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Chapter leadership team

This page helps explains a little bit more about Young People in Recovery (YPR) and the various leadership roles that you can take on. On the following pages you will find in-depth descriptions of the different roles, along with the resources you’ll need to get started.

Step 1: Sign up as a Chapter Member of your local chapter (if you haven’t done so already) & express your interest in becoming a YPR leader by clicking “Yes” to “Are you interested in learning more about leadership opportunities with your local chapter?”

Step 2: Get in touch with your local chapter lead if you are not already! They will reach out after you have filled out the above form, or you can email them! You can find their email on this list.

Step 3: Read about YPR’s Mission, Vision & Core Values. Our overall goal is to create a thriving recovery communities, and make sure all people from all backgrounds feel welcomed & safe!

Step 4: Look over the following Leadership Roles descriptions, and let your Chapter Lead know which role you are most interested in taking on!

Step 5: Use your Leadership Role description page to get started & take action towards creating a strong recovery community in your area!

Leadership roles

All-recovery meeting lead

  • The ARM Lead is responsible for coordinating and executing all recovery meetings, including submitting post-event forms
  • In order to complete outreach and recruitment for these meetings, ideal candidates should have a connection to the recovery community. 
  • Additional responsibilities may include outreach, securing meeting location(s), encouraging other members to lead meetings, finding “keynote speakers” or guest speakers, and creating or printing fliers/event pages and marketing materials. 

An all-recovery meeting is a meeting any person in recovery, in addition to allies of those in recovery, can attend and find support at. 

It is important to have a space where everyone feels accepted and supported. This is a space where everyone, no matter what pathway, can come and lean on one another for support, empowerment, and compassion. Some pathways offer supportive mutual aid groups, and some do not offer a social component. This is especially important for young adults and people who are initiating the recovery journey. 

1. Find a meeting location that will allow you to meet once a week. Avoid any spaces that require rent; libraries are a great first option. Additionally, try to leverage your networks to find free or inexpensive locations. YPR recognizes that it is important to gain a following by being consistent and hosting on a regular basis. 

2. Work with your social media lead/chapter lead to make a recurring Facebook event. This will help reach members and support in your community. Make flyers and use other types of marketing on social media to get the word out as well. Make sure to invite people to your event and ask them to invite people who may want to attend. 

3. Use the template meeting format, and pick from various topics to share with the group. This group is intended to be all-inclusive and encompass the many pathways, those who are allies, as well as people who are just looking for support. 

4. Remember to encourage your members to sign up for RCI. 

5. Alawys make sure you are capturing event data by submitting your event to YPR Community. Don’t know how or remember how to access YPR community? Contact your chapter lead! 

Workshop Lead

  • The workshop lead is responsible for coordinating and executing YPR workshops, including submitting post-event forms
  • Ideal candidates should have strong experience with group facilitation, are comfortable speaking in public, and have connections to educational institutions, recovery-friendly businesses, resource agencies, etc. This person should be willing to collaborate on workshop topic areas outside of the organization or in partnership with organizations within our networks. 
  • Additional responsibilities may include: encouraging other members to lead specific workshop topics (ie. education, housing, employment), establishing regular communications with agencies/ resources, coordinating outreach efforts, securing location(s) for facilitation, creating fliers/event pages, and marketing material. 

We only facilitate YPR Branded Workshops, to make sure we align with the organization’s mission & values. Here are all of the current YPR workshop offerings:

YPR Workshops are for everyone! We recommend choosing a workshop topic that fits your audience. You could partner with a treatment center, or another local agency to facilitate a workshop for their clients/ participants. You could also find another venue or community space like a library, Rec center or local business that can donate a space to host a workshop for the public.

1. Secure a venue or space to host your workshop & choose a workshop topic. Choose a date and time. Make sure there is a TV or Projector to hook a computer up to, to share slides. You could print slides out if this is not an option. Secure a workshop facilitator (yourself, your Chapter Lead, or another volunteer).
2. Work with your Chapter Lead & Social Media Lead to promote the workshop with flyers and Social Media posts (if it is open to the public).
3. Download the workshop to a laptop, or use one at your partner site/location. Read through the Facilitator Guide to prepare.
4. The day of the workshop, arrive early to set up the slideshow/ check your tech! Have fun facilitating, be yourself!
5. Always make sure you are capturing the event data by submitting your event to YPR Community. Don’t know how or remember how to access YPR Community? Contact your Chapter Lead.

Prosocial lead

  • The Pro-social Lead is responsible for coordinating and executing pro-social events, including submitting post-event forms. 
  • Ideal candidates should have strong experience with event planning, creating inclusive functions that cater to diverse populations, understand non-profit/grassroot organizing, networking with community members to gain financial support for events (if applicable), and engage chapter members in the planning process.
  • Additional responsibilities may include: marketing events to stakeholders and community members, gain interest of the media to market event or give coverage of the function (if appropriate), encourage other members to become leaders.

Pro-social events are designed to be a means for which chapters can recruit members, as well as spaces that showcase we can and do have fun in recovery!

We host pro-social events because it is a great way to engage with the community and get others to become more involved in the chapter.

