Our Board of Directors oversees our organization and we couldn’t do what we do without their guidance, expertise and devotion to our Quincy community and youth.
I have been involved with QPY since the beginning because it is so important to our youth and our community to stay involved and healthy.
"Popcorn is prepared in the same way, with the same oil, same heat; yet the kernels do not pop at the same time. Don’t compare your children to others. Their turn to pop will come."
QPY efforts are important to my community because it promotes a healthy community free from drugs among our youth.
"Change begins at the end of your comfort zone." – Roy T Bennett
QPY and its continued efforts are so important to the interconnected communities of the Quincy Valley. At its core, QPY’s youth development and empowerment goals are always at the forefront. With active youth participation and the shared perspectives and voices of youth through Youth Action Interact (YAI) and Sources of Strength (SOS), QPY provides a range of opportunities for our youth leaders while helping the Quincy Valley continue to be successful.
"I raise up my voice—not so I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard… we cannot succeed when half of us are held back." - Malala Yousafzai
The efforts of QPY are very important to the community. I am the parent of a thirteen year old and I know there are many things out there that he is exposed to. QPY focuses on creating awareness of the different dangers that substance abuse can cause. The preventative work QPY is doing is vital to our community, in order to have a healthy youth.
“The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.” – B.B. King
I was asked what Quincy Partnership for Youth means to me and what came to my mind was hope and vision. Hope in the fact that this coalition with local, state, and federal assistance can provide the youth in our community an environment that is rich with safe and healthy opportunities. QPY helps bring to fruition the goal that the youth in our community have it a little better than we did by providing opportunities that we might not have otherwise. Leading to our mission statement of “Using prevention strategies, Quincy Partnership for Youth fosters a network that nurtures a healthy, drug-free, and successful community.” I think vision because a coalition at its roots is a collaborative effort of different individuals coming together both youth and adults alike to ask the questions about what our youth and families might need and then provide real solutions.
I grew up and graduated in Quincy so this fulfilling work is personal. There were many directions my life could have taken but thanks to solid protective people, I found stability and hope. Having parents that were involved, faith that sustained me, teachers that noticed my potential, and programs that had me busy after school kept me from falling away from the goals I had for my future self – like one day having a back yard. I enjoy this work with the Quincy Partnership for Youth (and other coalitions) because we can involve many people who come up with different solutions to the local concerns we may have. We all want to pay it forward, and the coalition is a welcoming space and platform for anyone who cares enough to do something about it while moving us from ‘reacting’ to preventing harm.
"Be the difference you wish to see in the world." - Ghandi