The future of our region begins with its youth and Impact Prevention knows this.

For the past several years, the nonprofit organization has worked with schools across Lawrence County to make a positive change in our communities, whether it is through suicide prevention, teaching inclusiveness and reaching out to others or combatting substance abuse.

The key to their efforts is that they make these groups youth led and teach skills that they can use in their schools and in life.

On Tuesday, Impact Prevention held their annual youth summit at Ohio University Southern, with nearly all of the county’s schools involved, where the students were able to develop plans of action to take back to address problems unique to their schools.

A lot of positivity was in the air and the students pitched many ideas and presented them to the group.

We look forward to seeing the projects they create as a result of the event and know they will make a great difference.