Summer Work Retreat

June 19 and 20

Wednesday, June 19th (Day 1) will be VIRTUAL only, with orientation and state partner sharing. Since it is Juneteenth, a federal holiday and a day off for some of our members, those of us who are able to make it to the retreat will take a little time to observe the meaning of this special day. Thursday, 20th (Day 2) will be the day to bring our youth to participate in the Leadership Reaction Course with MCTC! (See flyer above.)

While the youth are participating in the Leadership Reaction Course, the adults will be having a fun and educational activity as well, with a Mock City Council meeting, led by our AC4C member, Stacie Schroeder. Stacie is an actual city council member in her home town and participated in this training during the CADCA Coalition Academy her coalition is a part of this year. She thought it would be a great exercise for many of us who work with city councils on policy changes so Stacie asked for permission from the Academy leaders to utilize the resources with us. This activity, along with the regular meeting items in the Day 2 agenda, will be in-person or virtual for the adults.

Here is the agenda:

Wednesday, June 19, 2024

Virtual – Zoom only

Day 1: 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

8:30-8:45 a.m. – Networking online as members join the meeting

8:45-9:15 a.m. – Orientation Time – For new members and for current members to share their why and the benefits of AC4C  

9:15-9:45 a.m. – Introductions- What's one way we can remember Juneteenth through action this summer?

9:45-9:50 a.m. – Approval of meeting minutes from March Meetings

9:50-10:00 a.m. – Break

10:00-12:00 p.m. – State Partner Sharing

12:00-1:00 p.m. – Lunch break

1:00-2:00 p.m. – State Partner Sharing continued

2:00-2:15 p.m. – Break

2:15-2:45 p.m. – 6-Month Evaluation report from Mary Schissel

2:45-3:00 p.m. – Wrap up and highlights

Thursday, June 20, 2024

In-person Camp Dodge/MCTC

Youth Day! 

Virtual option for adult members

Day 2: 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

10:00-10:30 a.m. – Introductions/icebreaker with youth

10:30-11:00 a.m. – Youth – Focus Group; Adults – Workgroup Sharing

11:00-11:30 a.m. – Lunch (Delivered to Camp Dodge)

(11:30-2:45 p.m. – Youth- Off to the Leadership Reaction Course with debriefing time)

11:30-12:30 p.m. – Adults – Action Team Sharing

12:30-1:15 p.m. – Coalition sharing

1:15-1:30 p.m. – Break

1:30-2:45 p.m. – Mock City Council Meeting policy change activity – led by Stacie Schroeder

2:45-3:00 p.m. – Wrap up with youth – Highlights of the Day and Upcoming Events 

When registering for the two-day retreat, if you are coming for the second day at Camp Dodge, select "in-person". There is FREE lodging at Camp Dodge for adults on June 19th for adults. If you need lodging, go ahead and select "Yes" when registering. Any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

REGISTER for the work retreat HERE

Upcoming Events:

AC4C Annual Prevention Conference - (tentative date)

Thursday, November 7, 2024



AC4C Day on the Hill next year: Thursday, February 13, 2025

AC4C Legislative Learning Event: Tuesday, March 25, 2025, 7 a.m., Leg. Dining Rm. G15

Resources to Share and Links to check out... 

Members, keep up with the latest in the news

AC4C on Facebook

AC4C Youth on Instagram

Looking for a training

Iowa Board of Certification

Iowa ODCP

Iowa State Patrol

Iowa Health and Human Services & Your Life Iowa

Partnership for A Healthy Iowa

Do you know about RALI Iowa?

Check out this organization and information about their virtual trailer HERE

More resources...

Governor's Traffic Safety Bureau

Drive Smart Iowa

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Traffic Safety Marketing

Stop Drugged Driving

AC4C members, state partners and others, if you have teens in your coalitions, schools, family, or other areas of your life who might be interested in being a part of AC4C Youth,

they, or you, can send an email to: ac4cyouth@gmail.com

AC4C Youth working together on the Leadership Reaction Course last year (above)! AC4C adults collaborating during a typical hybrid work retreat (below.)

May Mental Health Awareness Month

A couple of years ago, AC4C added "addressing mental health issues" to our mission statement of unifying Iowans to address substance use issues across the lifespan on a state and community level. We included this because of the great need we were all seeing and hearing about in our communities, particularly with our youth.

AC4C has tried to incorporate opportunities to learn ourselves and to educate others about what we can do to promote mental wellness and prevent experiences that hurt mental health. We have had and will continue to have workshops related to these subjects at our Prevention Conference. We added the connection of substance use and mental health to the theme and presentations at our Youth Substance Use Prevention Day on the Hill last year and the year before. We inform our members on any opportunities to learn more about evidence-based ways to help the youth in our communities who are struggling.

Many of us have heard of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). The ACE Study was research done in the 90's that demonstrated adults who experienced one or more of ten ACEs (child abuse, death of a parent and others) were more likely to have negative health effects, including diabetes, cancer, depression, substance use disorder, and more.

In 2019, a study was led by Dr. Christina Bethel with 6,188 adults at Johns Hopkins University seeking to identify Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs) that could buffer the effects of the traumatic experiences. Seven types of PCEs were shown to have a similar "dose effect" like the ACEs research had. The more of these positive experiences that individuals reported they had in their childhood, the more likely they were to report few or no issues of adult depression or other mental health challenges.

Children with more of these PCEs are more likely to become resilient adults who seek social and emotional support.

The Seven PCEs are:

1) The ability to talk to family about feelings

2) The sense that family is supportive during difficult times

3) Feeling safe and protected by an adult in the home

4) Having at least two non-parent adults who genuinely cared

5) Feeling supported by friends

6) Feeling a sense of belonging in high school

7) The enjoyment of participating in community traditions

To learn more about the PCEs study and find other research about the importance of building community to boost resilience, click HERE. We hope you can use this information in your community prevention coalition work.

Join an Action Team or Work Group session every month!

Access the action team meetings on Mondays. Login information here

Other Substances Action Team

Next meeting- June 3 @ 9:30

Marijuana Action Team

Next meetings- June 10 @ 9:30



Nicotine Action Team 

Next meeting- May 20 and June 17 @ 9:30

Alcohol Action Team

Next meetings- June 24 @ 9:30. The team will not meet on May 27 due to Memorial Day.

_______________________________

Policy Work Group

Chair:  

Jennifer Husmann

Co-Chair: 

Maggie Ballard



4th Wednesday at 2:00 pm

Meeting information can be found here

Click here for meeting minutes

Purpose: To collaborate with the community and statewide entities to advocate and educate on substance abuse legislation, policies, and related issues.

_________________________________

Capacity/Marketing Work Group

Chair:

Chris Courtney

New Co-Chair:

Kelly Hutcheson

3rd Monday at 2:00 pm

Click here for meeting minutes

Purpose: Create a network of professionals that have diverse knowledge, experience, and interests to build skills and provide resources to members of AC4C.