Elevate students head to nation's capitol

Students from Mineral and Sanders County just returned from an eight day whirlwind trip to Washington DC.  Students began their journey on Friday, January 30th and for some that meant being picked up after a late basketball game to begin the trek into Missoula to catch an early flight.

“Elevate students were selected based on their leadership, attitudes and involvement in school,” Says Chuck Standeford, Project Director of Elevate Youth.  “The group worked really well together, as a whole these kids are engaging, enlightening and focused on building relationships with their community and their state.”

Students spent Saturday traveling to DC and Sunday visiting the Museum of American History and paid a somber visit to the Holocaust Museum.  “The Holocaust Museum was haunting, it’s something I will never forget, the lives, the real people, its indescribable.” Courtney Cheesman, Elevate Youth Co-Chair, St. Regis.

Monday the real work began as students reported for the opening day of the National Youth Leadership Initiative or the NYLI.  Students spent the next 4 days learning the National Strategic Prevention Frame work that included how to identify community norms, local conditions, and risk factors while creating a strategic plan.  “We decided that one of the largest contributors to the substance abuse problems in our communities was, favorable attitudes toward underage drinking and substance abuse. We started working on ways to change that, we still have work to do but we are on the right track.” Explains Tyler Subatch, Elevate Co-Chair, Plains.

On Wednesday Elevate Youth students and student leaders join prevention leaders form across the Nation at Capital Hill day.  Students agreed that after meeting and being encouraged by Vicki Turner, the Director of the Montana Prevention Resource Center, students were invigorated that not just their Elevate leaders were behind what they were doing but the State of Montana was behind them. “It gave us extra confidence to know that so many people were behind what we were saying and that it wasn’t just an Elevate thing, what we do matters, to a lot of people.” Jena Peterson, Elevate Youth student President. 

Elevate students had appointments with the office of Senators John Tester and Steve Daines as well as the Congressman Ryan Zinkie. “ I am so proud of everyone for having the courage to speak to such powerful people and stepping out of their comfort zones to speak out against underage drinking in our communities and in our state. “ Brionna McJunkin, Elevate Thompson Falls, Secretary. “The best part of this trip was talking together, to our leaders and asking for collaboration in this fight.” Taryn Vervaris, Elevate Superior, Co-Chair.

The students have completed the first portion of their leadership and prevention training and hope to attend training in Indianapolis in July and participate in the NYLI advance track.  The cost of such a trip is nearly $2,000.00 per student and students will be required to raise those funds.  Look for a follow up to this article soon, this trip and substance abuse from the prospective of local youth.

“Courage is like a muscle, it is strengthened by use. The highlight of this trip was how everyone was on energetic and courageous to get up and speak in from of all those teens and senators.  Our group had the courage to stand up for all of Montana’s youth and just our little group can make a huge change in our community, and we will, and we will grow. Tyler Subatch, Elevate, Co-Chair, Plains.  Ashley Cheesmen, Co-Chair of St. Regis Elevate sums the week up like this, “This was the trip of a life time, the relationships that we built, the change that we started to see is amazing.  We are like one big Elevate family and I love that.  We are the change and we are just getting started. We are Elevate strong.”