Ridge Education Action & Community Health

REACH is a youth leadership group based in Bernards Township. The mission of REACH (Ridge Education Action & Community Health) is to promote healthy lifestyle choices through mental health awareness and the prevention of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs among Bernards Township Youth.

• Raise awareness of Natural Highs and other alternative activities.
• Educate fellow youth about the dangers of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs.
• Create positive change through leadership and self-acceptance.

Formerly known as Ridge Against Alcohol & Drugs (RAAD), REACH has been working in the Bernards Township community for over 20 years. REACH has always had the goal of preventing and reducing underage alcohol and drug use amongst Bernards Township youth, but has recently also become passionate about vaping prevention, de-stigmatizing mental health, and a focus on student stress.

REACH meets twice a month at the Bernards Township Community Center to plan programs and activities that are synergistic with their goals for the town they live in.

REACH can be found at many events during the year including:

• Suicide Prevention Week
• Back to School Night
• Youth Summit Day at WAMS
• Mayor's Fall Festival
• Charter Day
• Twilight Challenge 5K Race
• Party in the Park Movie Night
• National Night Out

REACH students attend the Lindsey Meyer Teen Institute (LMTI) annually in August to learn leadership skills and form an action plan to bring back to Bernards Township. Students are nominated to attend LMTI in the early spring and invited to attend by the end of the school year.

In order to join REACH, a student must be a 9-12th grader that either attends school or resides in Bernards Township. Students are expected to want to enact positive change in the community through healthy lifestyle choices including being alcohol, tobacco, and drug-free. For more information, email advisor Kaitlin Cartoccio at Kcartoccio@bernards.org.

REACH is sponsored by the Bernards Township Youth Services Commission, Municipal Alliance, and the Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

REACH 2024-2025 Leadership

• Co-Presidents: Charli Geary & Kevin Ward
• Secretary: Adhirai Karthik
• Social Media Coordinator: Anushka Pophali
• Youth Advisory Council Members (YACs): Colton Rooney, Caroline White, Kevin Ward, Logan Murphy, Adhirai Karthik, Anushka Pophali, Winter Karl Gruswitz

REACH Links

• Mental Health - You're Not Alone
• Follow REACH on Instagram
• REACH Linktree

Youth Mental Health First Aid is designed to teach parents, family members, caregivers, teachers, school staff, peers, neighbors, health and human services workers, and other caring citizens how to help an adolescent (age 12-18) who is experiencing a mental health or addictions challenge or is in crisis. Youth Mental Health First Aid is primarily designed for adults who regularly interact with young people. The course introduces common mental health challenges for youth, reviews typical adolescent development, and teaches a 5-step action plan for how to help young people in both crisis and non-crisis situations. Topics covered include anxiety, depression, substance use, disorders in which psychosis may occur, disruptive behavior disorders (including AD/HD), and eating disorders. 

Members of the Bernards Township Municipal Alliance are trained as YMHFA First Aid Instructors and frequently conduct classes. 

Students at LMTI Summer Leadership Conference 2024

The mission of the Lindsey Meyer Teen Institute (LMTI) is to guide young people to realize their leadership potential and become empowered to create positive change in themselves, in their schools, and in their communities.

Every summer, students from REACH (Ridge Education Action & Community Health) attend the Summer Leadership Conference. The Summer Leadership Conference is an opportunity for high school students from throughout New Jersey to come together for a week to learn new concepts, develop confidence in themselves and their abilities, and gain the skills and tools necessary to create a positive impact in their schools and communities.

The Bernards Township Municipal Alliance & Youth Services Commission have been working together for nearly 30 years to send Bernards Township students to LMTI to learn leadership skills. Students typically are nominated to attend LMTI the summer going into their freshmen year. Campers are then invited to join REACH to put their community plan into action.

For more information on the nomination process, sending a student to LMTI, or anything about REACH, please contact advisor Kaitlin Cartoccio at Kcartoccio@bernards.org.

To learn more about the Lindsey Meyer Teen Institute and their parent organization, Partners in Prevention, please visit https://njlmti.org/

LMTI Links

• Inspire Change Through Youth Empowerment
• Follow LMTI on Instagram
• Follow LMTI on Youtube

The goal of Grab n Go Teen Outreach is to reach out to students in the community to offer creative outlets and constructive ways for adolescents to deal with their stressors in a healthy way. The main focus of the program is the already existing Teen Advisory Board "Grab and Go" Bags that have been taking place at the Bernards Township Library during 2020 through the end of 2022.

Pick up kits contain items for activities that can act as a study break or stress reliever to remind the adolescent using them that they should prioritize self-care and overall mental and physical well-being. The program aims to address stress, anxiety, peer pressure and healthy vs unhealthy coping skills. Bags are available quarterly. For more information and a schedule of pick up kits, visit https://www.bernardslibrary.org/ysc-teen-programs

Grab n Go Teen Outreach is sponsored by the Bernards Township Youth Services Commission, Municipal Alliance, and the Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

Students at Youth Summit Day 2024

Youth Summit Day is a school based conference that provides the 8th graders at William Annin Middle School a chance to participate in workshops to learn about making healthy choices and decision and resisting peer pressures.

REACH students start off the day with a presentation, followed by speakers from the Lindsey Meyer Teen Institute and workshops facilitated by both WAMS staff and REACH students. 

Mind n Mingle is a monthly program designed to help our teens relax, connect, and focus on their mental health in a world where they are asked to push themselves to the limit. Each month, BTL and the Bernards Township Youth Services Commission will offer a rotating assortment of programs that will invite teens to take some time for themselves, reflect on their mental health, and spend time with their friends — or make new ones!

For more information and a schedule of events, visit https://www.bernardslibrary.org/ysc-teen-programs

Grab n Go Teen Outreach is sponsored by the Bernards Township Youth Services Commission, Municipal Alliance, and the Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

Molly Mooney (School Counselor at Cedar Hill School) and Kaitlin Cartoccio, COPE Program Coordinators

COPE was created by Cedar Hill Elementary School Counselor, Molly Mooney during the 2017-2018 school as a way to provide students with a chance to learn about and express their emotions. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Molly worked with the Bernards Township Youth Services Commission to write a grant to bring COPE to all Bernards Township Elementary School students. Currently, there are over 160 COPE kits in every elementary school classroom in Bernards Township including special areas. Each COPE kit contains emotional regulation tools, fidgets and other methods to channel emotions in a positive way. Each COPE kit also contains an emotions card that can help remind the students to visit the school counselor if they need to. In addition to the COPE kits, the grant provided all four school counselors with curriculum and Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) books, games, toys and tools to help better serve their student population. COPE was first introduced in the 2022-2023 school year and has been funded through the end of the 2025 school year.

COPE is sponsored by the Bernards Township Youth Services Commission, Municipal Alliance, and the Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders.