Manchester Voices Combats Substance Abuse in Teens
by Lindsay Hannah
Have you heard of Manchester Voices? If you have been a student or parent at Manchester Middle School or High School in the past 5 years it’s likely you have. Manchester Voices is a coalition that encourages members of our community of all ages to plan and participate in drug and alcohol free activities and in so doing, promote personal and community health and wellness.
Manchester Voices has a new community organizer, Lindsay Hannah. Lindsay, who has been in this position for three short months, was hired through Karen Bergbower & Associates, PC (KBA), a substance abuse assessment, prevention, and outpatient treatment agency in Brighton, Michigan specially licensed to provide integrated treatment of both substance use disorders and mental health disorders. The community organizer’s job is to coordinate the organization’s meetings and activities. Lindsay takes over for Peter Girz who has transitioned to a new role within the agency. She stated that she is still learning about Manchester’s culture and plans to continue to evolve Manchester Voices to fit the needs of the community.
One place you can find Lindsay is promoting Manchester Voices in the Manchester Schools. In the Middle School, Lindsay organizes the weekly (Wednesdays) lunchtime meeting of Manchester Voices with students where they plan events and awareness activities. In the High School, Manchester Voices has formed a partnership with the preexisting group, Students Leading Students (SLS). Lindsay plays a supportive role in this partnership alongside the SLS high school Staff supervisor Wendy Arntson. SLS is a student-led group that focuses on abstaining from Alcohol and other substances and educating their peers about the negative consequences of use. They believe that the “best approach to change self-defeating behavior into self-promoting behavior is empowering students to create an atmosphere in which students learn key skills: Critical Thinking, Decision Making, and Communication Skills”. SLS meets on Tuesdays after school.
Earlier this fall, Lindsay and the SLS worked to raise awareness during Red Ribbon Week (Oct 23-31st, 2013). The Red Ribbon Campaign is a way for people and communities to unite and take a visible stand against drugs using the red ribbon as a symbol. SLS students tied red ribbons to and left information on student’s cars in the high school parking lot. They also decorated the trees downtown with red ribbons and posted signs that told the story of how Red Ribbon Week originated and ways community members could support Red Ribbon Week.
Most recently, Manchester Voices invited a local Recovery Group Community Representative to speak with middle school members about 12 Step / AA and how the holidays can be challenging for individuals in recovery. Referred to as the Message in the Bulb project, students filled clear bulbs with fun decorative items and encouraging slogans frequently used in 12 Step Meetings, such as "one day at a time", "decisions aren't forever", and "change is a process, not an event".
The Manchester Voices Community Organizer position is funded by Washtenaw Community Health Organization, The Michigan Department of Community Health, Office of Recovery Oriented Systems of Care, Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Section, and The Five Healthy Towns Project of The Chelsea Area Wellness Foundation.
One of the aims of Lindsay’s position is to fulfill initiatives set out by the Manchester Wellness Coalition and The Five Healthy Towns Project. Lindsay works to raise awareness of related existing programs within the community. The Big Red Barrel Program allows people to remove unwanted and expired prescription drugs from their homes. Rethinking Drinking is a program that uses research-based information to educate individuals about “low-risk” drinking versus “at-risk” or “heavy” drinking, why being able to “hold your liquor” a concern, and signs that drinking is causing harm. Parents Who Host Lose the Most is a public awareness program educating communities and parents about the health and safety risks of serving alcohol at teen parties. Project Sticker Shock an awareness campaign that involves students putting stickers on alcohol in stores to remind/inform adults that supplying alcohol to minors is a crime with potential fines of up to $2500 and/or up to 90 days in jail.
Lindsay also leads the monthly Manchester Voices Coalition meetings. Both students and community members are invited to participate in active or supportive roles within the coalition. Supportive members support the overarching principles of Manchester Voices and receive e-mail updates and invitations to participate. Active members are directly involved in the coalition’s efforts to prevent underage youth use of illegal substances and provide direction by attending meetings. Monthly coalition meetings are currently scheduled on the second Monday of the month from 6:30-7:30pm, and are located in the Manchester High School library.
You can keep up to date with Manchester Voices news, activities, and meetings by checking out their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ManchesterVoices . If you would like to ask Lindsay any questions or join the Manchester Voices mailing list you can contact her via email at Lindsay@kbamichigan.com.
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