Join us!

SPIFFY is a community coalition, and our success is dependent on involvement by parents, teachers, youth, elected officials, faith communities, businesses, civic groups, youth groups, community agencies and citizens.

If you are interested in helping your community be a safer, more supportive place for young people, please get involved. You can join a committee, attend coalition meetings, volunteer at a specific event, or just stay updated.
 

Annual Full Coalition Meetings

Full coalition meetings occur once/year, and are open to everyone. Partners get updates on data, trends and coalition activities. Coalition strategies and goals are reviewed and updated based on ongoing community assessments. Coalition meetings are also an opportunity for partners to network and discuss collaborative opportunities.

SPIFFY Steering Committee

The Steering Committee serves as governing body for the coalition and is responsible for overseeing the management of the coalition, and providing direction to committees, task forces and paid staff. The Steering Committee is made up of up to 12 elected members, Decisions are made by consensus when possible. The Steering Committee meets 4 times per year.

Committees and Task Forces

Joining a committee or a community task force is a great way for parents, youth, and community professionals to get involved in developing the Coalition’s prevention activities.

Parent Education Committee

SPIFFY’s Parent Education Committee develops programs and publications that provide helpful information to parents of children of all ages. This committee meets several times a year.

School Health Task Force

The School Health Task Force  is made up of representatives from all the school districts  in Hampshire County. They meet several times a year to review and discuss surveys, and how to best utilize the data from these surveys in local planning efforts.

Local Community Prevention Task Forces

SPIFFY’s community-based Task Forces are a great way for partners to help shape and carry out SPIFFY’s initiatives within specific Hampshire County communities. Currently, there are two active SPIFFY Task Forces.

• Amherst
  SPIFFY is collaborating with the UMass Campus and Community Coalition (CCC) on local initiatives in Amherst and Hadley to prevent underage drinking.
• Easthampton
  The Easthampton Prevention Task Force, which was started in 2009, engages parents, community professionals, youth and other residents to develop SPIFFY initiatives in Easthampton.