The Collaborative's RTU Program

01/26/2026

01/14/2026

We are so grateful to all of our sponsors who help make this program a success!

Just a reminder that Dialogue Nights (Event #4) are happening throughout the month of January. This is an opportunity for participants to come together with their trusted adult to engage in meaningful conversation about connection and how we can prevent substance misuse as a community.

Check out the RTU calendar or the RTU portal for dates and times! Registration is required for these events - please reach out if you have questions!

This event is required for RTU participants and trusted adults to attend together!

Remaining events include:

1/15 - 5:15 at The Manchester Community Library (Panel about Family Support in Recovery)
1/16 - 3:00 at BBA Yoga Studio (Reconnection and Meditation Yoga)
1/20 - 6:30 at Leland and Gray
1/21 - 6:00 at Maple Street (Potluck and Game Night)
1/28 - 6:00 at Winhall Community Art Center (Potluck and Game Night)

10/10/2025

Kickoff was a blast! Thank you so much to everyone who made it possible!

Thank you to everyone who joined us on Sunday, September 28th, for the kickoff of our 21st Resilience Through Understanding (RTU) season!

The Collaborative is deeply grateful to the youth and caring adults who took time out of their Sunday to play their part in prevention and community wellness! We are also grateful to the partners who made this event possible! 💚

Missed it? Join us for the makeup event on October 8th from 6:30PM - 8:00PM at Burr & Burton Academy!

10/10/2025

Register today!

Register OPEN for The Collaborative's RTU Program!

This long-standing community program aims to prevent substance misuse in our communities by providing education, resources, and programming to local middle and high school youth and their caring adults.

The BEST part? Teens who complete the work can earn a FREE season pass to one of these great activities:

Stratton Mountain Resort 🏂
Dorset Theatre Festival 🎭
Riley Rink at Hunter Park 🏒
Viking Nordic Center ⛷️
Magic Mountain Ski Area 🏔️
The Dorset Players 🎭

ACT SOON - 10/25 Deadline to receive Stratton season passes

Questions? Email [email protected] or visit https://thecollaborative.us/rtu/

09/11/2025

📣 Don't miss out! You're invited to The Collaborative's RTU Program 2025 Kickoff! 🗓️ Sunday, September 28th at 3 p.m. 📍 Riley Rink in Manchester, VT.

RTU is our signature prevention program for teens, igniting change in middle and high school students across 10 schools and 50+ towns. We educate on the risks of substance use and open doors to healthy activities, empowering youth to thrive. Last year alone, RTU engaged almost 400 student participants and over 350 caring adults in our impactful prevention education series!

RTU empowers teens to make healthy choices, engaging nearly 400 students and over 350 adults last year! Our theme this year is "The Power of Connection." Come explore our Healthy Alternatives Fair, featuring amazing local organizations dedicated to well-being like Smokey House, Vermont Department of Health, GNAT-TV, Manchester Community Library, Bennington County Turning Point, West River Valley Thrives, Dorset Players, SVAC, Mountain Community Arts, Mountain Town Recreation, and Stratton Escape Room and more!

Your presence makes a difference! Come support local youth and caring adults.

Questions or want to RSVP? Email us at [email protected].

08/27/2025

The Collaborative's Resilience Through Understanding™ Program is open for registration! This long-standing community program aims to prevent substance misuse in our communities by providing education, resources, and programming to local middle and high school youth and their caring adults.

In return for registering and completing all the work, young people can earn a pass to Stratton Mountain Resort, Dorset Theatre Festival, Northshire Civic Center - Riley Rink at Hunter Park, Viking Nordic Center, Magic Mountain Ski Area, or The Dorset Players.

Register today to ensure that you are able to take part in this incredible program that not only provides educational opportunities within our community, it provides a season pass (no blackout dates) to some incredible places!

Questions? Reach out to [email protected] and we'll help you out!

DEADLINE: Registrations MUST be completed and payment received by October 25, 2025 to participate this program season. This is a reminder that as part of the RTU program, participants are expected to engage in the values of integrity, accountability, and responsibility. To that end, we need to give....

08/07/2025

FREE SEPTEMBER WEBINAR!

