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. 

During the 2020-21 school year, University at Buffalo graduate students in the school of social work facilitated multiple Zoom sessions with over 20 Amherst Youth Consortium members with content focused on creating healthy, forward-thinking leaders. 

If you have seen lawn signs, banners, fliers, and newspaper announcements telling you to talk, you can thank the Amherst Task Force for Healthy Community Healthy Youth. With grant funding from the Western Regional Addiction Resource Collaborative, the A mherst Task Force has been conducting a campaign to Prevent Underage Drinking in our community. 

The Amherst Task Force for Healthy Community/ Healthy Youth is seeking parent volunteers and health care professionals to fill member ship vacancies. 

It has been over a year since the COVID-19 virus has upended the lives of everyone in our community. First, a lockdown with all students switched to virtual learning, many adults working from home and some youth and adults losing jobs. 

The legalization of marijuana is a hot topic right now, so the Amherst Task Force for Healthy Community* Healthy Youth decided to take the question to our youth and adult members of the community. 

The legalization of marijuana is a hot topic right now, so the Amherst Task Force for Healthy Community* Healthy Youth decided to take the question to our youth and adult members of the community. 

With the changes we are all experiencing with COVID-19, virtual learning, and little person-to-person social contact, stress is running high. At times we need to be reminded to step back, take a breath, and look for the better times to come. 

If you missed the announcement, the Amherst Task Force for Healthy Community* Healthy Youth has been awarded a federal Drug-Free Community grant. Wow! This is exciting and a great honor for the Town of Amherst. 

Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) and Town of Amherst Supervisor Brian J. Kulpa announced a federal grant totaling $103,864 to help support the work of the Amherst Task Force for Healthy Communities & Healthy Youth in the prevention of substance abuse among youth in the Town of Amherst. 

This holiday season is like no other. While it is so important to maintain family traditions, this year we may have to put tradition on hold in the hope that next year will be different. That doesn’t mean, though, that we can’t celebrate. 

It has been eight months since the virus that causes COVID-19 has resulted in many changes in how our teens live their everyday lives. Depending on the school they attend, some are in school every day, some attend two times a week and others are learning remotely 100% of the time. 

Asset 27 from the Search Institute’s 40 Developmental Assets measures the sense of equality and social justice a young person possesses. 

A s time passes, isolation loses its appeal. This is the time to look back to when this all started and reflect on what you have prioritized or accomplished. Every one of us has opportunities daily to become asset ambassadors by building assets in young people. 

To cultivate positive character assets, young people require meaningful connections to their communities. Although COVID-19 has drastically restricted face-to-face interactions, the Amherst Task Force for Healthy Communities and Healthy Youth wants to remind families that significant asset building can happen at home.