the highlight of your year!
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Rich Township OS
Q:
Why did you want to join the OS Board of Directors?
Q:
What is your favorite Snowball memory?
Q:
What would you say to a youth who is skeptical of attending an OS event?
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Kelly Stadter
District 6 Representative
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A:
I wanted to join the board because I love Snowball and I wanted to expand my involvement with the program. I also wanted to begin to utilize my degree in school counseling and I thought this might be a good way to start to do so. I want to continue to see this program grow and expand and if the next generation does not start to get involved that will not happen.
A:
I have so many Snowball memories but some of my favorites are just seeing walls being broken down. My high school district had 4 schools but that did not matter at Snowball, we were one unit. The same happens at the district I work in now, we have three schools but at Snowball we are just one district. It is so nice to see the unity.
A:
I would tell the youth that I was the same way when I was in high school. I use to be very shy and I did not like to try new things. My best friend, who was a year older than me, convinced me to go and it was the best thing she did. Snowball is the place that taught me to be myself and that people will accept me for who I am. Snowball is a nonjudgmental zone and that is what I love.
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If you are interested in joining the OS Board of Directors; please reach out to Riley Blythe for additional information
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- October 22 - St. Louis, MO
- November 7 - Chicago, IL
- November 18 - Mt. Vernon, IL
- November 19 - Springfield, IL
- February 4 - Naperville, IL
- March 5 - Quincy, IL
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Youth Mental Health First Aid Training
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Youth Mental Health First Aid teaches you how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders. This 8-hour training gives adults who work with youth the skills they need to reach out and provide initial support to adolescents (ages 12-18) who may be developing a mental health or substance use problem and help connect them to the appropriate care. If you are interested in attending one of these trainings please contact Riley Blythe at
riley@ilabh.org
for the registration link.
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National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month
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September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month—a time to share resources and stories in an effort to shed light on this highly taboo and stigmatized topic. This month is a time to reach out to those affected by suicide, raise awareness, and connect individuals with services. It is also important to ensure that individuals, friends and families have access to the resources they need to discuss suicide prevention.
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The following are some events and resources designed to raise awareness and provide support for behavioral health providers and community members.
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According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, 47,173 people in the United States died by suicide in 2017. Yet suicide prevention doesn't receive anywhere near the funding as other leading causes of death. It's up to dedicated and invested community members to make a difference. Together we can change the conversation about mental health and put a stop to this tragic loss of life. Join a Walk to Fight Suicide near you by clicking the link below.
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K-12 Toolkit for
Mental Health Promotion
and Suicide Prevention
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The
K-12 Toolkit for Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention
was created by the Health Care Alliance for Response to Adolescent Depression (HEARD) in 2013 (updated in 2017), in response to a need for schools to promote student mental health and well-being, to prevent suicide and, in particular, how to respond after a suicide loss.
The toolkit convenes national best practices from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the National Center for School Mental Health (NCSMH), and several other organizations.
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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):
- Text HELLO to 741741 to connect with someone
- 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
- 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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