The mission of Seeds of Change is to prevent substance abuse and promote healthy choices for youth and adults through community involvement, youth leadership and collaboration with youth-serving organizations.  These collaborations are dedicated to sustaining an ongoing grassroots prevention initiative. Seeds of Change employs a variety of creative and powerful community-based strategies in order to marshal community resources toward the reduction of substance abuse among youth and, over time, among adults.  Seeds of Change facilitates resource access, provides community education on topics related to substance abuse, and promotes and sustains structures of collaboration, with an emphasis on including and valuing all community members’ contributions toward our shared goals.

Activities Include: Coalition Building, Youth Leadership Council, Addiction Impact Panel, Community-wide media campaign, Support of County Meth Action Team, Community Networking and Education Forums, Island County Drug Endangered Children Protocol.

Community Mobilization’s vision is community members participating in creating and sustaining healthy, safe, economically viable communities, free from alcohol, tobacco, other drug (ATOD) abuse, violence, and all related social issues. CM Coordinators make this a reality by  pursuing CM’s mission to effectively address the problems of ATOD abuse and violence by promoting: collaboration, cooperation, communication, commitment, and cultural competency. Successful community-based prevention programs build upon the efforts of a variety of grassroots and locally based organizations. CM leadership stimulates change and ensures that prevention efforts are culturally appropriate and effective.

CM uses the Communities That Care (CTC) model in promoting the positive development of children and youth, and the prevention of substance abuse and violence. CM is based on rigorous research from a variety of fields, including sociology, psychology, education, public health, criminology, medicine, and organizational development. The CM Program requires an active governing board that represents the local community perspective.

Meth Action Team
The aim of the Island County Meth Action Team is to decrease the availability of precursor methamphetamine materials and methamphetamine production, as well as to increase treatment/recovery resources. Seeds of Change-Community Mobilization provides leadership to the Team, representing South Whidbey interests.  Activities include conducting Meth Action Team education forums and trainings on South Whidbey targeting special interest groups and larger neighborhood populations, expanding the Meth Watch retail awareness program on South Whidbey, and recruiting and supporting South Whidbey youth to participate on the Island County Youth Meth Action Team. 

Addiction Impact Panel
The Addiction Impact Panel (AIP) is an initiative of the Seeds of Change-Community Mobilization Policy Board of Island County. The AIP aims to strengthen norms and public policies that support sobriety among youth and adults. AIP presentations will reach out to youth and adults in each of the four regions in Island County (South, Central, North and Camano Island).

The purpose of an AIP is first and foremost to reach out to anyone affected by, or struggling with, issues related to substance use. Furthermore, the AIP project endeavors to individualize and humanize the consequences of drug use, to change attitudes and behaviors around drug use, to offer support and resources for those seeking recovery, to offer support and resource for families and concerned others, and to decrease early initiation into drug use for youth. Panels also give those in recovery a healing opportunity to share their stories in a meaningful way. Speakers will include people in recovery and those who can offer personal and professional perspectives on addiction.  Information about community resources will be made available to those who attend the panels.

Community Networking & Education Forums
This is a quarterly event series which will offer an educational component, lunch and an opportunity to meet and greet other youth-minded service providers.  These quarterly forums will allow youth stakeholders to gather, gain useful information about the work we all do, and make connections. 

Quarterly forums in each Island County community (North, Central, and South Whidbey and Stanwood/Camano) will make these events easily accessible to local youth stakeholders, as we bring together social service providers, community members, and representatives of law enforcement, schools, and local government.

Addiction Impact Panel Committee Meeting 
December 7th from 1-2pm 
Juvenile Center Conf. Rm 1, Coupeville