Monadnock Youth Coalition September Update

The Monadnock Youth Coalition has been hard at work with many different projects.  The first project was our very first radio PSA.  You can view the video as well as the radio edit within the News and Updates section of our website. Our youth members practiced for several weeks, repeating the PSA lines until they had them just right.  They were then able to record the PSA at the local radio station WKNE with the help of our community partners Tina Perkins and Tricia Zayne.  The PSA spoke to breaking up with big tobacco.  This was a fitting topic for us as we recently finished an educational module from TobaccoFreeKids.  The radio PSA was geared towards a teen audience and can be heard on the WKNE radio station.

 

We are currently working on several new PSA’s to play alongside our first ever PSA.  Our youth group is excited to be working on these.  It is also helping youth members to grow their confidence and presentation skills.  In the future we hope to have them do community presentations about the dangers of alcohol and tobacco.  This is a little ways away though since we still need to practice and become more confident with presentations.

 

Another big initiative for The Monadnock Youth Coalition has been our first ever sticker shock event.  We plan to conduct this event on October 24th within the local convenient stores around Keene as well as Brewtopia.  The sticker we will use was designed by one of our youth Bailey Hundley.  The sticker is shaped like a red stop sign and says, “ STOP, did you know serving alcohol to a minor can land you up to a year in prison or a $2000 fine?”  This is such an important event to conduct keeping in mind that it is a college town alongside all of the local schools with younger students that may interact with some older youth.  Our plan on this day is to either create a Youtube video or a Tik Tok from the events that transpire during our excursion around Keene.  We will be walking in order to maintain social distance as well as wearing our Monadnock Youth Coalition t-shirts  If you see us be sure to honk and wave!  We love to see local community supporters.

 

Some of our smaller achievements of late have included the following:

• Creating a YouTube channel and a TikTok
• Conducting a conversation around practicing saying no to loved ones and close friends: How do you establish a boundary with someone you love?
• Integrating the youth and adult coalitions to give more clear youth input into major community decisions
• Hosting a Halloween event on October 30th that will: Help us with recruitment for our youth group, provide a fun activity for our hard working youth, and also for youth in the towns of Keene and Swanzey to have a healthy and safe alternative to trick or treating if they chose not to partake in it this year