Strategic Planning Initiative for Families and Youth (SPIFFY) Coalition

The Strategic Planning Initiative for Families and Youth (SPIFFY) Coalition is a Hampshire County coalition that  collaboratively engages in data-driven prevention efforts with a health equity lens to reduce youth substance use and build healthy communities.

For Schools

Learn about how school staff and administrators can support substance-free schools and youth substance use prevention at large.

For Youth

Discover a wide range of youth leadership opportunities as well as resources for young people to build skills and knowledge around leading healthy lives.

For Parents and Caregivers

Learn about how parents and caregivers can support their children in leading healthy lives.

For the Community

You can find a wide range of resources and toolkits on this page for any community member to use to strengthen prevention. 

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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, and Community Health Solutions consultants assist the coalition in its work.

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. Here’s the latest:

Strategic Planning

SPIFFY is currently undergoing a 5-year strategic planning process using the Strategic Prevention Framework. Check out this short video to learn how strategic planning works. On April 29th, 2023, we held a strategic planning event in which both youth and adults from across Hampshire County spent time reviewing our assessment data and helping SPIFFY begin to set goals for the next few years. The youth spoke about their own experiences living as young people in the area and contributed so many fantastic ideas, which enhanced our planning process. If you are interested in learning more about, or participating in, the strategic planning process, check out our Assessment Report and contact Lisa Goldsmith at lgoldsmith@collaborative.org.

Getting to Y

SPIFFY, in partnership with the Easthampton Healthy Youth Coalition, is supporting a group of eight young people at Easthampton High School reviewing local youth health survey data, presenting to their community and creating and implementing strategies. The group identified four core concerns impacting Easthampton youth and will be taking action steps during the 2023-2024 school year. SPIFFY will also support the implementation fo Getting to Y at Smith Academy in Hatfield for the 2023-2024 school year. To learn more about Getting to Y, please contact Lexi Polokoff at apolokoff@collaborative.org.

Regional Policy and Norms Workgroup

The Policy and Norms Workgroup has been working to lateralize leadership via new leadership in subcommittees (i.e. youth cannabis prevention  policy, youth alcohol prevention policy, the intersection between substance misuse prevention and health equity) as well as creating other leadership opportunities for folks in under-represented Western MA counties of this workgroup to take on. Fill out THIS Google Form to sign up for the Policy and Norms listserv.  Please contact Lexi at apolokoff@collaborative.org if you have any other questions.

Leaders of Today Council

SPIFFY Staffperson Lexi Polokoff and CES staffperson Talya Sogoba are collaborating with a group of Hampshire County youth and Community Action Youth Programs to create an online youth leadership and activism clearinghouse for Hampshire County Youth. They meet biweekly and are working toward launching a Leaders of Today website in which all youth from all over Hampshire County can network, learn about, and get involved with youth leadership and activism. To learn more, please reach out to Lexi at apolokoff@collaborative.org. To sign up for the LTC newsletter, please complete this form.

Partnership for Success Subcontracts

SPIFFY has completed our review of subcontract applications, and selected three sub-grantees to partner with! Translate Gender will be creating a Trans Youth Action Team that will focus on school policy changes, educational campaigns, and school staff training on intervention. Easthampton High School will be creating a student team engaging in curriculum development, policy making, and information campaigns. And the Northampton Department of Health and Human Services/Youth for Equity and Action/Northampton Prevention Coalition will be creating an adult/youth team to work on improving mental health and wellbeing. SPIFFY is thrilled to be supporting the work of these local groups as they identify and advocate for community priorities and train and mobilize community members to take action and advocate for policy and systems change that affect youth substance use. To learn more about Partnerships for Success, you can view our Google Slide presentation or contact Lexi Polokoff at apolokoff@collaborative.org.

 

Latest from our Partners and the Coalition

SPIFFY is proud to partner across sectors with many different organizations. The communities in Hampshire County are full of strength and collaboration. Below are some recent highlights from the organizing work that has been happening in our communities.

SPIFFY’s “Building Strategies” Youth Event on 8/9/23

On August 9th, 20 Hampshire County teens got together at Smith College's Conference Center for three hours to help SPIFFY determine which strategies the SPIFFY Coalition should pursue in the next few years. At this event, SPIFFY staff reviewed where SPIFFY is at in the strategic process, including what data SPIFFY has already collected as ...

Western MA Prevention Professionals Meet with Cannabis Control Commissioners

Pictured in top row, left to right: Andrea Freeman, Kat Allen, Marie Brady, Ananda Lennox, Lisa Goldsmith, Phoebe Walker, Heather Warner Pictured bottom row, left to right: Nick Hathaway, Paul McNeil, Dr. Julie Johnson, Malikah Jeffries, Kim Roy, Julie Johnson, Olivia Lamarie, Bruce Stebbins Not pictured: Dr. Caroline Johnson On March 3rd, ...

Check out UMass Amherst’s SPHHS In-Person Career Fair!

The University of Massachusetts Amherst's School of Public Health and Health Sciences Career Center invites you to participate in their SPHHS In-Person Career Fair 2023. The event consists of an opportunity to meet bachelor’s and master’s level students from Public Health Sciences, Nutrition, Kinesiology, & Communication Disorders. Their ...

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 Lexi Polokoff at apolokoff@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.

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