In case you are wondering, a Data Walk is a unique, fun way to engage the community in an interactive way of sharing data. In this case the data being shared comes from the 2022 Search Institute Survey of Student Attitudes and Behaviors Report given to hundreds of eighth, 10th, and 12th graders in the Amherst, Sweet Home, and Williamsville school districts.

In late March 2023, six members of the Amherst Youth Consortium attended the first ever Young Adult Change Makers Academy which took place at Alden High School.

The Amherst Youth and Community Coaltion is here to answer your questions. Although recreational marijuana use becase legal for adults in March 2021, many people are still unaware of the dangers of that use, especially in young people.

In the Spring of 2022, the Amherst Youth & Community Coalition conducted an adult community survey regrding adult perceptions of youth access to and use of alcohol and maijuana.

Of the 40 Assets for Healthy Youth Development, spearheaded by the Search Institute and incorporated in many organizations in the Town of Amherst, three stand out for promoting healthy relationships.

Despite the economy, the epidemic, COVID, and the snow we did it. We survived 2022 and made some good memories among the way. 

The year 2022 was certainly one of unique events. While trying to combat the opiate epidemic, the COVID-19 crisis hit in a way that changed the way people lived and worked. Then the Ukraine invasion took place.

In a world where violence can be seen everywhere, it is good to be reminded that there is a lot of good in this world as well. Fortunately, in this community, the good shines brightly.

Do parental boundaries help reduce the use of alcohol and marijuana by those under 21? This question was recently asked of 23 high school students and 14 adults at a joint meeting of the Amherst Youth and Community Coalition and the Amherst Youth Consortium.

The Amherst Youth and Community Coalition, in collaboration with the ITAC (It Takes a Community (Elma, Marilla, Wales) Coalition and the Springville Regional Coalition, has been awarded a grant from the Western Regional Addiction Resource Collaborative to promote the proper disposal of prescription drugs and tightly sealed marijuana.

For most of us, summer is a time of vacations, picnics, graduation celebrations, and community fun fairs. For some, summer is much, much different, especially when community violence hits.

The Amherst Youth and Community Coalition, with funds from their Drug Free Community grant, has contracted with Dr. Dan Webb, co-owner of Catalyst Research, to work with coalition members to develop a community survey. An Evaluation Committee, consisting of coalition members and Dr. Webb, was tasked with designing a survey that would provide data on community beliefs, perceptions and behaviors....

The Amherst Task Force for Healthy Community and Healthy Youth is starting off a new year with an updated look, name and website.

It is with excitement that members of the Amherst Youth & Community Coalition and the Amherst Youth Consortium will once again be available to conduct Project Sticker Shock in retail businesses that sell beer and wine products in the Town of Amherst.

Out with the old and in with the new. At least that is true for the Amherst Task Force for Healthy Community Healthy Youth. They are in the process of an image re-do to include a name change, new logo and, the most exciting, a website where information will be shared with the community. 

For so many, COVID has been more than a physical sickness. We have seen cases of depression, unemployment, loss of friends due to isolation, loss of most social activities and sports.

Let’s face it – 2021 wasn’t the best of time. Yet somewhere between the opiate epidemic and the COVID pandemic we still find reason to be grateful for and to demonstrate our gratitude for the things that are good in our lives.

In 2020, the Amherst Task Force for Healthy Community*Healthy Youth was awarded a five-year grant to promote asset building and to reduce substance use by young people in the town.

In an effort to battle underage drinking, the Amherst Task Force for Healthy Community and Healthy Youth is hosting a town hall meeting for members of the community.

There has been much planning and implementation of Social Emotional Supports for children and adults in schools and workplaces throughout our Amherst and Western New York Community over the past 18 months. A theme in some of the conversations and endeavors is actively being empathic.