From the Director

from YC Magazine - MCSAP Martin County, Sept 2021

Assets in Action

Kari McGregor (left), Steph Johnson (center), and Brenda Millmann have different roles in our community but all have a passion for seeing our youth growing up in a way that is happy and healthy. While Kari and Brenda are both social workers (Kari for MCW and Brenda for GHEC where she is also the school counselor), they also work with Steph in their roles as Youth Coalition advisors for substance abuse prevention. While Kari graduated from GHEC and Brenda graduated from Blue Earth High, they both pursued social work degrees at Minnesota State University, Mankato, before returning to the area. And all three women work to ensure students know they are not alone and help them build a community of support as they navigate their teen years and the pressures that come with them.

ABOUT MCSAP

Martin County Substance Abuse Prevention (MCSAP) Coalition is a non-profit organization led by a diverse group of Martin County residents who have a passion for helping youth make healthy choices. Formed in 2011, MCSAP functions as a hub of information and resources to help coordinate and support the efforts of substance abuse prevention and the mental and physical well-being of youth. Coalition members include school teachers, police officers, volunteers, nurses, pastors, lay ministers, grandparents, parents, youth, and many others who care about the youth in our communities. The youth coalition is comprised of students in grades 7-12 at each Martin County high school. Members encourage fellow students to say no to tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, and prescriptions that were not prescribed to them. Student members reach their peers through positive messaging in personal notes, posters, and flyers; training opportunities; distribution of educational information at community events; and coordination of safe and fun activities, among other outreaches. If you are interested in learning more about the youth coalition activities at your school, contact the following advisors: Jim Utermarck, Cairne Eytcheson, Truman; Kate Kallenbach, Fairmont; Brenda Millmann, Karen Weets, Granada Huntley East Chain; Kari McGregor, Martin County West; or Pastor Adam Carnehl, Lisa Kube, Martin Luther. If you are interested in joining MCSAP or being kept up-to-date on our activities, join our mailing list by emailing director@mcsapcoalition.com. You can also learn more about who we are and what we do through our social media pages. On Facebook and Twitter, we are MCSAPCoalition, and on Instagram, we are under YOCOMartinCounty. To receive your free subscription to our quarterly Youth Connections magazine, sign up at https://mcsapcoalition.com/youth-connections/.

Director FROM THE

Summer this year just flew by. How did we all get so busy again? For me, part of the busyness and fun was participating in summer theatre doing Mamma Mia with my son Jaxon at the Fairmont Opera House. It was my first time performing since high school, and I realized how much I still love to sing and have now developed a new love for theatre. Some dear memories and friends were made during that production!

We are excited to share with you our second edition of this magazine with wonderful resources for your family. As you page through, look for some familiar faces as we share some of the fun things our young people have been up to across Martin County. Of course, my favorite sections are where we highlight our area youth and some of their contributions to making our community a better place in our Faces in the Crowd and our 40 Developmental Assets sections. We hope this will inspire you and your family to look for ways to make memories, too.

On the cover, we spotlight Kari McGregor (left) and Brenda Millmann (right), social workers at MCW and GHEC respectively. All of our area public schools have social workers who perhaps are one of the most often overlooked resources we as parents and students have, especially if our kids are feeling overwhelmed or are struggling.

Inside this issue are other great resources in the form of articles so you don’t feel alone on this parenting journey. The first article by Dr. Len Lantz walks us through how to help our kids learn from their mistakes and improve our relationship with them along the way. We also have tips on dealing with kids who are trying to cope alone, combating screen fatigue, and nurturing with nature.

We hope this issue will give you real tools to address some of the stressors we as parents are facing right now. As always there are many more great resources on our website—check them out: https://mcsapcoalition.com/links/.

STEPH JOHNSON Project Coordinator, Martin County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition steph@mcsapcoalition.com • (507) 236-4118 P.O. Box 287 • Fairmont, MN 56031

This magazine was developed under a grant from the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) DFC Support Program, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The views, policies, and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the ONDCP, HHS, or CDC.