Dear CVNL Nomination Committee, November 12, 2016
I enthusiastically nominate Noah Block for the 2016 Heart of Marin Youth Volunteer Award. Noah, a Sir Francis Drake High School senior is an intelligent, compassionate and committed activist. He has been supporting the health and wellbeing of his peers for over four years through his work in the YMCA Marin County Youth Court.
Youth Court is in the forefront of mitigating the “school to prison” pipeline by deploying restorative practices that keep kids in school and out of the juvenile justice system. The Youth Court’s transformative power is derived from its non-adversarial, peer-to-peer restorative practices.
Noah has served in every roll in the Youth Court program; he is an insightful juror, an experienced bailiff and a thoughtful and compassionate advocate for his peers. He is also an experienced Youth Court Advocate trainer helping others to learn restorative processes that support their peers.
Noah is a member of Marin’s Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Commission and a board member of the Marin Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Noah’s activism around youth rights earned him a scholarship to 2016 ACLU Summer Advocacy Institute at Georgetown University in Washington, DC.
Through his work with the Youth Court Noah has become an expert on the effect drugs and alcohol has on his generation; he attended the Youth Court’s Drug & Alcohol Safety Skills Training multiple times and gained a wealth of knowledge on the impact substances have on the developing brain.
With this knowledge and foreseeing the possible problems that legalization of recreational marijuana would have on his peers, Noah designed and produced Marijuana: Myths vs Facts, a peer driven workshop exposing the dangers of high potency marijuana on the developing brain. The workshop was chosen by the Novato Blue Ribbon Coalition for Youth as a prevention tool for the Novato Schools, and the Novato Youth Center translated the workshop into Spanish so all students would have access to this important message.
Marijuana: Myths vs Facts was also chosen to be presented at the 18th Annual Teens Tackle Tobacco, Alcohol, Drugs and Youth Wellness Conference to both high school and middle school students in February and March of this year.
The Marijuana: Myths vs Factsworkshop was chosen again and presented this November to administrators, principals, middle and secondary educators, and community health and student support providers at the Fourth Annual Northern California Safe and Healthy Schools Conference. In addition the Healthy Marin Partnership has chosen Marijuana: Myths vs Facts to be presented at the 20th and 21st Annual Peer Summits.
This past spring Noah organized students to save and expand the Tamalpais Unified School District (TUSD) Student Wellness Center. He led a student Wellness Center lobby that met with TUHSD Trustees; he recruited 35 student petitioners, who gathered over 600 signatures, from students, facility and parents in favor of the Wellness Center. He attended every board meeting and spoke eloquently on the need for a Wellness Center in all TUHSD campuses. He ran for the Drake Student Body Vice President as the Wellness Center candidate and won. Noah is currently the TUSD Student Trustee representing Drake High School.
Noah also serves on the Marin County Youth Commission (MCYC), and has shown exemplary leadership. He serves as the MCYC Secretary and through his role as an MCYC cabinet member, Noah has raised critical questions, shown an in-depth understanding of issues affecting his community, and above all shows a genuine concern for issues of equity in Marin County. Noah brings his leadership to Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol with other students, elected officials, and community member to influence policy that will decrease access to alcohol for youth in Marin and ensure that youth across Marin County have access to a healthy lifestyle.
Noah has dedicated hundreds of hours supporting his peers and community. Please give serious consideration to recognizing Noah Block with the CVNL 2016 Youth Volunteer Award.
Respectfully
Don Carney,
Marin YMCA Restorative Services Director
MARIN YMCA
1500 Los Gamos Drive, San Rafael, CA94903
415-492-9622 •