Connecting With Our Community at Skate 4 Life

Youth Recovery Coach Alexa Eisworth contributed to this article.

Healthy Acadia’s Youth Recovery Coaches recently had a wonderful opportunity to connect with youth, adults, and community members at the 6th Annual Skate 4 Life event in Calais. Held August 8 at the Calais Skatepark, the event celebrated the skatepark’s 25th anniversary while bringing the community together around suicide prevention, mental health awareness, and substance recovery resources. The event featured skateboarding, BMX, scootering, and blading, along with prize giveaways, raffles, and local vendors.

Healthy Acadia’s Youth Recovery Coaching Program provides free, one-on-one peer support to young people ages 14–21 in Washington and Hancock counties who are navigating recovery or are impacted by substance use in their lives or families. Trained Youth Recovery Coaches offer mentorship, encouragement, connection to community resources, and support as young people work toward their own goals and well-being.

Throughout the day, our team engaged in meaningful conversations about Youth Recovery Coaching, shared resources, and talked about the support available to young people in our community. Even with the rain, the event continued, and so did we! Thankfully, our community partners at AMHC invited us to share their gazebo, helping us stay mostly dry while continuing to connect with community members.

Overall, it was a successful and rewarding event. We were excited to reach so many people, share information about Youth Recovery Coaching, and spread awareness about the resources and support available to youth.

A big thank you to AMHC, the Brendan Leddy Memorial Fund, and all of our community partners who help make these opportunities possible. We are grateful for every chance to get out into the community, build connections, and let young people know that support is available when they need it.

Calais Skatepark, located on Calais Avenue near the Howard Fox Memorial Pool and Thomas DiCenzo Athletic Complex, is free and open daily from dawn to dusk, with lighting available until 10 p.m. The park welcomes skateboards, BMX bikes, rollerblades, and scooters and is maintained by local volunteers and the Calais Skatepark community.