About the Fall Mountain Area Healthy Youth Initiative (FMAHYI)

History

The FMAHYI was created in 2001 by FMRSD Assistant Superintendent Bob Louzan. Prior to coming to the Fall Mountain community, Bob had developed a similar coalition, rooted in the Developmental Assets approach to positive youth development, in a community in Massachusetts. Having witnessed the many benefits of a community-wide approach to youth development, Bob brought his experiences and expertise to the creation of the FMAHYI.

Bob introduced the Developmental Assets framework and research to a group of teen leaders from throughout the district. They, in turn, attended school and community events to introduce the concept to parents, educators, youth, and community members. At these events, the teens also distributed a four-fold flyer that had been developed to explain the Developmental Assets model and the FMAHYI’s application of it. The flyer also had a tear-off form through which “stakeholders” could join the coalition. Within one year, over 150 people had identified themselves as a stakeholder in the FMAHYI partnership.

At about the same time that interest in the Initiative was growing, the volunteer leadership was struggling. Restructuring of roles and responsibilities within the FMRSD limited the participation of the Initiative’s founder, Bob Louzan, and other key education leaders. Two community volunteers moved out of the area.

Despite this, in the fall of 2002, FMAHYI volunteer leaders organized and facilitated a community-wide “Vision-to-Action” planning session. Over 50 teenagers, education and community leaders, parents, human service providers, clergy and others spent a full day together assessing the region’s current “asset-building” activities and identifying potential resources or programs that could fill existing gaps. The input gathered that day provides both a wonderful affirmation of the rich community life in the FM area as well as a roadmap for building on this foundation to reach even more people in more ways.

Today

With the support of the Administrative Team of the FMRSD, from 2003 through 2006, the FMAHYI received funding through the FMRSD's Title IV (Safe and Drug-Free Schools) entitlement grant. This funding will not continue past 2006 so the future of FMAHYI is now in question. However, in early 2007 a final round of grants to asset-building programs will be made by FMAHYI.

Vision

Despite the lack of many formal organizations or associations in the fields of mental health or youth services, the youth and teens of the Fall Mountain region are far more healthy than their peers in neighboring communities with significantly more institutional supports. We believe that this is directly related to the number of assets our community provides for our young people.

It is the vision of the FMAHYI Board of Directors to have the Developmental Assets approach to youth development more broadly understood and applied in all segments of the communities of the Fall Mountain region. With a common vision and language, parents, youth, educators, clergy, business people, elected officials, coaches, neighbors—all members of our community—can join together to provide consistent messages and experiences that support our youths' healthy development.

Current Leaders

The Board of Directors of the Fall Mountain Area Healthy Youth Initiative is:

President: Steve Fortier, Alstead. Steve is the Executive Director of the Meeting Waters YMCA, a consultant in youth-adult partnership development and the father of two FMRSD students.

Secretary & Treasurer : Lynn Kroian, Charlestown. Lynn is a music educator in the FMRSD, the Co-Founder of TRAIL (Therapeutic Recreation Adventures in Learning), and the mother of two FMRSD students.

Member: Bob Brown, Alstead. Bob is the Director of Curriculum and Instruction for the FMRSD, a position he moved into after many years teaching in the FM school system.