Teens showcase projects at youth leadership camp

JULIAN – Eight youth advocates recently took on the role of mentors sharing step-by-step details and tips learned from two successful projects, with 200-plus peers at a Youth Leadership Institute in Julian.

The opportunity required the teens – four Fallbrook residents and four from San Marcos – to give two separate presentations eight times each to fellow youth rotating by in small groups. Fallbrook High School freshman and institute presenter Yareli Albino said the experience was hectic but fun.

“Obviously, if you get a room full of teenagers, things are going to get a little crazy, but it went very well,” she said. “They actually seemed very intrigued by what we were saying.”

The San Diego County Office of Education hosted the two-day leadership institute as it does each year for high school students involved with the agency’s Friday Night Live Partnership. The partnership provides positive training and opportunities that build teens’ leadership and advocacy skills and encourage them to avoid alcohol, tobacco, drugs and violence.

Albino and the other local teens – Brandon Bazan, Robert Escobar, Marcos Fonseca, Daniel Mendez, Jaime Salas, Justin Soto and Gisselle Zamora – represented the Youth Advocacy Coalition at the camp-style program.

Sponsored by North Inland Community Prevention and the Fallbrook Regional Health District, the 20-member coalition works to reduce alcohol and drug use among young people aged 12 to 24 in San Diego County’s North Inland region.

The group of North County teens, who are Youth Advocacy Coalition members, were one of nine groups that presented on Day 2 of the leadership institute. Salvador Garcia, a youth development project specialist with the County Office of Education, said institute organizers wanted to offer attendees a sampling of other youth groups’ work.

“Some of them might want to do the same thing in their own area, or it might spark ideas that are similar but can be customized to fit their own interests or communities,” he said.

The Youth Advocacy Coalition reps used photos, PowerPoint presentations, sample posters and other materials to explain how they organized and carried out their projects. The coalition tackled the first one, the “Red Ribbon Helmet Project,” after learning nearly half or 48.3 percent of San Diego County 11th graders who participated in the 2013-2015 California Healthy Kids Survey reported they had used alcohol at least once.

The youth advocates got football players and others at seven local high schools to wear red ribbons and make special announcements during football games last fall to remind people present at the games not to provide alcohol to or a drinking venue for anyone under 21. The project emphasized social host laws that protect everyone from the hazards common to underage drinking.

The second project presented by the Youth Advocacy Coalition highlighted a successful campaign to ask the county board of supervisors and four North Inland cities to proclaim December “Drugged Driving Prevention Month,” to promote the fact that drugged driving is a huge threat to area residents. California Office of Traffic Safety statistics show that in 2013, 32 percent of all drivers killed in motor vehicle crashes who were tested, came up positive for legal and illegal drugs.

The youth and volunteers then held rallies in six communities. Participants used signs and chants to urge people to support measures to reduce drugged driving, including high visibility enforcement of drugged driving laws, to send a strong message that drugged driving is dangerous and illegal.

Justin Soto, a junior from Mission Hills High School and institute presenter, said he really liked sharing the coalition’s projects with fellow youth who might be motivated to launch similar prevention efforts.

“The goal is to spread a positive message (drugged driving is preventable) to the community like a virus,” he said.

View the reports at https://calschls.org/reports-data/query-calschls/157/alcohol-use-in-lifetime-by-grade-level and at http://www.ots.ca.gov/OTS_and_Traffic_Safety/Score_Card.asp.

Submitted by North Inland Community Prevention Program.

Full rez gallery is located at https://villagenews.smugmug.com/2019/2019-February/Teen-Showcase-Projects