Earlier this month, the Jerry J. Dawson Civic Leadership Institute (DCLI) partnered with the Macon-Piatt Regional Office of Education to host a private dinner with Rise Together’s Anthony Alvarado & Nadine Machkovech.
Rise Together is a grassroots 501(c)3 non-profit organization whose mission is to prevent substance use and promote positive mental health.
Similar to the work DCLI does, Rise Together’s mission centers around young people. Alvarado, founder of Rise Together & Machkovech, executive director of Rise Together, lead this mission by educating, engaging, and empowering young people to use their voices for change.
“The reason why I am out here speaking is because I want to share my story, in the hopes that you find yours,” Alvarado said. “We have been breaking silence for the last decade, and we help to educate, engage, and empower a lot of young people.”
During the first week of March, Alvarado & Machkovech spent time in the central IL area, speaking to students at several schools and venues about their organization’s mission and encouraging students to join their movement.
One of those stops was at the Macon-Piatt Regional Office of Education. DCLI participants had the privilege of hearing from Alvarado & Machkovech, learning about Rise Together, and having a conversation surrounding the issues most important to their communities.
“I am super pumped to be with you guys tonight,” Machkovech said. “We are really excited to be with you guys. It’s been an honor. We have actually been in your community so far this whole week. This is our eighth presentation. We are pumped to be here with you guys. We had opportunities to be over in Piatt County earlier this week, and now we are working in Macon County. And being able to educate, engage, and empower the students in your communities. Really trying to raise awareness and break the silence around some really important topics that we know our communities are facing.”
Rise Together’s mission is led through story telling and building connection, so the majority of the evening was spent sharing stories with one another. Alvarado & Machkovech each shared their life stories and how it led them to Rise Together.
“I think the only way to truly build connection with others, is through story,” Machkovech said. “As I mentioned earlier, there was a huge part of my life where I felt my life and my story didn’t matter. For me, it wasn’t something I was aware of how much it was affecting me and how much I felt silenced. Eventually, the silence that I had, made me sick.”
Once Alvarado & Machkovech shared their stories, they had the DCLI students work on a series of exercises that helped them not only share their stories but have open discussion about some of the issues causing pain in their lives and their communities. They also talked about the importance of advocating for oneself and finding your voice.
“A lot of what we are talking about, when it comes to storytelling, is actually advocating for yourself,” Alvarado said. “It’s not just about getting on stage, sharing your story, and making a difference around mental health and addiction. I am talking about finding your voice. Your voice. Your voice. What does it sound like? What does it look like? How does it really influence the people around you?”
Some of the stories from Alvarado & Machkovech resonated with the students, and helped them feel comfortable with sharing personal details from their life stories. Some of the students left the evening feeling motivated to believe in themselves and give their all as they continue their life journey.
“What they said, really connected with me, among the other kids, because stuff is hard,” Traymar Brown, MacArthur senior said. “They helped us understand that. It gets easier but you have to put in a little work, too. I just have to try my best at whatever I end up doing, and believe that I can do it.”
To learn more about Rise Together and its mission, CLICK HERE.
Below is the photo gallery from the private dinner with Rise Together’s Anthony Alvarado & Nadine Machkovech.
