Who We Are
SPIFFY is a coalition of over 80 community partners working together to improve outcomes for youth in Hampshire County. SPIFFY is administered by CES on behalf of the partners.
Together we promote strong families and create a local culture where youth are supported to make healthy choices. SPIFFY’s prevention activities involve community-based organizations, faith communities, schools, local colleges and universities, parents, youth, law enforcement, municipal government, media, and human service groups.
Our coalition fosters collaboration between schools and communities, promotes strong families, and supports positive youth development.
This approach collects and uses data to identify strategies, policies, and evidence-based programs that reduce unhealthy behaviors.
Spotlight on Current SPIFFY Coalition Activities
The SPIFFY Coalition is always working to support and implement a range of youth substance use prevention initiatives. You can view our past monthly newsletters in our Public Google Drive. Here’s the latest:
New Campaign: Talk, Listen, Repeat
SPIFFY’s campaign, Talk, Listen, Repeat, for parents/caregivers around having conversations with their children around substances, has gone live! The campaign landing page, which includes resources and interview clips of parents/caregivers around having conversations, can be found at this link. Not only that, but all of our TLR one-pager resources have been translated into Spanish and posted to the website. We are seeking feedback, so please take a look at the site and complete the survey linked on the website, or you can reach out to Lisa Goldsmith lgoldsmith@collaborative.org to share your thoughts. If you are working with any caregivers that might appreciate the resources, please share the site!
Diversifying the SPIFFY Steering Committee
Beginning in March 2025, SPIFFY staff and steering committee members have been meeting as a subcommtitee with a consultant from Thing Again Consulting to support a process that diversifies our SPIFFY Steering Committee. As of now, SPIFFY has two steering committees (one all-adult and one all-youth). SPIFFY staff and steering committee members agree that the adult Steering Committee does not adequately represent the communties we are serving, and have agreed to a proposal to diversify the Steering Committee. The Diversification Subcommittee is now solidying a transition plan for the next iteration of the SPIFFY Steering Committee. For questions about this work, please email SPIFFY@collaborative.org.
Local Alcohol Policy Resource
Over the past year, SPIFFY and partners have co-created a Municipal Alcohol Policy Roadshow slide deck, with an accompanying toolkit, to present to local policy officials. The purpose of the Roadshow is to provide municipal leaders with accessible information about evidence-based alcohol policies they can create that center public health and alcohol misuse prevention. In June and July of 2025, SPIFFY Coordinator Lexi Polokoff and Project Director for the STOP Act Grant on Underage Drinking Prevention, Sawyer Blake, co-presented this slideshow to the Ware Select Board as well as the Ware Board of Health. This slidedeck has also been used by other prevention coalitions across the state. If you are interested in having this slideshow presented to your local officials, please reach out to SPIFFY@collaborative.org.
Supporting Student Mental Health
The SPIFFY Youth Steering Committee, with support from the Collaborative’s Joy and Justice Team staff members Sabine Denise Jacques and Mariah Lapiroff, hosted the Youth Mental Health Matters event on Saturday, May 30th at CES. Thirteen young people participated in the event, which included learning activities such as yoga, art, and planting; a review of the Youth Steering Committee’s new website, Mental Health For All (MH4A); and engaging with one another to learn how to support their own mental health, to support their peers, and to make change in their schools.
Parent and Caregiver Engagement
Prevention research consistently demonstrates the large influece of parents and caregivers on youth wellbeing. One of SPIFFY’s current goals is to engage more with Hampshire County parents and caregivers, by: building relationships with parents and caregivers, providing resources and skill-building opportunities to support their child’s health and wellbeing, and elevating parent and caregiver voice in SPIFFY’s strategic plan. If you are interested in getting more involved with our parent and caregiver engagement work, please email Lisa at lgoldsmith@collaborative.org.
Latest from our Partners and the Coalition
SPIFFY is proud to partner across sectors with many different organizations. Below are some recent highlights from the organizing work that has been happening in our communities.
Calendar of Events
On this Google Calendar, you will find the dates and times of:
- SPIFFY’s Steering Committee meetings
- Regional School Health Task Force meetings
- Policy and Norms Workgroup meetings
- Events that SPIFFY is sponsoring and co-sponsoring
- Events that SPIFFY’s partners are sponsoring and co-sponsoring
- Other local meetings and events that support youth in living healthy lives
Feel free to email SPIFFY@collaborative.org if there is an event you would like promoted on this public calendar. To add this calendar to your own Google Account’s Calendar, click the “+GoogleCalendar” icon on the bottom right corner of this calendar.