HDAAC Brings Youth to DC!

The YAT and CADCA

The Holliston Drug and Alcohol Awareness Coalition Youth Action Team continues to demonstrate that youth voice is not only powerful but essential.

With 42 active members at Holliston High School, the Youth Action Team is a student-led group dedicated to promoting mental health, preventing substance misuse, and strengthening community wellness. Through peer education, advocacy, leadership development, and community engagement, members work to change social norms and reduce stigma surrounding drug and alcohol use. Over the years, students have organized large school initiatives, engaged hundreds of peers in prevention programming, and advocated at the Massachusetts State House.

This winter, nine members of the Youth Action Team brought their leadership to the national level by traveling to Washington, D.C. to attend the CADCA National Leadership Forum. The annual National Leadership Forum is a four day conference that brings together thousands of coalition members, prevention professionals, and youth leaders from across the country and beyond. Both adult and youth participants have the opportunity to engage in workshops, plenary sessions, and advocacy events alongside like minded prevention leaders from all over.

The Experience

For the nine Holliston students selected to attend, the experience was both inspiring and transformative. Throughout the conference, students attended sessions on public speaking, communication skills, collaboration, leadership, mental health, and youth advocacy. Many students identified the workshops and youth sessions as the most impactful part of the experience.

One student shared, “What I found most interesting was the workshops and sessions. How important the youth voice is when it comes to advocating for prevention.” Another student reflected, “The sessions were both the most helpful and interesting, as they taught many helpful skills to aid in prevention.”

Within these workshops, public speaking emerged as a recurring theme. One student described a communication session as “the most helpful because it gave me very helpful tips on how to communicate with others effectively.” Another shared, “I got the chance to practice and improve my public speaking.” For many, the conference reinforced a powerful message about advocacy. As one student put it, “The youth are the future and it does matter what we decide to do with our voices.”

Beyond the formal sessions, students found tremendous value in connecting with peers from across the country. One participant explained, “I really enjoyed being able to collaborate with other peers from different towns and states. It was great being able to see and hear their different experiences.” Another student wrote, “One thing I learned from this experience was how powerful it can be when people who advocate for similar issues work together.”

A defining moment of the trip was Capitol Hill Day. The Holliston students met with staff from Senator Elizabeth Warren’s office and with Representative Jim McGovern to discuss the impact of substance misuse and mental health challenges in their community. One student shared, “Being able to speak at these meetings and hear my peers share their personal stories was unforgettable.” Another described the meetings as “a highlight,” adding that the group “was able to get a firsthand look into who they were and what they could accomplish.”

Advocating at the national level deepened students’ understanding of how policy and prevention intersect and how their voices can influence change beyond their hometown. While the educational programming was impactful, students also emphasized the importance of the shared experience as a team and seeing how this work extends beyond Holliston and Massachusetts.

One student reflected, “In my opinion, the overall best part of this trip was being able to explore the city, especially the museums, and spend so much time with the other members of this group.”

The trip strengthened relationships among team members and deepened their sense of purpose as a coalition. One student shared, “I learned how to collaborate better, even with people I do not know.” Another wrote, “I truly learned the most from my fellow peers as we experienced this trip together.”

Looking Ahead

We are incredibly proud of our students for the effort they put into this trip. It was an incredible opportunity to watch their voices shine in our nation’s capital. Hearing students share reflections such as, “I had a wonderful experience at CADCA, and I am so grateful that I was a part of the trip,” reinforces how meaningful this opportunity was for them.

The nine students who returned to Holliston are now equipped not only with new knowledge and skills, but with renewed confidence in the power of youth leadership. They bring back strengthened public speaking abilities, improved communication strategies, a deeper understanding of mental health and prevention efforts, and a broader national perspective on coalition work.

Most importantly, they return with a reinforced belief that their voices matter in their school, in their community, in their state, and even on Capitol Hill.

As one student said simply, “The youth are the future.”