2020/2021 Leadership Academy Highlights

SAFE Project recently completed its third annual Collegiate Recovery Leadership Academy with a retreat at the Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah. The retreat marked the end of a year-long fellowship for college students who are passionate about the intersection of collegiate recovery, leadership, and service to others.

Hailing from all over the country, 30 students actively engaged on their campuses, attended a virtual Leadership Summit in November, completed impact projects, participated in educational webinars, and celebrated each other’s hard work.

Here are a few highlights from the completed impact projects:

• Seven recovery awareness events
• Four new or expanded Collegiate Recovery Communities (CRC)
• Three recovery ally trainings
• Two fundraisers, including one newly created scholarship for students in recovery and one crowdsourcing campaign for a CRC
• Two awareness campaigns, including one focusing on mental health and one on harm reduction

Additionally, our Leadership Academy students started support groups, installed mental health first aid kits around campus, hosted a 5K, and created a peer mentoring program.

“I have only stepped foot on the FAU campus a handful of times since being accepted last summer. Even still, because of the CRLA, I have never before in my life felt so much like a “real college student” and so connected to my school.” – 2021 CRLA Fellow, Florida Atlantic University

While the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted so many facets of our lives, it did not stop substance use disorders and mental health challenges. In fact, the need for support only increased. The tireless work of these students illustrates that even in the most difficult of times, there are individuals and communities that are willing and able to make transformative change, save lives, offer hope, and sow the seeds of a better future.