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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (March 22, 2011)
vernonia prevention coalition 14 2011 Be a Piece of the Puzzle: Wealth of Prevention - An Abundance Theory march22 If an ounce of pre- vention is worth a pound of cure, how do we measure the cure? Some would measure it by building a youth center. Others would measure it by distributing stuff at a health fair. If not careful, well meaning groups whom pro- vide activities in the name of prevention may wind up unable to measure change at all. “We bought students stuff, we had fun, and they are still doing the same thing!” An effective professional is ever evaluating the impact of actions vs. re- actions. Or even more simply, “do we buy silicone bracelets or provide refusal skills learning opportunities?” It is always fun to get stuff but does it have a lasting impact and does it give us the return of our prevention dollars? It all starts with the type of thinking or mindset the service group has: Poverty or Wealthy. The poverty- minded approach gives a false positive that they can buy good choice making: silicone bracelets equal kids not to do drugs. This approach often ends up running out of money with very little measurable change. Unfortunately, it is often the same mindset of people who cannot cope with stressors of life. Many self medicate with abuse of ATOD’s, physical violence, gambling and self harm. “If I just have one more drink, hit, shot or sniff, it will all go away!” A wealthy mindset supports the thinking of inventorying what we do have and make it work for us. A wealth-minded prevention approach can not only provide visual remind- ers but increase measurable change by supporting a positive internal dia- logue that is sustainable. The invest- ment in behavioral educational support along with increasing opportunities in which to practice healthy choice mak- ing increases the developmental assets of youth, adults and communities. OR, better yet, partner with already estab- lished entities and leverage even greater support through collaboration: Less use of resources with greater impact. For- tunately, this mindset helps people cope with daily stressors and be able to be flexible when times are hard physically, spiritually and monetarily. With that said, prevention is not just about doing everything perfectly and similarly being unhealthy is not just about imperfection. Obviously a driving force is to have healthy choice making opportunities. Here lies the crux. How do we recognize the opportuni- ties if we are so worried about what we don’t have or how we are going to fix things that are broken? Pov- erty thinking in- dividuals often focus on what they don’t have and forget to ac- knowledge the possibilities of what they can. It is only our mindset that limits our thinking. Prevention is not about saying no – it is a mindset. Poverty is not an ab- sence of money and things – it is a mind- set. What is more, wealth is not gobs of money and things – it is also a mind set. Inventorying what we do have, beyond money, will actually lessen the burden. To reflection on what we DO have can help achieve a healthy choice making wealthy mindset which is essential to the success of Vernonia. It is imperative to our children that we take the time to focus on the successes that we have achieved and celebrate it. To quote, “We can change our lives and our circumstances by chang- ing our belief system. We can change our belief system by changing our thinking; one thought at a time.” It is crucial for people who believe Ver- nonia has abundance to speak to others of that abundance. Here in Vernonia we DO have everything within our community to thrive. Further, we can measure our success if we alter the way we measure it from what we don’t have to what we DO. Do you have a poverty mentality or a wealthy mentality? You can start by asking yourself a few questions. • Are you focused on the past, other people, or big ideas? • Do you blame other people or situations for you not getting ahead? • Do you feel like you have not enough, have abundance or are you always wanting more? • Do you wait for someone else to fix something? • How much time do you spend on thinking about what you have? • How do you measure success? • Who do you rely on to help you achieve success? A man is but the product of his thoughts; what he thinks, he becomes. -Mahatma Gandhi Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope or confidence. -Helen Keller National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255) suicidepreventionlifeline.org Are you feeling desperate, alone or hopeless? Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline a free, 24-hour hotline available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. Your call will be routed to the nearest crisis center to you. Veterans Suicide Prevention Hotline 1-800-273-TALK (8255) Press 1 5th Tuesday Community Coalition Meeting at the VCLC 6:30-8:00 PM March 29th May 31st August 30th November 29th For more information contact: DeAnna Pearl, VPC Director 503-369-7370 DeAnna@vernonia-or.gov
