{"id":167204,"date":"2026-10-29T11:14:11","date_gmt":"2026-10-29T16:14:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=167204"},"modified":"2026-10-29T11:14:13","modified_gmt":"2026-10-29T16:14:13","slug":"raising-awareness-of-youth-resources-in-lafayette-county","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/raising-awareness-of-youth-resources-in-lafayette-county\/","title":{"rendered":"Raising Awareness of Youth Resources in Lafayette County"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The North Mississippi Youth Coalition (NMYC)<\/strong> is working to help young people in Lafayette County<\/strong> make informed decisions about their health and well-being. But as the group expands its presence in the community, a huge challenge has been making sure families know these services exist and are available to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe would love for more families and youth to be connected to what we do,\u201d said Lucia Booker<\/strong>, the coalition\u2019s project coordinator. \u201cCurrently, an area of struggle that we have is a lack of community awareness regarding our resources.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Submitted photo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Based at the University of Mississippi<\/strong>, the NMYC receives funding through the federal Drug-Free Communities grant program, a national initiative administered through a partnership involving the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/strong> and the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy<\/strong>. The program supports local coalitions working to prevent and reduce substance use among young people by strengthening cooperation among community partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The coalition grew out of combined efforts involving the university\u2019s Department of Psychology and Department of Public Health. Dr. Sarah Bilsky<\/strong> serves as program director, and Dr. Hannah Allen-King<\/strong> is co-director.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two years ago, Bilsky and Allen-King applied for the Drug-Free Communities grant, a process that also involved recruiting representatives from 12 community sectors, including schools, youth-serving organizations, religious organizations, and others. These representatives help bring different parts of the community together around this shared goal of preventing youth substance use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both Bilsky and Allen-King are currently on maternity leave but continue to provide Booker with guidance as she coordinates the grant\u2019s activities. Booker\u2019s primary responsibility is implementing the grant\u2019s work under their direction, while gaining professional leadership experience and developing her own approach to the position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NMYC\u2019s goal is reducing tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use among students in grades 7-12. The coalition\u2019s approach involves free, evidence-based programming for schools, substance prevention workshops, and other activities focused on effective communication, mental health awareness, and wellness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe don’t want to do anything without evidence,\u201d Booker said, explaining that the organization strictly relies on research to guide its programming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to working with schools, the coalition connects with families through community events, where it shares local mental health resource guides, distributes stress-relief items, and provides opportunities for youth to engage in conversations and tabling activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Building Connections Through Community Outreach<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since beginning her position in June, Booker has focused on building a stronger presence for NMYC. The organization makes efforts to attend various local events each month with hopes of meeting people and introducing more residents to its services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tabling events have become one of the coalition\u2019s most successful ways to connect directly with young people. During these sessions, students, particularly those in seventh and eighth grades, take part in psychoeducational activities that introduce them to mindfulness and mental health topics in an engaging way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One activity involves a board game Booker created, with each space presenting a mindfulness question or challenge. In another, students help assemble a pumpkin using small cups, each containing a mindfulness question. Students lined up, selected a cup, opened it, and answered the question inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through these hands-on activities, NMYC can engage young people in conversations about their experiences while introducing them to practical ways to think about wellness and emotional health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The coalition\u2019s outreach includes activities through Afterschool Zon<\/strong>e at the Oxford Public Library<\/strong>, where Booker has had great opportunities to interact with children and parents. The group also programming at Oxford High School<\/strong>, including substance prevention activities during Red Ribbon Week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Booker said those personal interactions have helped her better understand the challenges young people face and the importance of making support available to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEverybody struggles,\u201d she said. \u201cI think some people don’t realize that kids have as many struggles as they do, and it’s important to give them spaces to talk about whatever they’re going through.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her experience working with local families has strengthened her appreciation for the community organizations. Booker said she is impressed by the number of people willing to collaborate, including partners she reaches out to for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOxford’s a great community,\u201d she said. \u201cIt has so many people always working to help it and provide more enrichment to it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through partner relationships the coalition hopes to build on opportunities for educational programming and community activities. Booker said she wants everyone involved to benefit, meanwhile allowing NMYC to contribute to existing efforts and expand its own reach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lucia\u2019s interest in youth support is rooted in her educational background and personal experiences. She graduated from Ole Miss with degrees in psychology and political science and has a strong interest in research and clinical psychology. She aspires to pursue a doctorate in clinical psychology in the coming years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having grown up in a rural area, Booker understands that finding support can be tough, and it\u2019s that understanding that drives her in her journey to make it easier for young people to find encouragement and connections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Submitted photo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Upcoming Activities and a Youth Coalition in the Works<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NMYC continues building its community presence through partnerships and events that connect families with its resources. More activities and collaborations the organization has been planning include a Family Day with the University of Mississippi Museum<\/strong>, participation in Oxford Community Market<\/strong> events and an outreach activity with More Than a Meal<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NMYC also has plans to participate in the William Magee Center<\/strong>\u2019s wellness fair and collaborate with the YMCA on free yoga.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond the events, the coalition is working toward a larger initiative designed to give local teenagers a more active role in their community. Within the next year, NMYC hopes to establish a youth coalition for students. Booker envisions a youth-centered and youth-led group where they can develop friendships, volunteer, connect with peers, and take on leadership roles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe also want to offer them volunteer opportunities to get into college or to go wherever they want to go in life,\u201d she said, \u201cand also provide them with leadership opportunities that they may not have in the community as frequently.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NMYC hopes to find students willing to serve as youth leaders and help guide the coalition as it develops, meanwhile giving young people an opportunity to share their ideas, build relationships and participate in activities shaped by their interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As she continues to add to the calendar and work towards a youth coalition, Booker welcomes more partnerships with schools, faith-based organizations, after-school programs, community groups, and sports teams interested in offering educational opportunities for young people and urges that their involvement will be the key to success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe just want to help people, and we just want to provide more to the community,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Families, students, schools, and community organizations interested in NMYC\u2019s free programming or partnership opportunities can send an email to:<\/em> nmyc.dfc@gmail.com<\/em><\/a>. Or find them on Instagram @nmyc.dfcgrant.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The North Mississippi Youth Coalition (NMYC) is working to help young people in Lafayette County make informed decisions<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":238,"featured_media":167213,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[19],"tags":[256,5,4,35931],"class_list":["post-167204","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news","tag-lafayette-county","tag-mississippi","tag-oxford","tag-youth-resources"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/North-Mississippi.png?fit=500%2C500&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167204","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/238"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=167204"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167204\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":167221,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167204\/revisions\/167221"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/167213"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=167204"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=167204"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=167204"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}