Thriving Youth Darien Shares Innovative Youth Engagement Model At National Prevention Conference

DARIEN, CT — Thriving Youth Darien presented its youth engagement model to prevention professionals from across the country at the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) Mid-Year Training Institute in Orlando, Fla.

Sarah McCarty, program director of Thriving Youth Darien, led the 90-minute interactive session, "Can We Trust Our Data? What Youth Told Us About Our Survey and Why It Matters," before an audience of about 100 coalition leaders, educators, public health professionals and community organizations.

The presentation showcased a model developed by Thriving Youth Darien that moves beyond simply reporting youth survey results by engaging young people in conversations about what the data means for their community.

Through interactive polling, facilitated discussion, and direct youth feedback, the coalition demonstrated how listening to young people after a survey can strengthen trust, provide valuable context, and lead to more effective prevention strategies.

"Survey data tells us what's happening, but youth help us understand why," McCarty said, according to a news release. "By bringing our survey findings back to young people, we learned things we never could have gathered from the data alone. Those conversations are helping shape how we approach prevention in our community."

The session also featured a live conversation with Thriving Youth Darien youth representative Chase Maniscalco, who discussed his experience participating in the coalition's youth feedback event and the role of youth dialogue in prevention efforts.

Attendees also took part in live polling, small-group discussions and a question-and-answer session focused on involving young people in interpreting and applying survey findings.

According to the organization, lessons from the project are informing future efforts, including increasing youth involvement in survey development and improving transparency about how survey data is used to guide community action.

Following its presentation at the CADCA Mid-Year Training Institute, the session was selected to be presented at the National Prevention Network Conference this fall.

Thriving Youth Darien is a Drug-Free Communities coalition convened by The Community Fund of Darien.

The coalition includes schools, parents, youth, law enforcement, health care providers, businesses, faith organizations and community members working to promote youth well-being and reduce substance use through evidence-based prevention strategies.