Viktoria Skobodzinski is June’s Coalition Member of the Month
Viktoria Skobodzinski is June’s Coalition Member of the Month, representing our Youth Sector since 2016. Viktoria is a 16 year-old sophomore at Riverhead High School. In her spare time, she likes to spend time with her friends, go to the beach, take pictures (mainly of flowers and the beach), and most importantly, she loves to hang out with her cat.
In addition, she has a fondness for coffee and is a regular at Dunkin Donuts. She enjoys making music; she plays the flute, ukulele and piano. Viktoria also takes AP classes and loves to learn. In the future, she plans to go into the physical science field.
taking a leadership role
Over the past several years, Viktoria Skobodzinski has been a dedicated member of our coalition. She is a driving force in the implementation of coalition strategies that focus on preventing and reducing youth use of alcohol, prescription drugs, marijuana, and Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS), also known as vape products.
After years of successful coalition involvement, she has now taken on a strong leadership position within the group. She plays an integral role in training younger members to write and record Public Service Announcements (PSAs), creating and delivering community-based presentations, leading the youth coalition’s annual recruitment activities, partnering with Coalition staff and the Riverhead Police Department to facilitate Medication Take Back Days, and much more. Most recently, Viktoria has been selected as a lead presenter to speak in front of the Suffolk County Legislature’s Health Committee on June 13th in the youth coalition’s latest effort to reduce youth vaping through a population-level approach.
Riverhead Community Coalition Coordinator Kelly Miloski sat down with Viktoria Skobodzinski to talk about her experience with the coalition.
Here are the highlights:
- Why did you get involved in the coalition?
“I first became involved by participating in Samantha Skunk, which is an interactive medicine abuse prevention presentation that targets students in pre-K through 2nd grade. The presentation was so much fun. Once I found out that the activity was part of the Riverhead Youth Coalition, I decided to start going to the meetings. I have also been part of the peer leadership program. Since it has been so successful in schools, I thought why not work to expand these efforts to do more activities within the community? I see the impacts that substance use has had on people and it has been such an issue in our schools, especially with the rise in vaping.” - What is your favorite coalition activity?
“I love Medication Take Back events! They are so much fun and the coalition really gets to know each other. These events allow the community to safely dispose of their unwanted and unused medication. During the events, the youth coalition participates by surveying attendees and handing out incentives. Not only are these events important for the community, but I also get to hang out with fellow members and have a great time.” - Name three words that best describe you.
“Creative, intelligent, and compassionate.” - Besides coalition work, what else do you like to do?
“I love taking pictures, jamming out to music, reading Harry Potter, and relaxing outside.”
Interested in learning more about coalition or youth coalition membership?
Contact Kelly Miloski at (631) 727-3722 ext. 106 or Kelly.Miloski@RiverheadCAP.org.
