VYWC Monthly Newsletter

09/2025 | Issue 5

Next Meeting 09/15!

Valley Youth Wellness Coalition's next meeting will be 08/15 from 9:00-10:00 to review the survey responses for the 100 Cups of Coffee and work on next steps for strategic planning for effective community action. We will be meeting at the Augusta Health Community Care building 64 Sports Medicine Dr. Fishersville, VA 22939. Park out front, go in through the automatic doors, and make a right to meeting room 3.

Click Here for Directions

100 Cups of Coffee Activity

As a reminder, we are working on trying to have as many community conversations as possible regarding what people are seeing related to youth substance use, any experiences they have related to it, and what positive things there are for youth in our community. Let's have as many conversations as possible for data collection before our next meeting on the 15th! Please click this link Community Stakeholder Questions to access the form Dorothy created with different relevant questions for different stakeholders, and access the Survey Monkey below to input your answers.

Survey Monkey

Webinar: "The Role of Neighborhoods & Place-Based Policies in Promoting Tobacco Control"

Please join the Southwest PTTC Wednesday, September 10, from 12:00-1:00 P.M. EST for this free webinar discussing how neighborhood environments and place-based policies can influence tobacco use and exposure, and share strategies to advance prevention through community-level change.

Learning objectives are the relationship between the retail promotion and availability of tobacco products and tobacco use behaviors, and identifying place-based policies that may reduce the retail availability of commercial substances. Sign up below!

September is Suicide Prevention Month!

September is Suicide Prevention Month, and this is a topic is more relevant than ever to talk about. By September 3, 2024, there were already more than 700 deaths by suicide in VA alone (link here).

This awareness month aims to reduce stigma that surrounds suicide, provide hope and resources for families and those who are struggling, and creating change and lower suicide rates. Click on the links below to get a suicide prevention toolkit from SAMHSA that includes amazing social media shareables, a resource center, and school-based prevention programs.

Suicide Prevention Awareness Month Toolkit

Recovery Month

September is also National Recovery Month which is a time to encourage and highlight innovative, evidence-based treatment and recovery methods, the robust and proud recovery community in the nation, and the commitment of service providers and communities that enable recovery. The hope is to destigmatize those who are struggling, and to provide public awareness that recovery is possible, and ultimately increase accessibility for those who are ready for recovery to obtain it. Learn more here!

Recovery Month

2025 Fall Conference: Youth Mental Health

You are invited to the 2025 Appalachian Translational Research Network Annual Health Summit. The focus is on Youth Mental Health and will provide skills, tools, and resources for those working across Central Appalachian communities. Our vision is for this event to serve as a springboard for the Central Appalachian Network of Mental Health Advocates (CANMHA), helping them grow and advance their goals.

The Appalachian Translational Research Network Annual Health Summit begins on Monday, October 13 at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon, Virginia and concludes at 2:00 pm, just before the start of the CANMHA Conference; Tuesday, October 14 and concludes Wednesday, October 15. There is a $25 discount to participants attending both conferences.

Click the button below to learn more and register!

New Job Opportunity!

The Central Shenandoah Valley Office on Youth in Waynesboro is hiring for a full-time Substance Abuse Prevention Education Coordinator! If you love working with people, care about your community, and being out in the field making a difference in health and wellness, click the link below to apply!

Office on Youth Job Listing

Community Events

Valley Youth Wellness Coalition | valleyywc@vcsb.org | 540-430-9360 | valleyyouthwellnesscoalition.org