STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK
The community is invited to attend one of three meetings on Thursday and Friday that will examine ways to bolster youth mental health in Blaine County.
The meetings will look at the Icelandic Prevention Model, which offer strategies that address the root causes of mental health challenges and substance use among youth. The evidence-based approach has been implemented in more than 43 countries.
The meetings will be held at:
- Hemingway STEAM School, 3:30 to 5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 7
- Wood River High School, 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 7
- Carey High School, 4-5:30 p.m., Friday, Dec. 8.
The Icelandic Prevention Model was developed by Iceland in the 1990s to address substance abuse among youth. Iceland’s has seen the largest decline in substance use in all of Europe since developing the model.
Smoking among tenth-graders, for instance, plunged to 16 percent in Iceland compared with 46 percent among other European youth. Alcohol use plunged to 9 percent versus 48 percent for other Europeans. And cannabis use declined to 5 percent versus 16 percent for other European youth.
The Wood River Valley initiative kicked off this fall with a comprehensive survey of students in middle and high school designed to gauge students’ well-being and needs.
“While 81% of respondents feel that Blaine County is a great place to live, one concerning finding is that the students do not feel that they have adult role models other than their parents to turn to, and I believe this is something our community can address and provide solutions,” said Blaine County School Superintendent Jim Foudy. “This underscores the importance of fostering stronger connections and providing additional support systems for our young people.”
There are existing programs and support systems available in the valley’s communities, but more can be done, said Megan Smith, founding director for Communities for Youth and an associate professor at Boise State University’s School of Public and Population Health.
“By collaborating with community members, gathering diverse perspectives, and adopting an upstream prevention approach, we can collectively develop an effective action plan that can be continuously evaluated and refined,” she added.
No mental health expertise or experience working with youth is needed to take part in this week’s discussions, said Sara Seppa, director of Community Health/Engagement for St. Luke’s Wood River: “The more diverse perspectives we gather, the stronger our collective impact will be, the greater the positive impact we can have on our youth’s well-being.”
“The focus is really on well-being of kids—so important,” said Joy Prudek, public relations manager for St. Luke’s Wood River. “We are hoping for a strong turnout to help support the kids in our valley.”