Breaking the Silence: Talking Mental Health with Your Kids & Teens
Presenter: Minding Your Mind
Date: September 9 at 1:00 PM EST
Description: In partnership with Minding Your Mind, this webinar offers a powerful combination of clinical expertise and lived experience to help adults better understand youth mental health. A licensed therapist and a young adult speaker will share real-life insights into how anxiety, depression, trauma, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts often show up in kids and teens. You'll learn how to recognize early warning signs, respond with empathy, and start honest, stigma-free conversations that build trust. Grounded in trauma-informed care, this session offers practical tools to support emotional regulation, coping, and connection—at home, in school, and beyond.
Registration link: https://rs9fo.share.hsforms.com/2tHchPIdpRfmNlstmOP8UOw

08/07/2025

Are you ready for the 2025-2026 RTU™ Season?

Are you a young person in middle or high school at Manchester Elementary Middle School, Maple Street School, Flood Brook School, The Mountain School at Winhall, Long Trail School, Burr and Burton Academy, Arlington Memorial High School & Fisher Elementary, Stratton Mountain School, Leland and Gray Middle and High School, and the Dorset School? Or a homeschool student in that catchment area?

Then, this program is for you!

Young people sign up to take classes in substance misuse education, asset building, skill building, and connection between September and March and, in return for their effort and hard work, receive a SEASON PASS to a local recreation partner!

Passes are available to Stratton Mountain Resort, Magic Mountain Ski Area, Viking Nordic Center, Northshire Civic Center - Riley Rink at Hunter Park, and The Dorset Players this RTU™ season.

Registration opens August 15th! Make sure to register early to be able to engage in the full benefits of this amazing community program!

And in the meantime, check out this sweet banner that we presented at CADCA this past year, all about our amazing program - there's nothing else like it in the country!

07/01/2025

For any teen out there looking for quit support in a judgement-free space!

Tomorrow's the Day! Are you a teen who wants to quit va**ng or smoking? Come to the Manchester Community Library for Not on To***co -- A Group for Teens -- for the support, information, and tools to you need to make informed choices. Here's Carson Schafer, Children and Youth Services Librarian, with more info https://youtu.be/vm_4vortwes?feature=shared

***co

07/01/2025

Congratulations to Lily!

LONDONDERRY – The Collaborative of Londonderry has announced that Lily LaRue, a resident of Weston and recent Burr and Burton Academy graduate, is the recipient of its annual Resilience Through

05/21/2025

🚫💨 Why NOT? 💭
Is your teen ready to quit va**ng or smoking?

Not On To***co (N-O-T) is a FREE, supportive drop-in group designed just for teens (ages 13–19) who want to quit for good. Led in a safe, judgment-free space, N-O-T helps teens tackle not just the habit—but the whole why behind it.

🧠 Learn how to:
✅ Cope with stress
✅ Build confidence
✅ Make healthy choices
✅ Stay active & eat well
✅ Find support from peers and mentors

💬 Teens will talk, learn, and grow—together.

📍 Drop-in sessions at Manchester Community Library
🗓 1st & 3rd Wednesdays | 🕞 3:30 – 4:30 PM
📍 138 Cemetery Ave, Manchester Center, VT

Let’s help teens take the first step toward a tobacco-free future. 💪
***co ***coFreeTeens

05/11/2025

We love a good collaboration at The Collaborative and we love to support our friends and neighbors. Maxine Linehan has been an RTU parent for years and we are so grateful for the work she does in the community.

Music has the power to change lives and is a huge protective factor for youth in our community! Thank you to the artists and creators who make our community vibrant, while also serving as role models for our young people!

Stay tuned for End of Program Incentives to Dorset Theatre Festival for those RTU youth who have completed the program and get yourself to Maxine's show at Southern Vermont Art Center!

Join me for the Maxine & Friends Benefit Concert on Sunday, May 18, at 5:30 pm at the Southern Vermont Arts Center benefiting Red Fox School!

Don't miss the family-friendly pre-concert entertainment with food trucks, family games, and a full bar starting at 4:00pm, plus a special opening act at 5:00pm from this year's Battle of the Bands winner, Long Trail School's Zero Influence!

THANK YOU to our generous sponsors for their invaluable support and for helping to make this event possible!! We are so grateful for the opportunity to partner with you.

Book your tickets here: https://www.svac.org/class/partner-program-red-fox-school-presents-maxine-and-friends/?wcs_timestamp=1747589400