The University of Vermont has been awarded a $2,500 grant to assist students in recovery from substance use disorders and other addictive behaviors.

Awarded through Transforming Youth Recovery, a nonprofit organization that studies the community, educational and peer networks influencing youth development and achievement, the grant will provide the university with early-stage seed funding to help build the relationships necessary to better meet the needs of students in recovery on campus. The grant also will support the creation of an online map of community recovery assets intended to facilitate a nation-wide network of resource sharing and collaboration among collegiate recovery practitioners, students and community members.

“We are striving to connect the university community, particularly our students, to the available resources and to each other in order to build a vibrant, supportive community where students can pursue academic success, personal growth, professional development, have an active and fulfilling collegiate experience, and to prepare them to be leaders in the community,” said Amy Boyd Austin, director of UVM’s Collegiate Recovery Community.

In undertaking this project, the ultimate goal is to create a sustainable collegiate recovery program on the UVM campus that provides a safe, supportive and fun environment for students in recovery from substance use disorders and other addictive behaviors.

Boyd was invited to the White House on Sept. 17 by the Office of National Drug Control Policy, an office within the executive branch, to an event that marked the 25th anniversary of National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month. The event featured moderated tweets with questions for panelists, and attendees and participants were encourage to live tweet. Boyd’s tweets are viewable here: https://twitter.com/amyboydaustin

To find out more information about the effort or to get involved, contact Amy Boyd Austin at (802) 656-0236 or visit www.uvm.edu/recoverycommunity.

Founded in 2013, Transforming Youth Recovery and is both studying and conceiving novel approaches that have the potential to dramatically expand family and school-based prevention, intervention and recovery support services — one community, one school, one student at a time.

PUBLISHED

09-17-2014
University Communications