Franklin County Teens Advocate Change at Capitol Hill in Washington D.C.

On 28 January, the Franklin County Prevention Coalition took seven Franklin County High School students to Washington, D.C., for the National CADCA (Anti-Drug Coalition of America) Conference. Their trip included a visit to Capitol Hill, where they met with Senator Marsha Blackburn and Senator Bill Hagerty to discuss their concerns and needs to support youth substance abuse prevention in Tennessee.

The senators had prior engagements, but upon hearing about a group from their home state, they left their meetings to meet with them. Senator Blackburn and Senator Hagerty were pleased to see so many Tennesseans, particularly young people, actively advocating for positive changes and committed to supporting their cause.

The youth in Franklin County are actively engaged in their mission to encourage smart life decisions and reduce drug and alcohol usage in Franklin County, TN youth. During the CADCA conference, these youth were trained in leadership and communication skills and provided with ideas to promote substance abuse prevention in their schools and communities effectively.

“I feel the Franklin County Prevention Coalition is a hidden gem in this community.” Melanie Morrow, Prevention Coordinator, continued, “If we can get these kids involved in prevention now, we won’t have to save their lives later.”

Jessie Sheehan, the Director of the coalition, stated, “Our young people are the ones who have problems that we are trying to correct, but there are also young people willing to do something about it. Jessie Sheehan Continued, “If I can get my students trained on what drugs do and what they can do about it and give them the information for prevention, and they are the ones giving that message, we will have a bigger impact a lot quicker than we are doing now.”

In March 2023, the Franklin County Prevention Coalition formed a youth coalition named Teens Making A New Tomorrow (TMNT) in response to a request from Nick Torres, a Franklin County High School student. Jessie Sheehan, the Director of the coalition, was approached by Nick for guidance on how to help young people avoid substance abuse. The request was the starting point for the youth coalition to expand and become a greater influence in Franklin County.

The Franklin County Prevention Coalition partnered with local school districts during the 2022-2023 school year to conduct a student survey on substance use and related behavioral health measures. The survey was conducted on 386 public school students in 8th, 10th, and 12th grade. The survey showed that 35.8% of students saw something online on social media encouraging underage drinking, vaping, marijuana, or other drug use. It also showed the average age of substance initiation ranged between 13.2 – 14.4 years old. This information fueled the fire in Franklin County students to create change.

Teens Making A New Tomorrow (TMNT) has approximately 15 members from the high school and middle school combined. Some of their responsibilities include advocating for substance prevention, organizing field days with safe teen activities, creating, and distributing marketing materials, and educating peers on substance abuse dangers. After attending the CADCA conference and visiting Capitol Hill, they returned with renewed confidence and determination to effect change and save lives in their local schools and community.