Vision, Mission, History
Vision
Wisconsin youth are healthy, thriving & engaged citizens.
Mission
Our mission is to enhance, support and strive for optimal the capacity of member coalitions in their efforts for substance abuse prevention and positive youth development. As a program within Wisconsin Department of Health Services under Bureau of Prevention, Treatment and Recovery (BPTR), the Alliance for Wisconsin Youth leads regional and local Alliances representative from at least five (5) community sectors. Samples of the range of these community sectors below sectors are:
Business Community Continuing and Higher Education
Law Enforcement and Justice Civic and Volunteer Groups
State, Local and/or Tribal government agencies
Human Services Media Parents Public Health
Healthcare professionals:medical,mental health,substance abuse
Parents Public Health Schools (public and private)
Religious and Fraternal organizations Youth
Youth Serving Organizations
Other organizations involved in reducing substance abuse
History of Alliance for Wisconsin Youth
1988
The top three elected officers of the State of Wisconsin, Governor Tommy Thompson, Attorney General Don Hanaway and Superintendent Bert Grover “joined together to demonstrate commitment and cooperation, at the highest level, in our continuing war on drugs” (Thompson,1989). The Alliance for a Drug Free Wisconsin was formed and assisted in developing new coalitions in areas where none existed. This prompted existing state prevention coalitions to join the Alliance.
1999
Alliance for a drug free Wisconsin continued to grow along with another program Wisconsin’s Promise. Wisconsin’s Promise, a subsidiary of America’s Promise, sole purpose was to ensure that every young person had a caring adult, a healthy start, marketable skills, safe places after school, and opportunities to serve in their community. The Alliance for a Drug free Wisconsin and Wisconsin’s Promise became “Alliance for Wisconsin Youth,” with the realization that they cold benefit from a merger. This merger, the Alliance for Wisconsin Youth mission incorporated the Five Promises from the Wisconsin Promise and the Alliance for a Drug Free Wisconsin’s focus of preventing substance abuse and related behavioral health issues facing Wisconsin’s youth.
2004-2006
2004, The Strategic Prevention Framework and Evidence-based Policies, Programs and Practices became central to the Alliance’s the work in education and funding efforts with local Alliances. In using the Strategic Prevention Framework, the local Alliances were provided with tool of assessment, capacity-building, planning, implementation, evaluation, cultural competency and sustainability to the local programs.
2006, 60 Wisconsin counties and tribes had over 100 local alliance members in the Alliance for Wisconsin Youth. The focusing Alliance activities on preventing substance abuse and related youth problems and promoting the developmental core supports and opportunities for Wisconsin’s youth.
During 2006, references to The Five Promises were removed. The connection between substance abuse prevention and positive youth development remains strong within Alliance work at state and local levels. For more information, see prevention/positive youth development and the interdependent nature of prevention and youth development work within the Alliance for Wisconsin Youth.
2007- present
2007, there was a daily coordination of Alliance activities contracted by the Department of Health Services/Bureau of Prevention, Treatment and Recovery (DHS/BPTR) to Wisconsin Positive Youth Development Initiative, Inc. In mid-2007, the Alliance restructured into five regional centers in order to focus more precisely on substance abuse prevention outcomes in each region.
Alliance for Wisconsin Youth and its member have continued to provided services and activities for Wisconsin. Meetings held at the state, regional and local Alliance level to improve and educate our coalition members and other stakeholder provide the continually improvement of the future of the youth of Wisconsin. During 2008, restructuring of leadership took place. Alliance for Wisconsin Youth went from an Alliance Director to Chairman of the Alliance for Wisconsin Youth in 2008. Below are Alliance Directors from 1988-2008.
Tedd O’Connell 1988-1988
Donna Bestor 1989-1995
Claude Gilmore 1996-2003
Greg Levenick 2003-2008
From 2008 to present the Chairman of Alliance for Wisconsin Youth has been:
Louis L. Oppor
Thompson, T. G., (1989, January 25). State of the State Address. Retrieved February 8, 2007 from http://www.mu.edu/library/collections/archives/DC/TGT/collection/documents/StateofStateAddress25jan1989