MVYTF educating people about alcohol effects on the brain at the MVH Health Fair. —Courtesy MVYTF 
All Kids Thrive Island Camp Summit 2026 in collaboration with YMCA, The Farm Institute, and Felix Neck Wildlife Refuge. —Courtesy MVYTF 
Camp Summit 2026 with Farm Institute, YMCA, and Felix Neck bring camp leadership to learn about the importance of their role as trusted adults in campers lives. —Courtesy MVYTF
Our Island youth are a precious treasure. Since 2004, the Martha’s Vineyard Youth Task Force (YTF) has worked to protect them. They know it takes a village to reduce substance use and risky behavior in children across the Island. In that light, YTF promotes community-wide health and wellness for young people and families. They do so through a collaborative network of youth, parents, health practitioners, health and social service organizations, public officials, educators, law enforcement officers, and other community members.
YTF grew out of a response to concerns about the findings of a 1999 Youth Risk Behavior Survey conducted by the Martha’s Vineyard schools, which documented high levels of substance use and other risky behaviors among youth in grades seven through 12. The troubling data directly led local parents, school administrators, and civic leaders to mobilize, culminating in the official formation of YTF in 2004. Now, it is the task force that conducts a biannual survey of middle and high schoolers to track use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs.
“The 1999 survey was during the opiate epidemic, which was significantly more of an issue than we’re dealing with currently,” YTF Executive Director Angela Knapp says. “Currently, we have some of the lowest overdose rates that we’ve seen in years. Things are looking really good for our youth here on Martha’s Vineyard. The results related to over-the-counter medications and pharmaceutical misuse are quite low. We’re lower than the nation, and we’re lower than the state of Massachusetts.”
The task force uses the data to guide its other work, which focuses on collaborating with community stakeholders. For instance, in partnership with the schools, Knapp goes into health and science classes to speak about prevention before it becomes an issue. She continues, “Our Youth Risk Survey shows that most middle schoolers report trying or starting to use alcohol and tobacco for the first time around 10½ years old. Most of us aren’t talking to our kids about this at that age. YTF will also be providing one-on-one counseling with parents or students who are facing disciplinary action about why we use substances, how to identify our activator, and finding a coping mechanism that gives us an alternative.”
Scott Mullin, advancement and development manager, began helping YTF in 2021, in collaboration with Community Services’ Family Resource Center, to create LGBTQ youth programming on the Island. They brought the Out at Home program from the Home for Little Wanderers in Boston to the Island, to provide outpatient therapeutic support services for Vineyard LGBTQ individuals, families, couples, and caregivers.
Knapp says, “We are also a Hope Framework–certified organization, so we create environments and experiences that support children early on. Evidence shows that positive childhood experiences can offset adverse childhood experiences.” Along these lines, YTF spearheaded last year’s First Night celebration to provide a wholesome, substance-free community event, held on Dec. 31 at the Martha’s Vineyard Playhouse from 5 to 8 pm. Community nonprofits came together to offer crafts and activities. Upstairs, a DJ played while people danced, and local restaurants donated warm food and drinks.
Another example is YTF’s Early Education Resiliency Program, which supports in-home daycare enrichment. Jenna Robichau, founder and certified arts educator behind Active Arts, helps young people understand their bodies and emotions through play and movement. Knapp says, “As you work with your body through different movements, which might be crawling, jumping, or slithering across the floor, you’re connecting with your nervous system and emotions. Jenna teaches how to use your body to reset when you might feel anxious, overly excited, or overstimulated, and what to do when these emotions arise.”
YTF supports parents, as well. For instance, the six-week course “Guiding Good Choices” is offered in collaboration with the Family Resource Center. Knapp says, “It’s geared toward parents of tweens and early teens on how to talk to their kids about what these substances are and how to create clear family values. Many young children don’t understand their parents’ expectations.” The program is hosted at the various town libraries, with childcare while parents meet. “We send the families home with dinner after to simplify life, because we’re asking for their afternoon and evening time.”
Knapp notes a recent shift in the organization. “We have a new slogan: ‘Powered by youth. Backed by community.’ With this in mind, we’re creating a youth advisory board and youth advisory coalition made up of high school students to inform what we’re doing. After all, they are the ones who know what they need.”
Knapp explains, “Participants on the youth advisory board will receive a stipend for their expertise. There is an application, and we’ll be looking for a diverse group of eight to 10 individuals. Applicants should be passionate, motivated, and interested in advocacy and leadership, because a big part of what we hope to do with the youth is help them make change in the community. They will also travel to different political events around prevention, substance use, and smokeless tobacco, which is becoming a concern in the community. We will bring in all grade levels, with hopes that our first-year students will stay with us all four years.”
The youth advisory coalition is ongoing within the school and open to anyone. Knapp notes, “The youth advisory board will consistently touch base with the coalition around how to create recreational activities and connect with the youth community across the Island. In time, our goal is that we’ll be in the middle schools, and that will hopefully feed into the high school program.”
A comparison of the 2005 and 2025 Youth Risk Behavior Surveys (the earliest and latest dates for which the YFT data are available) reveals that the numbers have improved over the years. For instance, in 2005, 11 percent of middle schoolers and 54 percent of high schoolers had consumed alcohol in the past 30 days. In 2025, fewer than 1 percent of middle schoolers reported drinking alcohol in the past 30 days, and 20 percent of high schoolers did. Knapp says, “That is a 10 percent reduction in middle school drinking rates, and a 34 percent reduction in high school drinking rates, over the past 20 years of YTF surveying the community.”
For the question about marijuana, in 2005, some 3 percent of middle schoolers and 38 percent of high schoolers had used marijuana in the past 30 days. In 2025, it was 0 percent of middle schoolers, and less than 15 percent of high schoolers.
Knapp says, “Vaping is another concern that YTF identified in 2016 and began addressing immediately. Since 2016, Martha’s Vineyard vaping rates have been lower than the national and Massachusetts averages.” She adds, “One component we need to address now is the rising rates of tobacco pouch and kratom use. In our 2027 survey, we will address these issues more directly.”
Asked what she would like readers to know about how to help youth, Knapp says, “The most important message is that community connection and belonging are among the key root elements that help us avoid later high-risk behaviors, and reduce the likelihood of substance use disorder. By getting into an individual’s life, at whatever age, you can make a difference by creating a community of respected, trusted individuals. Remember, any one person can make a difference by being that trusted confidant, and communication is a key aspect of that.”
For more information, visit mvyouthtaskforce.org.
