Five PHS students travel to Washington D.C.

WASHINGTON D.C.–Five Pomeroy High School (PHS) students, Kaylee Schmidt, Izzy Field, Katie Boyer, Natalia Larios, and Emilee Warren, known as Pirate Partners Youth Coalition Leaders, traveled to the nation's capital for the CADCA National Leadership Forum recently.

Last week, five PHS students, known as the Pirate Partners Youth Coalition Leaders are at the CADCA National Leadership Forum. These students: KayLee Schmidt and Katie Boyer (2023), Natalia Larios and Emilee Warren (2024) and Izzy Field (2025), are developing the PHS Youth Coalition as part of their 2023 senior projects.

The five student representatives met with staffers from Senator Patty Murray and Senator Maria Cantwell's offices (at the Capitol and on Zoom) to advocate for prevention and mental health for teens. Their message was concise and depicted what this advocacy would mean to small communities. "The girls did amazing, spoke from their heart, and shared the rural youth experience with our elected leaders," said a Pomeroy Partners spokesperson. "Our PHS Youth Coalition was one of fewer than five youth coalitions in attendance from Washington State, and one of only three youth coalitions who spoke to our Senators."

New topics of interest at this conference include student mental health, and the link between substance use and mental health. When talking to a representative from Maria Cantwell's office, Senior KayLee Schmidt said "students who are struggling with their mental health are more likely to turn to substances like vapes and marijuana, and kids who start vaping or using other drugs can end up with mental health problems."

In addition to public speaking and advocacy, the conference has been full of engaging breakout sessions, a fun environment, and full of youth activities.

Five members of the Pirate Partners Youth Coalition attended forum.

CADCA's National Leadership Forum is a four-day event packed with opportunities to learn the latest strategies to address substance use and misuse. Attendees have to opportunity to hear and learn from nationally prevention experts, federal administrators and concerned policymakers. Forum brings together approximately 4,000 attendees representing coalitions from all regions of the country and internationally, government leaders, youth, prevention specialists, addiction treatment professionals, addiction recovery advocates, researchers, educators, law enforcement professionals and faith-based leaders. It is the largest training event in the world for the prevention field.

Eight representatives from Pomeroy, including five students from Pomeroy Jr. Sr. High School, returned from the Washington, D.C. area last week after joining almost 4,000 substance misuse prevention specialists and advocates from throughout the country for CADCA's 32nd Annual National Leadership Forum.

"We were so excited to be able to spend several days with other similar organizations from across the country, learning and honing our prevention skills so our community can be a better place, one that doesn't suffer from the harms of substance misuse," says Sarah Meyers, Pomeroy Partners for Healthy Families Director, and the parent organization that supports the Pirate Partners Youth Coalition. "The kids are reenergized with new strategies and new ideas t tackle substance use in here in Pomeroy. We have a wonderful community, and we strive to make it even better and safer for our youth."

CADCA's Youth Leadership Initiative provides training exercises and motivational speakers to help youth across the USA become strong community leaders. The teens also met wth staffers frmom Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell at the Forum's Capitol Hill Day event on Wednesday Feb 1st to advocate for prevention in our community.

CADCA's Forum covered a wide range of topics – everything from how to prevent prescription misuse to addressing electronic cigarettes use, trending marijuana issues, and how to develop policies to reduce underage drinking.

The mission of the Pomeroy Partners for Healthy Families is to positively impact our youth, decrease substance abuse, and increase awareness through community collaboration. Pomeroy Partners for Healthy Families meets on the Second Tuesday of every month at Noon at the Pomeroy Nazarene Church.