Preaching prevention is the Franklin County UMADAOP’s lone objective. Investing in the lives of adolescents, before they might enter a life of substance dependency, not only saves the individual lives of countless youth, but also saves the state from having to treat them down the road. Youth services include after-school programs and some in-school programming in conjunction with certain activities within the school system. Services are not on a short term basis. Comedy believes long term commitments are the only way to properly invest in the community’s youth. A six-week program, or shorter, like what is offered by other organizations, is inadequate, Comedy says. “We provide longitudinal programing. We like to be in the same community year, after year, after year.” There is plenty cause for that level of commitment. Comedy says the community that the Franklin County UMADAOP serves is one of the worst for academic performance in the state. According to the statewide report, the main elementary school in the county is PREVENTION, PREVENTION, PREVENTION
PUTTING THE COMMUNITY FIRST Comedy CRAIG PUTTING THE COMMUNITY FIRST
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failing in every criteria. Test scores are almost half of state averages in reading, writing and math. In response, Comedy says, academic enrichment is a strong part of the youth programming. The aim is not just having adolescents in the area perform better academically, but perform better generally, Comedy says. The comprehensive scope is designed to increase academic performance, bolster personal identity and breed con dence in individual abilities regardless of the environment. “Many (students) believe either you have it or you don’t,” Comedy says, adding, “parents don’t do well academically and it gets passed down and becomes a part of the culture of family and community.” The youth program combats this insidious notion, getting to adolescents before they begin to believe that they are simply a product of their environment, and giving them the tools to control their own destiny.
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TAKING OWNERSHIP Franklin County UMADAOP also offers a drug free youth-led component to their prevention services. “Advocating for themselves and their peers to help shape a new drug free movement that impacts the community,” is the purpose of allowing students to take the reins of meetings, Comedy says, adding that the power of witnessing a peer take ownership of their sobriety can permeate the entire community. As students get older and their exposure to substances increases, the temptation to use goes up, Comedy says. Targeting students as young as possible, before they use, is the best way to equip them for when temptation inevitably rears its ugly head. “We begin in elementary school and strengthen their skills in middle and high school,” Comedy says, “We want to be there every time they face something that is traumatic.” TAKING OWNERSHIP Franklin County UMADAOP also offers a drug free youth-led component to their prevention services. “Advocating for themselves and their peers to help shape a new drug free movement that impacts the community,” is the purpose of allowing students to take the reins of meetings, Comedy says, adding that the power of witnessing a peer take ownership of their sobriety can permeate the entire community. As students get older and their exposure to substances increases, the temptation to use goes up, Comedy says. Targeting students as young as possible, before they use, is the best way to equip them for when temptation inevitably rears its ugly head. “We begin in elementary school and strengthen their skills in middle and high school,” Comedy says, “We want to be there every time they face something that is traumatic.”
LIFESTYLE SKILLS The program cultivates well-rounded students by offering activities to enhance skills. Students learn the devastating consequences of giving in to the risk factors in their environment. Students are not mandated to come to the program, Comedy says. But once a few students begin to make investments at a young age, their peers recognize their healthy behavior and follow them to the program. One key, Comedy says, is getting the students to understand that it only hurts them to wait till adulthood to evaluate their habits. The program forces the young people to make decisions as to what they are going to do with their time. One important concentration area is con ict resolution, which focuses on getting the students to think through their issues and nd the source of their anger. Comedy says students learn to ask themselves, “What are the real issues? What are my insecurities? How can I talk through something without losing face?” Putting the students in a healthy peer environment, Comedy says, helps them overcome con icts and begin growing relationships in a healthy way. LIFESTYLE SKILLS The program cultivates well-rounded students by offering activities to enhance skills. Students learn the devastating consequences of giving in to the risk factors in their environment. Students are not mandated to come to the program, Comedy says. But once a few students begin to make investments at a young age, their peers recognize their healthy behavior and follow them to the program. One key, Comedy says, is getting the students to understand that it only hurts them to wait till adulthood to evaluate their habits. The program forces the young people to make decisions as to what they are going to do with their time. One important concentration area is con ict resolution, which focuses on getting the students to think through their issues and nd the source of their anger. Comedy says students learn to ask themselves, “What are the real issues? What are my insecurities? How can I talk through something without losing face?” Putting the students in a healthy peer environment, Comedy says, helps them overcome con icts and begin growing relationships in a healthy way.
“We are a community based agency,” says Comedy. This means the priority is not tracking numbers of successes or creating reports for more funding. “We don’t play that game,” he says. “Our success is seeing kids become adults.” Success for Comedy and the staff is seeing adults on Facebook, after graduating from the program and high school, posting about their life and work and relationships. “We are a community based agency,” says Comedy. This means the priority is not tracking numbers of successes or creating reports for more funding. “We don’t play that game,” he says. “Our success is seeing kids become adults.” Success for Comedy and the staff is seeing adults on Facebook, after graduating from the program and high school, posting about their life and work and relationships.
When Craig Comedy, the executive director for the Franklin County UMADAOP, was young, he would play pool with the clients of his mother, who was a social worker who worked with people “We’d get on the bus and friends would ask how I know the person talking to themselves,” Comedy says. “I realized everyone is human, that people are valuable.” A tting foundation for his current line of work, Comedy centers his approach to prevention on the sentiments he learned watching his mother. When Craig Comedy, the executive director for the Franklin County UMADAOP, was young, he would play pool with the clients of his other, ho as a social orker ho orked ith people suffering fro schizo hrenia. “ e’ t t s a fri s ld ask I t rs t l i t t s l s, s . I r li r i , t t l r l l . tting fo i f i li , Comedy center i i l suffering from schizophrenia.
We provide longitudinal
programing. We like to be in the same community year, after year, after year. — Craig Comedy, Franklin
“Our success is seeing kids become adults.” — Craig Comedy, Franklin County UMADAOP executive director
County UMADAOP Executive Director
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