By Terra Avilla
This week I thought I would feature a truly hidden treasure within our community. A program that offers an incredible number of resources to our youth, yet hardly ever receives any recognition. This week I want to highlight the amazing Lassen County Prevention and Education Program and the people behind it.
What is the Lassen County Prevention and Education Program you ask? Well, there is not just one answer, because they do so much.
First, they focus on teaching valuable life skills to all children enrolled in schools across the county.
They reach, depending on the school, sixth through twelfth grades. These life skills range from anger management, resisting peer pressure, decision making, drug prevention etc.
Secondly, the program runs a county-wide Diversion program for older children. “at risk youth.”
The program focuses on giving juveniles the confidence, and teaching them the skills necessary, to successfully abstain from further substance abuse.
The Diversion program helps juveniles who may need a little extra guidance during that period in their life. During the program, the facilitators bring in resources, such as social services if needed, mentors, outside speakers, as well as other public resources to help ensure the youth are given effective tools to reduce their future risk.
The Prevention and Education Program facilitators have also started teaching life skills in the jail, such as parenting classes, to help incarcerated individuals be successful upon their release. This type of program not only benefits that offender’s family but society as a whole.
When individuals are given the proper education and tools to succeed, everyone wins.
One of my favorite things this program does, is teach about safe dating to our teenagers. This part of their program helps teach juveniles the signs and risks of dating violence, as well as teaches them how to be respectful partners themselves. Something that was never offered to so many other generations growing up.
This collaborative partners with Behavioral Health, Juvenile Probation, the Susanville Indian Rancheria (who assist in teaching classes) , many local churches, the Lassen County Sheriff’s Office, the Susanville Police Department as well as the Lassen County Office of Education (to name a few).
In fact, they recently they spearheaded a community wide interactive tobacco presentation to all of the schools, which took months to orchestrate. They were driving force, making it happen.
This program helps so many of our teens and I don’t think they ever get a thank you. This is despite the fact that they go out of their way to be at pretty much every community event. From trick or treating, to Walk A Mile, to Holiday with a Hero and bell ringing, and so many more, this team has a passion for our community. Which is why they are one of the reasons I love the place we live.
