News Articles

Why Engage in Community Coalitions?

Wednesday, February 7th, 2024

The Amherst Youth & Community Coalition needs you! The Amherst Youth & Community Coalition (formerly the Amherst Task Force for Healthy Community/Healthy Youth) is a diverse group of community leaders, educators, parents and citizens who collaborate to support positive youth development and prevent the use of alcohol, marijuana, tobacco, and other substances by young people.

Amherst Youth & Community Coalition: New Year, second chances

Wednesday, January 3rd, 2024

Actually, it's more than a second chance.  Every year we get another chance to look at our lives and resolve to change the things we don't like.  It's called New Year's resolutions.  Some people succeed at their resolution, but most will last a month or so because those changes weren't important enough to suffer the inconvenience. If you resolve to lose weight and you give up the diet before you have reached your goal, then that resolution was no longer important to you.

Amherst Youth Coalition: Richness shines in many ways

Wednesday, December 6th, 2023

To be rich does not always mean you have lots of money.  You can be rich in many ways, have a healthy family, have good friends who care about you, have an opportunity to be educated and live in a community where you are respected and listened to.  Over these past several years the importance of social, emotional, physical, and mental health of young people has been prioritized by educators, parents, and youth serving groups and orgnizations in the Town of Amherst.

Amherst Healthy Youth: The path to problem solving

Wednesday, September 13th, 2023

Decision making and problem solving are sometimes difficult tasks, under the best of circumstances.  Imagine not having all the tools needed to make good decisions available to you.  This is what many young people are confronted with each day.  For years the Search Survey of Attitudes and Behaviors has been conducted in the 8th, 10th and 12th grades in the Town of Amherst public schools.

Healthy Youth: A new meaning for a walk

Wednesday, August 9th, 2023

On Monday, July 31, the Amherst Youth & Community Coalition treated the community to a new kind of walk, a Data Walk.  Instead of being measured by the distance traveled, a Data Walk is measured by the knowledge and understanding you gain about the youth in your community.  The information being shared was drawn from the 2022 Search Survey on Attitudes and Behavior administered to 8th, 10th and 12th grade students in the Town of Amherst.

Amherst Youth and Community Coalition invites you to a Data Walk

Wednesday, July 5th, 2023

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.

Sharing some facts on youth vaping in Amherst

Wednesday, June 21st, 2023

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.

Youth answer questions on marijuana use

Wednesday, May 3rd, 2023

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.

Teens respond to adult perceptions

Wednesday, March 1st, 2023

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.

Relationships highlighted in survey

Wednesday, February 1st, 2023

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.

A look back, one more time

Wednesday, January 4th, 2023

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

Amherst Community Coalition highlights from 2022

Wednesday, December 7th, 2022

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.

Knowing the meaning of thankfulness

Wednesday, November 9th, 2022

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.

Boundaries can help reduce substance use, abuse

Wednesday, October 5th, 2022

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.

Coalition secures ‘Take it to the Box’ campaign grant

Wednesday, September 7th, 2022

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.

Summer serenity – not for all

Wednesday, August 3rd, 2022

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.

Adults speak out on youth behavior survey

Wednesday, July 6th, 2022

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....

Amherst Task Force kicks off spring with a new image

Wednesday, March 9th, 2022

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

Project Sticker Shock addresses access of alcohol to underage youth

Friday, March 4th, 2022

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.

Big changes coming for Healthy Youth Task Force

Wednesday, March 2nd, 2022

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.