Youth Opioid Use Prevention
The lesson provides teens with the science and stories to understand the risks of misusing prescription drugs, and the tools and resources to manage their own health as well as advocate for their peers’ health. It leverages personal testimony from teens and their families through a compelling video and provides educators with a science-based interactive presentation and facilitator’s guide to lead conversation and learning. The 6 Steps to Rise Above graphic organizer translates across substance- and health issues, to help teens define their goals and practice refusal skills.
Instructors
Liz Sielatycki and Jenna Garrow
Liz Sielatycki is the Manager of Communications & Community Partnership
Liz is passionate about the distribution of resources and knowledge, and in her role with Rise Above she gets to do that through managing the Colorado Constellation Project, connecting communities across the state in their shared objectives to empower and engage youth. A native to North Carolina, she has called Colorado home for the past 3 years. Her experience runs the gamut across the fields of social work and public health. As a former Communities That Care Mobilizer in Chaffee County, Liz gained a wealth of experience in upstream prevention and the incredible power and capacity of local communities to make a foundational change. She received her Master of Social Work degree at the University of North Carolina in Community Management and Policy Practice and was greatly inspired in her work with migrant farmworkers in rural NC. For three years prior, she provided in-home intensive behavioral health services to Latinx families at risk of family separation. She also received her Bachelor of Social Work degree at North Carolina State University. What brings her joy is quality time spent outside mountain biking, running, river frolicking, and rock climbing with loved ones. Her personal goal is to become a gifted high-altitude baker.
Jenna Garrow is the Director of Prevention Education
As Director of Prevention Education, her role is to further create and disseminate substance use prevention strategies and resources for youth across CO, while guiding the evolution of our community partnerships and collaborative learning communities. Jenna brings 18 years of direct experience in public schools as an educator, case manager, and school leader where she has loved leading and collaborating with adults and youth to found and improve public schools in service of more equitable educational outcomes for all. Jenna is focused on increasing access, inclusivity, and an authentic sense of belonging to this work. She feels a deep commitment to empowering teens to live a life free from substance misuse and addiction and equips CO youth with the knowledge and skills to make healthy choices throughout their own lives. Jenna holds a bachelor of science in education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and loves finding adventure with her two young children, seeing live music, running (on the trails and on the track), and supporting moms and babies in her work as a certified birth doula.
