Substance Use Prevention Success Story
April 2024 | Fifty-one percent of high school youth, and forty-six percent of middle school youth in Kennebec County reported that they feel they don't matter in their communities, according to the Maine Integrated Youth Health Survey. Especially for young people, feeling as though you don't matter in your community can lead to feelings of low self- esteem, disengagement, and a higher risk for anxiety and depressive symptoms. Each of these often present as risk factors for early substance use, which in turn can have long-term negative effects on the developing brain according to SAMHSA's Substance Use and Mental Health Co-Occurring Disorders. The youth in Kennebec County would greatly benefit from the opportunity for more chem-free activities in their communities.
To gain more insight on the mental health of youth in their communities, the Kennebec County Youth Advisory Board developed surveys to distribute to their classmates and peers that presented questions about how they are seeing mental health affecting their friends, what they know about the community supports around them, and short- term solutions to the problems they are seeing. A way that the KC YAB decided to highlight these answers and to provide knowledge on what supports are out there for youth, they decided to host a Youth Mental Health & Community Mattering Art Walk. This event was put on in partnership with Maine Arts Academy, Cony High School, and the Augusta Downtown Alliance.
14 stores participated in the event, having artwork from 2 schools and over 50 students hung up in their windows to display to the public. The artwork contained messages and symbols of youth mental health, and what youth are seeing in their peers today. At this event, there was a reception area where mental health and substance use prevention resources were displayed, and music was played by the MAA Folk & Blues band. Over 70 people attended the reception to enjoy refreshments, live music, and connecting with others in their community. Our youth noted seeing several community members stopping to praise the artwork in shop windows, and taking photos of the artwork. Other towns in Kennebec County have heard about this event since, and have asked to host a similar event in their communities.