West Marin Coalition for Healthy Youth

Returning Together!

Our young people have shown incredible resilience during the Covid-19 pandemic, but this year has not been easy! During this event, you will hear from a panel of young people (middle school, high school, and young adults) as they share their experiences navigating the challenges of this last year. With a diverse range of experiences and stories, we can begin to better understand what our young people need from us as we move forward and begin the transition of reentry into school and community life.

Data from the last year shows increased rates of substance use, mental health issues, academic challenges, and interpersonal struggles for our youth. Hearing directly from young people about these issues will foster compassion as we respond to their needs and support their reentry.

Join us on April 20, 2021 @ 6:30pm PST via ZOOM for this bilingual panel discussion (simultaneous Spanish translation provided). During the event you will have a chance to ask our youth direct questions and understand how you can show up in the community as a trusted and supportive person!

Please register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/returning-together-hearing-from-our-young-people-tickets-148370304575

This is a West Marin Coalition for Healthy Youth event!

For more information: adavidson@sgvcc.org

Returning Together: Compassion, Conversation and Tools for Families and our Community.

As shelter-in-place restrictions begin to lift, we will all face yet another transition: reentry. If you are feeling uneasy about what lies ahead with reentry, while continuing to process the trauma from the last year, you’re not alone. The ever shifting demands on families in this pandemic has led to stress, anxiety, and depression, for both adults and our youth. All of these feelings and intense realities, and now we are contemplating and preparing for not one transition but rather a series of transitions for families.

Many of us will be sending kids back into the classrooms, going back to work or starting new jobs. Many of our children will be in-person with their classmates for the first time in a very long time. Many of us are asking ourselves:

What will all of this look like?
What will socializing with friends and extended family look like moving forward?
How will we return to activities that have been on pause?
How will we recover from our different losses and trauma?

To support our community with reentry, We have joined together with Don Carney, Executive Director or Youth Transforming Justice and champion of Marin County Youth Court, in creating a three-part series for families to help all of us heal and to provide tools to navigate the coming months. Please join us February 8, 2021, 6:30-8:00 pm for part one of this important series.

This first session is focused on parents, providing a space to process concerns, connect with others, and leaving with tools to support yourself, and your children and family in the upcoming reentry transition. We will be led by Don and joined by Jasper Thelin from High School 1327 as well as other community leaders, including Antonio Zavala and Julie Whyte also from Youth Transforming Justice.

Please register for this event here.

This is a West Marin Coalition for Healthy Youth event!

For more information: adavidson@sgvcc.org

The Mission

To mobilize across all sectors of the unincorporated West Marin Community and work collaboratively to reduce the incidence of underage use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. Their goal is to improve the overall health and wellness of our community by raising awareness of current mental health and substance abuse issues, identifying and implementing strategies for reducing risk factors, and promoting positive youth engagement in West Marin. Ways they take action:

Develops and partners with local policies and initiatives
Mobilizes our West Marin communities to take action
Provides information and educational materials for youth and adults
Creates public awareness
Convenes educational workshops and forums
Offers referrals for health and support service

The coalition now meets virtually once per month. The West Marin Coalition for Healthy Youth meetings are for community partnrs representing 12 sectors including Youth, Parents, Businesses, Media, Schools, Youth-Serving Organizations, Law Enforcement, Religious/Fraternal groups, Civic/Volunteer Groups, Healthcare Professionals, and Local Government Agencies. If this capacity building appeals to your organization, please join!

West Marin Teen Centers

The Loft: The Loft is a diverse, youth-driven teen program dedicated to promoting personal and group development through fun events, creative expression, community activism, youth empowerment, mentoring, and the open exchange of ideas. The loft is for all youth in 4th- 8th grade. https://www.sgvcc.org/loft-after-school/

The Lounge: The Tomales Bay Youth Center opened its doors for after school and weekend programs in the fall of 2011. Initiated, sponsored, and largely constructed by the West Marin Lions Club, the TBYC is a diverse, youth-driven program, offering a safe, supervised space for West Marin students to gather and engage in positive group activities. https://www.tbyclounge.org/

The Den: The Den, located in Stinson, provides a safe and inspiring space for community building, personal discovery, and peer-supported growth for 6th to 12th graders, with a special focus on the middle school population by providing a meeting space, dinner, and the guidance, the one evening per week. https://bostinden.wordpress.com/