For many young people, the New Year is a chance to reset, reflect, and start fresh. Members of the HDAAC Youth Action Team (YAT) shared that the New Year represents growth and self improvement. One member noted, “New Year’s means a fresh start to me and an opportunity to improve upon myself.”
The YAT works hard to promote healthier habits and choices throughout their school community. They often focus heavily on protective factors, like creating safe and positive environments, highlighting adults in the building as trusted resources, and spreading education around substances and mental health. Their efforts focus on encouraging better decision making while supporting peers in positive ways. One member described the YAT’s impact as “advocating against bad decisions allows people our age to find healthier habits and choices.” Another said they “provide better solutions and choices that help push people in the right direction,” making it easier for students to choose healthier options.
When it comes to New Year’s resolutions, the YAT believes that taking care of yourself does not have to be overwhelming. They encourage youth to start small by “setting resolutions with certain goals with specific steps.” Breaking goals into clear steps makes it easier to manage and more likely to stick beyond the first few weeks of the year. Members also highlighted that the most meaningful goals are realistic and personal; instead of setting goals that sound impressive but are hard to keep, they encourage young people to focus on what actually fits their lives. One member shared that resolutions should be “more realistic goals which are suited to their personal situations rather than being extremely general and unrealistic.” This approach is especially important for goals connected to mental health and substance use, where small changes can lead to long term improvement.
They know that staying motivated can be challenging, especially when things get stressful. One strategy the team shared is visualizing success. A member explained, “to stay motivated and stick with my goals when things get rough, I try to imagine myself after I have achieved this goal.”
When asked what advice they would give to other young people starting the New Year, the message was simple and honest: “Surround yourself with people and things that will help you achieve your goals and make you happy.” They also made note to avoiding distractions and decisions that are known to have a negative or risky impact.
Happy New Year from HDAAC and The YAT!