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
