Saugus puts its focus on youth

SAUGUS — The Prevention Coalition had its first meeting over Zoom on Monday in order to get community input on plans for the Coalition’s future.

“Our primary goal is to reduce negative behaviors and promote positive and prosocial actions among our youth,” Coalition member and Town Meeting Member Matthew Parlante said.

He hopes to gather information from all members of the community to help build the Coalition as it enters its beginning stages. Parlante said he is looking forward to planning future events and meetings for everyone in the community to be involved in.

“At the core of the Coalition is the importance of community input. We invite everyone in the Saugus community to participate, including businesses, local government, law enforcement, fire department, parents, youth, faith organizations, school officials, and both long-time and new residents,” Parlante said.

The meeting’s focus was getting a group of people together who are working toward a common goal to improve the quality of life for youth in the community.

Coalition member Amy Chiaravalloti said one of the inspirations for the group was Wakefield’s Wake-Up Coalition, which is a successful prevention group.

Coalition member Krystal Mellonakos, who is the regional coordinator of the MassCALL3 Youth Substance Use Prevention grant, discussed the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey (YRBS), mentioning that while substance use was down in the high school, it was actually up in the middle school.

A large portion of the meeting was spent discussing after-school programs, town events, and facilities that help keep children involved and active in the community. It also focused on discussions about the YMCA and the Boys and Girls Club activities.

Parlante and other meeting members also discussed coordinating vigils in honor of those who have passed from substance use and mental health struggles, as well as recovery walks as a way to uplift the community and try and lessen the stigmas around the subjects.

The group also looks forward to having young community members give their input in meetings and having them involved in the conversation.

The next meeting will be on Nov. 4 at 7:30 p.m. over Zoom with more details to come.

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