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Utah attorney general to host summit on opioid abuse, bullying, teen suicide at Park City High School

Jeff Dempsey
The Park Record
Park City High School.
Park Record file photo

What: Instead Summit 2

When: 8:30 a.m. Monday, Oct. 7

Where: Eccles Theater in Park City

Watch: https://www.facebook.com/UtahAttorneyGeneral/

Park City High School will play host Monday to Instead Summit 2, an assembly that will feature an address by motivational speaker Nick Vujicic, dubbed “Attitude is Altitude” and address opioid abuse, bullying and teen suicide.

Vujicic, who was born with tetra-amelia syndrome, a rare disorder characterized by the absence of arms and legs, is a New York Times best-selling author in addition to his public speaking and entrepreneurship. Vujicic has brought his message that, no matter one’s circumstance, they can overcome, to more than 50 countries.

Partnering with Vujicic for the Instead Summit 2 — which will also include an event later in the day in Roy — will be Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes. Richard Piatt, Reyes’ director of communications, said last year’s Instead Summit in Salt Lake City was well received, and Reyes wanted to do another. When they determined that Vujicic was available, they sought out sites to play host.



“We weren’t able to do a larger event as we were a year ago in the Vivint Arena, so we concentrated on a couple high schools,” he said. “Park City has a large auditorium and organizers thought it would be a good community event there.”

Reyes has been front and center in combating the opioid crisis in the United States, and so the Instead Summit will focus largely on that.



“Part of it was to address the opioid crisis among youth, but also to address the other pressures they face including isolation, suicide and other drug use,” he said. “Nick specializes in motivating people to be at their best, and it’s a message we think resonates with everyone and is especially poignant for young people in 2019.”

Reyes will speak on his own experience, as well, Piatt said, both as a young man and now as a father.

“The general idea of the program is to present something lasting and memorable for kids to carry with them,” Piatt said.

Park City High School Principal Roger Arbabi said school officials are excited to play host.

“Raising awareness of opioid abuse and hearing from the top law enforcement officer in the state can have a huge influence on our students,” Arbabi said. “And the message of Attitude is Altitude from Nick Vujicic is a message of hope and perseverance.”

Piatt said both the event in Park City and the one later in Roy will be broadcast live on the attorney general’s Facebook page, so those who can’t be in attendance can still view it. The Park City leg of the Instead Summit will be held at the Eccles Theater at 8:30 a.m.

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