1. Work with your Chapter Lead and leadership team to decide what type of activity you think your peers/community would enjoy. The possibilities for activities are endless, use your creativity! Check out this list for ideas!
2. Find a venue that is suitable for your activity. Begin researching places like public parks, recreational centers, gymnasiums, etc. You will want to keep expenses low for events. List your supplies and plan out whether or not you will seek donations, fundraise, or purchase said items.
3. Schedule your event! Do your best to plan the event at least one month out. Business Operations needs 30 days to process requests for funds. Work with you Chapter Lead and Social Media Lead to develop a plan of action to coordinate outreach efforts, i.e. a week to week strategy for your members to do some of the following: pass out fliers, create an event page on your Facebook group and share, create an event on eventbrite.com, engage with community partners and supporters. Here are some templates for your pro-social social media posts and/or fliers.
4. While you are working to execute your first pro-social event, decide if this will become a regular occurrence such as monthly, semi-annually, or annual basis, or if this will be a one-time event. Discuss with attendees if your chapter continuously hosted this activity, would they come out and support. Your chapter and it’s activities are dependent on participants. As such, our mission is to create opportunities that will engage the community to get them involved in your chapter.
5. Always make sure you are capturing the event data by submitting your event in YPR community. Don’t know or remember how to access YPR Community? Contact your Chapter Lead.

ADVOCACY LEAD

  • The Advocacy Lead is responsible for coordinating and executing advocacy events, including submitting post-event forms.
  • Ideal candidates should have a strong understanding of current issues at the community/local/state levels, have experience in grassroots organizing, understand the current political climate, know how to contact elected officials/representatives, and have connections to community stakeholders.
  • Additional responsibilities may include encouraging other members to get involved, attending coalition meetings outside of the organization, representing the YPR chapter at community functions, conveying all information acquired back to the chapter for decisions/rally efforts (if applicable), speaking to representatives/elected officials using person-first language, etc. 

Young People in Recovery (YPR) is committed to advocating for meaningful, impactful policy changes that benefit our members and their communities nationwide. Our advocacy efforts span national, state, and local levels, involving both YPR national staff and local representatives. It’s important to distinguish between advocacy, lobbying, and grassroots lobbying.

  • Advocacy focuses on educating individuals—such as elected officials, government employees, and community members—about specific public policy issues.
  • Lobbying involves direct efforts to influence particular legislation at the local, state, or federal level – As a non-profit, YPR is not allowed to lobby
  • Grassroots lobbying, specifically, encourages the general public to contact legislators or take action to influence legislation.

While lobbying and grassroots lobbying are smaller components of most nonprofit advocacy efforts, including YPR, they constitute a designated percentage of the organization’s operating budget.

To ensure the integrity of the advocacy process, YPR requires the following steps be followed:

1. Any YPR member who wishes to partake in the advocacy process must contact YPR’s Senior Project Coordinator, Coreen Johnson, beforehand. Contact her on Slack or email: [email protected]

2. An advocacy plan/statement must be presented to the Senior Project Coordinator. 

3. Members must fill out the Advocacy Plan of Action.

4. The Senior Project Coordinator will discuss the specific plan with the Executive Director to determine if YPR will take an official stance on the issue at hand.

Take a look at the Non-profit do’s and don’ts to gain a better understanding! 

Chapters work to shift systems of care within their communities focusing on initiatives like: 

  • Prevention
  • Treatment
  • Harm Reduction
  • Judicial & Law Enforcement
  • Housing
  • Education
  • Employment
  • Recovery Support

Some chapters already have state-focused advocacy initiatives. Work with your chapter lead to identify your role in your advocacy plan, or create one. 

SOCIAL MEDIA LEAD

  • The Social Media Lead is responsible for working with the leadership team to promote all events on social media.
  • Ideal candidates should have a strong social media presence and be able to engage peers to converse on multiple platforms. They should also use recovery vernacular that will engage the recovery community, allies, and others to support events and initiatives. They should also have a certain awareness of cultural competency and sensitivity to diverse populations and be inclusive.
  • Additional responsibilities may include Creating and marketing event pages and fliers on multiple social media outlets, conversing with the general public about YPR’s mission and vision, and sharing other media on platforms that are recovery-friendly and inclusive.

Work with your chapter lead to gain access to any established social media pages. If a platform you want to use does not already have an account for your chapter, work with your chapter lead and YPR Business Operations to create one. Social Media Platforms could include:

  • Facebook
  • Instagram 
  • TikTok
  • X (Twitter) 
  • Meetup 

Do: 

  • Use recovery-friendly language
  • Stay on-brand with up-to-date colors and logos
  • Highlight success stories and post empowering content
  • Announce events held by your above others chapter or the national team

Don’ts: 

  • Post photos of participants without their permission
  • Share war stories or overly negative content
  • Highlight one recovery pathway above others
  • Swear
  • Announcements for local or national events
  • Data, facts, and articles related to recovery, legislature, chapter activities / impacts, etc.
  • Information about harm reduction like Narcan, fentanyl test strips, etc.
  • Recovery stories and successes

YPR has brand guidelines to ensure that all social media content and fliers are consistent with our brand and messaging. We strive to always honor and reflect our mission, vision, and core values. Check out the YPR Brand Guide for direction and tips to make sure your content is in alignment!

We use Canva as a resource for flier and post creation. Work with your Chapter Lead to get access to our YPR team and templates.

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