In the heart of Clayton, a dedicated community is making waves in the fight against substance abuse. Led by Lili Schliesser, the All-In Coalition is not just a prevention program—it is a community of people who have come together to transform lives by reducing drug and alcohol use. After leading prevention efforts in Rockwood, Schliesser brought her expertise to Clayton, where she’s made an impact over the past two years.

“[When] people are a part of creating the strategies for change, they are more likely to want to help with those strategies. So we include the people we are trying to help in the work—get people to the table. [The] coalition work is most effective on smaller scales. The more we can pinpoint [a] community [to] work within, the more effective we are in our strategies,” Schliesser said.  

Schliesser is leaving the district to become a full-time therapist with Ellie Mental Health in St. Charles, Mo. She feels it will be a big shift for her to go from the macro-level community change to the micro-level individual change, but she feels it is where her heart is.

“I have a big passion for helping individuals take their biggest challenges and turn them into their greatest strengths, which is hard work. Not everybody’s up for that challenge, but I see it as a way to continue this work because a lot of people I’ll be working with have substance use issues or they need to develop healthier coping skills…As much as I’ve been working on that at a community level, now I get to work with individuals to help them integrate these experiences as ways that they can be stronger,” Schliesser said.

Having earned her master’s degree in social work with 900 hours of hands-on experience counseling kids and teens, Schliesser developed a passion for one-on-one therapy and social casework.

“I never felt as on fire as I did in those one-on-one moments in a room with somebody who’s struggling, and I see them and can help them come up with their own solutions, which is what we want. I had one plan, but you[‘ve] got to follow your heart. You’ve got to follow your heart,” Schliesser said.

A SHIFT IN MINDSET

Schliesser pursued her role at Clayton because it was a unique opportunity to move the needle on the underage substance use culture here. 

“This is already a community where we want our youth to succeed and do their best. A part of that is saying they don’t do drugs and alcohol because they’re underage,” Schliesser said. “I saw an opportunity here to shift the culture and have seen a shift in how we view substance use at an administrative level.”

In recent history in public school systems, substance use was something students received detentions and suspensions over. 

“What does that do for the kid who’s struggling? If they’re struggling with a mental health issue, or stress, or struggling with the substance itself—maybe they want to cut back, and they can’t,” Schliesser said.

ADVOCATION

Schliesser feels her most significant accomplishment as a prevention specialist is seeing a shift in how substance abuse is viewed at an administrative level.

“You can’t punish away a behavioral health problem,” Schliesser said. “I think shifting the dialogue among the counselors, social workers and administrators about treating substance use as a behavioral health issue and using restorative practices [to] get kids back into the classroom [and] support them so they don’t make the same [mistakes], that’s a really big shift. I’m proud of that.”

She advocates for a more preventative approach to behavioral health, emphasizing positive reinforcement and counseling over punitive measures. 

“Treating substance use as a behavioral health issue and using restorative practices that get kids back into the classroom [and]support[s] them so that they don’t make the same [mistakes], that’s a big shift,” Schliesser said.

According to HelpGuide.org, “People often abuse alcohol or drugs to ease the symptoms of an undiagnosed mental disorder, to cope with difficult emotions, or to temporarily change their mood.”

“This human existence is really hard. A lot of people will try to resolve anxiety through substance use or other unhealthy coping mechanisms. It takes more effort and self-discipline to do the right thing,” Schliesser said.  

Along those lines, Grace Sullentrup, Wellness Outreach Specialist, believes that the best way to have open and honest conversations about mental health and wellness is to treat it like it is very normal.

“Treating it as something that exists, that we could talk about without feeling bad. Coming up with [a] very normal plan around mental health—[asking] how do we get out of this feeling? Or, how do we feel this feeling and keep doing life? We all have mental health, we all have wellness and sometimes those things take a left turn,” Sullentrup said. “We feel these feelings, and that’s normal. [But] then how do we deal with that? You’ve got to feel your feelings, but you can’t feel bad forever because it’s just destructive.”

According to Sullentrup, a mental break is one of the best coping mechanisms for managing stress.

“You’re putting [that problem] over there for a second, doing something else, and then maybe coming back to it in a better head space,” Sullentrup said.

THE WORK

Students in the All-In Coalition collect data through peer surveys to inform evidence-based strategies for addressing community substance and mental health issues. In the past, they have created fliers, announcement videos and T-shirts, and hosted Red Ribbon Week events.

“I love to watch [students] look at the data [on prevention] and come up with ways to address these problems. That’s advanced work that [students] are doing, and that’s cool,” Schliesser said.  

