News
HRiA Director Receives National Award
April 20, 2011
A vital and long-time leader at Health Resources in Action, Laurie Jo Wallace, has been honored with the National Role Model in the Peer Program Field award from National Association of Peer Program Professionals (NAPPP).
"It's great to be recognized for doing what you believe in," said Wallace, director of training and capacity building at HRiA. "Especially since it's already an honor to work with young people."
Peer leadership programs are one of Wallace's specialties. She began her career as a high school French and English teacher. She loved working with kids, but a chance encounter started her on the path to her work with HRiA. After volunteering to act as the adult advisor to a peer leadership group at her school, Wallace realized the beauty of the peer program.
"I loved the model," she says. "It is dynamic. It's a place where young people chose to be, and it engaged the students, the school, and the whole community." For the last 20 years, Wallace has brought this enthusiasm for peer and youth work to HRiA as her role has grown. Initially hired to train peer leaders and adult advisrs in substance abuse prevention, her career has evolved to include working with other adults serving youth, like police and street workers and expanded to new topics, like violence prevention and HIV/AIDS.
It has culminated, says Wallace, in the creation of the BEST initiative (Building Exemplary Systems of Training for Youth Workers). BEST is northern New England's only region-wide professional development and credentialing system for youth workers and their supervisors. To date, BEST has trained more than 8,000 youth workers and provided technical assistance to their agencies, which serve more than 50,000 youth in Greater Boston, throughout Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Ontario, Canada.
NAPPP helps adults establish, train, supervise, maintain and evaluate peer programs. Wallace serves on the board of directors at NAPPP.
"It's great to be recognized for doing what you believe in," said Wallace, director of training and capacity building at HRiA. "Especially since it's already an honor to work with young people."
Peer leadership programs are one of Wallace's specialties. She began her career as a high school French and English teacher. She loved working with kids, but a chance encounter started her on the path to her work with HRiA. After volunteering to act as the adult advisor to a peer leadership group at her school, Wallace realized the beauty of the peer program.
"I loved the model," she says. "It is dynamic. It's a place where young people chose to be, and it engaged the students, the school, and the whole community." For the last 20 years, Wallace has brought this enthusiasm for peer and youth work to HRiA as her role has grown. Initially hired to train peer leaders and adult advisrs in substance abuse prevention, her career has evolved to include working with other adults serving youth, like police and street workers and expanded to new topics, like violence prevention and HIV/AIDS.
It has culminated, says Wallace, in the creation of the BEST initiative (Building Exemplary Systems of Training for Youth Workers). BEST is northern New England's only region-wide professional development and credentialing system for youth workers and their supervisors. To date, BEST has trained more than 8,000 youth workers and provided technical assistance to their agencies, which serve more than 50,000 youth in Greater Boston, throughout Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Ontario, Canada.
NAPPP helps adults establish, train, supervise, maintain and evaluate peer programs. Wallace serves on the board of directors at NAPPP.
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