January is National Mentor Month
National Mentoring Month is here! We’re excited for you to join us in the celebration of the mentoring movement!
Thank you to the Cities of Snoqualmie, Carnation, Duvall, and Riverview and Snoqualmie Valley School Districts for supporting Youth Success! Mentoring a program of Snoqualmie Valley Community Network by proclaiming January as National Mentoring Month. Thank you for encouraging residents to mentor youth in the Snoqualmie Valley to make a stronger more supportive community.
Mentoring is EASY! Become a Mentor this National Mentoring Month and change the life of a child!
To learn more about mentoring in our valley contact heather@svcn.info.
Getting the word out about the A Supportive Community for All survey
The flyer below provides all the information you need to share the Community Needs Assessment with others.
Take the A Supportive Community For All Survey to help Identify Key Needs!
Snoqualmie Valley’s A Supportive Community For All (SCFA) wants to better understand the needs in the community to support individual and community well-being. Tell us what programs and services would best support you or your family by completing this short survey.
Hidden in Plain Sight
The Snoqualmie Valley Community Network, Friends of Youth, and the Duvall Police Department presented the Hidden in Plain Sight display. More than 50 community members attended to learn more about spotting signs of at-risk behaviors using an interactive display of a teenager’s bedroom.
After walking through the display, participants heard from officers about local drug trends. The officers encouraged parents to remember that they have every right to monitor their children’s phones, backpacks, etc. This was followed by a presentation from Jerry Blackburn (Friends of Youth) who spoke about protective factors that help prevent substance use among teens.
This exhibit educated and empowered parents to communicate with their children about at-risk
behavior that could lead to substance use disorders. A strong parent-teen relationship is the
most e ffective tool to prevent youth substance use.
Additional partners for this event included the Riverview School District, Riverview PTSA Council, Evergreen Health, Snoqualmie Valley Hospital, Duvall Fire, Changes Parent Support Network, and the cities of Duvall and Carnation.
Career Exploration Friday focuses on Healthcare Careers
On Friday, March 9th, students from Two Rivers and Mount Si High School took a field trip to the Snoqualmie Valley Hospital. Students were greeted by the Chief Executive Officer, Tom Parker, and Director of Pharmacy and Imaging, Ron Bennet. Mr. Parker and Mr. Bennet lead students on a tour of the Emergency, Rehabilitation, Pharmacy, and Imaging Departments.
After the tour students, hospital staff and healthcare professionals in Snoqualmie participated in a Round Table Q and A. Students had an opportunity to engage with healthcare professionals from a variety of careers such as: physical therapy, mental health, nutrition, pharmacy, personal trainer and wellness coach to name a few.
Students shared their appreciation for the opportunity to talk with different people in the healthcare field. Students walked away feeling more focused and informed on the variety of career paths in the healthcare field.
Through the Career Exploration Friday program, students get real life exposure to exciting career opportunities thanks to the partnership between the Snoqualmie Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Snoqualmie Valley School District, and the Snoqualmie Valley Community Network.
On behalf of the partnership, thank you to the staff at the Snoqualmie Valley Hospital for hosting such an exciting opportunity for the youth in the Valley.
Youth Success! Mentoring is Seeking Additional Mentors
We are actively seeking mentors for the Youth Success! Mentoring program at schools throughout the Snoqualmie Valley. If you are interested in becoming a mentor (for no more than an hour per week), please CLICK HERE to fill out an application. If you have any questions about the program, please contact Program Coordinator Heather Downing at heather@svcn.info
Local High School Students Teach How to Help a Friend
Teen Leaders from Cedarcrest High School and Two Rivers School have trained more than 800 middle school students using the How to Help a Friend peer-to-peer training so far this school year!
This peer-presented training teaches students how to recognize when a friend is struggling and the important steps to take. Teen Leaders present an easy-to-use acronym CAN to make it easier to know how to help.
C- show you CARE
A- ASK the questions
N- identify NEXT steps
The peer-to-peer model is recognized by the American Association of Suicidology as a best practice in prevention.
Preparing Students for the Future
The Snoqualmie Valley Community Network (SVCN) and the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) teamed up with students from Two Rivers School (TRS) to share a series of events and workshops to prepare students for their transition to further education, training and career.
The series began with an engaging and informative presentation about the effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and the role of resilience in setting goals and overcoming obstacles. Community volunteers teamed with TRS students to help them through every stage of how to plan for and pursue a variety of careers.
Break-out sessions focused on specific career paths, resume writing, mock interviews, and dressing for success. In addition, students have been provided with special sessions both at school and at the DVR office in Bellevue to help them through the application process and to help them envision what lies ahead in pursuing career goals.
As students explore careers and work with community mentors, their curiosity about possible career and training pathways takes on new meaning. Resumes come to life when students are paired with a community professional who provides tips and suggestions for improvements. Moving from a theoretical knowledge of resume writing to real-life application provides an invaluable opportunity for our students to actually rehearse and master skills they need for their future career success. Hearing mentor stories about what careers are out there and how real people have achieved success inspires young people to really envision what the possibilities are. Through our partnership with DVR and SVCN, Two Rivers School students are better equipped to take successful next steps after high school graduation.
Be the Change Ripple Effects
By Laura Smith, Executive Director
At our recent Be the Change Leadership conference, I witnessed firsthand the impact of this type of event. A young boy in 8th grade who was attending the event to hone his leadership skills decided to attend the Live It Up! Don’t Give It Up! Suicide Prevention session. Later that night, he later revealed to his dad that when the teen facilitators leading the session shared the symptoms of depression, he could recognize most of the symptoms in himself. Not only did he recognize that he was experiencing signs of depression, he then asked his parents to help him get an appointment to see a counselor.
After learning more about the boy, I now understand that the parents had been encouraging him to go speak with the school counselor, but he hadn’t wanted to go. He felt someone might make fun of him. His parents were so relieved when he asked on his own to go talk with someone. This young man had his first counseling session last week all because of one experience in a session at this conference.