Much of All-In’s impact on the community stems from students’ work, guided by the programs established by Schliesser and other facilitators. They implemented new programs and created various announcements and activities. Schliesser believes this is a huge step forward in shifting the ideas around substance abuse, alcoholism and mental health. 

“I’m so proud of the kids. [They] are doing so much [to shift] the culture here. Having the Wellness Center and some of the different programs here is huge. We’re all a part of this open dialog about making healthy choices and having healthy coping skills,” Schliesser said.

For example, Schliesser collaborated with All-In on a project that involved taking high school students to Jefferson City to participate in the Hear Us program at Prevent Ed. This legislative forum provides a platform for students to engage directly with state senators and representatives on prevention-related issues. The students advocated for policies and legislation aimed at preventing substance abuse. They presented arguments highlighting the importance of these laws and the potential impact of legislators’ votes on public health.

“It was all adults in the room, except for the students that I brought, and that stood out,” Schliesser said. “The students asked good questions and engaged the legislators powerfully. The students know the data because we work on [it], and they know what strategies work to address underage substance use. They were able to have pretty incredible conversations with legislators who don’t know anything about prevention. We were there to educate them. It was a cool experience to watch these students step into this role.”

According to Wellness Center Director Jennifer McKeown, the experience allowed students to learn firsthand about the legislative process and its impact on public policy.  

“It was cool to see just how that legislative process works and how students can get involved with that on a state level. It was also a fun bonding experience with [Schliesser] and the group. It was great to see her passion and how it’s making an impact, big picture, [on] the advocacy work for the state,” McKeown said.

During her time at the high school, Schliesser also worked to help eliminate minors’ access to drugs and alcohol. She worked with the Clayton Police Department to conduct compliance checks on local businesses that sell these products. A compliance check involves sending a minor, without ID, to a business to try to buy alcohol, and data is taken on how many businesses sell to the minor anyway. 

“We’ve been doing these compliance checks with the Clayton PD for the last couple of years. Thirty percent of the time, businesses were selling to the minor. We kept doing community education, and we kept talking to the businesses. The businesses knew we were coming in to do this, and they still kept failing at a 30% rate, right? So it felt like [we weren’t] doing enough here. You would think just the fact that they know the police are coming, they would all check IDs, but they weren’t doing it,” Schliesser said.

“I met with some of the local city council members [with the Clayton PD & Chief Smith], and we all talked about this problem and said, we think a solution would be requiring the businesses, [and] anybody who sells alcohol, to learn how to check IDs,” Schliesser said.

Missouri does not require [that basic training] but does have a free, online interactive Alcohol Service Program. In February, the Board of Aldermen passed a Clayton ordinance requiring anybody who sells alcohol to go through this training to check IDs. 

“Since that ordinance passed, we have not issued any citations for sales to minors during compliance checks. It was a really big problem and one that wasn’t being resolved by the strategies we were using. So we came up with another strategy, [which] worked. But that was frustrating, to go a year and a half [with] 30% fail rates was very frustrating,” Schliesser said.

THE PAST TO THE FUTURE

Schliesser met with the adult Coalition monthly and with Wydown and high school students biweekly. She spearheaded initiatives connecting adults and students, collaborated with the Wellness Center, and organized student-focused events with All-In. Additionally, she developed a harm reduction curriculum for the 10th-grade health classes. This style of teaching prevention approaches the topic differently than is typical.

“Instead of saying—don’t ever touch drugs and alcohol, we just expect you to never touch drugs and alcohol—the harm reduction approach says ‘some of you guys are going to, and have, and will continue to [use drugs and alcohol],’ so how do we keep you as safe as possible? And so we developed this harm reduction curriculum that [teaches]: how much is a serving of alcohol? What do you do if somebody has alcohol poisoning? What do you do if you’ve smoked so much weed and you’re having a really bad time? What do you do if you uncover somebody in the park who’s dealing with an opioid overdose?” Schliesser said.

According to Schliesser, this is the reality we are living in. She advocated for having conversations about harm reduction to reduce the risk around substance use.

“When students sit through that, and they hear all the things that can go wrong, they’re going to choose not to do it. I wrote the curriculum. It’s evidence-based [using] strategies that have been proven to work in how we communicate with youth about this,” Schliesser said.

Schliesser is excited about the All-In Coalition’s future. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) awarded the Coalition five more years of funding under the Drug-Free Communities (DFC) grant. 

