Marshall Student Selected For National Opioid Affected Youth Advisory Board

Marshall University student Brooklyn Johnson is a member of the Prevention Empowerment Partnership Youth Trainee Program and has been selected to serve on the national Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Opioid Affected Youth Advisory Board.

Johnson is one of seven students selected for the board nationally. The ages of the students range from 18 to 24.

“Brooklyn’s appointment to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s Opioid Affected Youth Advisory Board is a significant milestone that reflects her passion, expertise and unwavering dedication to empowering youth and promoting substance use prevention,” Angela Saunders, director of Prevention Empowerment Partnership, said.

“It is truly a dream come true,” Johnson said. “I am so thankful for my community for growing me into the person I am today and am beyond grateful for the Prevention Empowerment Partnership for empowering me with the training and experience which have made me qualified for this national position.”

The board’s mission statement is “The impact of this board will be to enhance youth survival and safety by leveraging the lived experiences of young people and redefining recovery as any positive change. Through advocacy, education, and awareness, we will advance evidence-based prevention and sustainable recovery efforts that are rooted in foundations of cultural humility, holistic approaches, reduction of stigma, and restorative justice.”

The board will address the specific challenges that youth deal with when affected by opioids and substance abuse disorders.