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Four local youth groups look to make a difference as they attend a two day youth conference centered on making healthy choices. A field trip with friends is every student's dream to break up the daily routine of school. However, 30 students in youth groups from Saco Middle School, Old Orchard Beach High School, The New School in Kennebunk and Loranger Middle School in Old Orchard Beach took a two day field trip that was much more than just a respite from their ordinary schedule. Participants from each group interacted with over 300 of their peers from throughout Maine planning and dreaming about how they could help make their community a healthier place to live.
 
Youth came together at the Augusta Civic Center to attend the Maine Youth Action Network (MYAN) Leadership Conference and the Maine Anti-Tobacco Youth Summit held on consecutive days. Both events focused on equipping youth with the tools they need to use their voice and lead by serving their community to make a difference in a positive way.
 
"They tell it like it is here and get right to the point," said Katie Senechal, an 8th grade student from Saco Middle School. "It's all about kids helping others and influencing others. The conference has been very inspirational to know we can make a difference."
 
The MYAN Leadership Conference held workshop and planning sessions where youth learned how to create a culture of change and how to lead in a way that encourages their peers to lead a healthy life. Bob Crowley, a retired teacher and Maine's first winner of the popular TV series, Survivor, challenged kids to lead with integrity and to not to be afraid to do the right thing. The Maine Anti-Tobacco Youth Summit the following day centered on equipping participants with the tools they need to lead a tobacco-free life and to encourage their peers to also fight the urge to try tobacco. Students at both conferences spent a considerable amount of time developing local action plans centered on making a difference in their schools and community.
 
 "What a humbling experience to have the opportunity to bring a group of kids together so they can talk about real world issues," said Cindy Tardif, RSU 23 School Health Coordinator and Youth Advisor. "It is so important to encourage our kids to speak out for what is right and to serve their peers in ways that help them lead a healthier life. Conferences like this help kids feel significant and equip them to be active members of our community."
 
Each of the four local youth groups received support from the Â鶹´«Ã½'s Coastal Healthy Communities Coalition to not only attend the two leadership conferences, but to implement healthy living projects that are focused on increasing youth involvement in accomplishing social, policy, and environmental change to improve youth health. Special emphasis for each group is on developing projects, activities and policy initiatives around preventing youth tobacco use and reducing/eliminating exposure to secondhand smoke.
 
Coastal Healthy Communities Coalition (CHCC) is a community-based health promotion coalition working to promote tobacco prevention/cessation, substance abuse prevention, physical activity and nutrition in both the community and schools. The coalition is a program of the Â鶹´«Ã½'s College of Osteopathic Medicine. CHCC is one of 28 Healthy Maine Partnerships (HMP). HMP is a collaborative effort among local coalitions, the Maine DHHS (Maine CDC and Office of Substance Abuse) and DOE, supported primarily by the Fund for Healthy Maine with federal grants from the US CDC, SAMHSA, and DOE.