“It is a very competitive grant. So, that means we were able to demonstrate a need here in Clayton. It’s not as bad as it could be in some other communities. But if we are trying to create a society where we all share responsibility and we’re all able to cope, be healthy, and rely on one another, we must address this,” Schliesser said. 

A new director of the DFC grant will be hired, and Schliesser hopes the momentum will continue to grow.

 “I am leaving, but this has not been a Lili project; this has been a Clayton community project, and that community [will] continue to move this work forward,” Schliesser said. “[It’ll evolve.] So, let’s just do five more years of changing the culture in Clayton to say our kids don’t engage in underage substance use, and they’re making healthy choices. Let’s build a culture where the adults don’t tolerate it, and they don’t enable it, and they hold kids accountable.”

HER IMPACT

Sarah Gietschier-Hartman, Health & P.E. teacher and department Chair for Health & Physical Education, is a colleague of Schliesser who frequently collaborated with her on their respective projects and ideas. 

“I think [Schliesser’s impact on Clayton has] been tremendous. It’s really important that our community [realizes] just how much of an impact Lili has had, as well as how much [of an impact] All-In Coalition has [had] as well. Lili’s kind of done it all. I think she’s been a true asset to our community,” Gietschier-Hartman said.

Schliesser’s impact is felt by the students as well.

“She’s made advoc[acy] here larger. Ms. Lili made it a broader spectrum of advocating for the district and to reach out to more people, not only the middle school but high school level too,” sophomore All-In Coalition member Zuri Mwaniki said. 

According to sophomore Zuwena Mwaniki, another All-In member, Schliesser made the advocation here broader and more impactful. 

“[The coalitions] participate in [helping] all the five schools of [the] district. As much as people might not pay attention in the long term, people remember the small projects, posters [and] videos that go out during homecoming week. That stays and resonates in people’s heads, further convey[ing] our message at a broader spectrum,” Zuwena said.

McKeown reflects on how Schliesser impacted the community. She recalls how Schliesser valued student voices and met the local advocacy needs. 

“She has done a good job of looking at the needs assessment data to make a real impact in the community and advocacy work within the Clayton community and advocating for legislation and different kinds of policy changes that have made a huge impact,” McKeown said. “[She’s] making the community and parents aware of [what is] happening and educating the community. She’s made a huge impact on that awareness and the advocacy and policies aspect.”

Students have also felt Scliesser’s impact on an individual level. 

“She made me more courageous. Like, in front of the cafeteria, when we were advertising All-In, [if I was doing that in my] eighth-grade year, I’d be freaking out. But because she’s built a backbone for me, I’m more confident in terms of—I can sit in front of people and tell them [about the risks of drugs and alcohol] and the consequences of it, and [can] just [do it] with my whole heart,” Zuri said. “If your job is something you’re passionate about, you’re okay to have it with or without a salary. So join All-In because you see the impact you’re making instead of joining it because you want to join it.”

GOODBYE

Jenifer McKeown thinks Schliesser has done great work and wishes her success. 

“I just [wish for her to] continue her passion and compassion for others to guide her through the work that she does in social work,” said McKeown. “I will miss having her as a friend and a colleague, somebody I can collaborate and work with, [and] her spirit and compassion.”

Zuri will miss Schiesser as a comfort person—someone whose office she can just show up to and talk with. 

“The amount of times I just talked to her and [told] her straight up, hey, I’m feeling this way, can you help me? For example, my freshman year, I was crying in the cafeteria, and she came out to me, she’s like, it’s gonna be okay. And just doing it from a place of love, not necessarily being obligated to.”

A FINAL MESSAGE

In the wake of the United States’ opioid crisis and the epidemic of stress and anxiety sweeping through youth, Schliesser hopes she leaves behind a legacy of being able to do hard things. 

“This is daunting. But we make incremental changes every day in the choices that we make. I hope [to] leave a legacy with the students here to continue normalizing talking about this stuff. It’s out in the open; we have a Wellness Center. ‘I choose to stay sober because I have dreams and aspirations,’ whatever that is, right? Let’s just make it normal. To talk about this stuff and to make these choices public. To say, ‘I am a part of this group of kids, and maybe some of them all don’t make healthy choices, but I do, and I’m proud of it,’” Schliesser said. 

Schliesser’s final message to the district is: don’t just be reactive, be proactive. 

“Prevention is an upstream solution. We have people pulling people out of the river. I ask, ‘Why are they falling in in the first place?’ It’s a shift in mindset, [but] prevention is always the best strategy. Be more proactive than reactive wherever you can. It’s hard day to day, but take the time,” said Schliesser.