Registration is Open for the 2022 Alexandria Youth Leadership Conference
There is still time to register for the Alexandria Youth Leadership Conference! This free hybrid conference, open to rising 9th through 12th graders residing in the City of Alexandria, empowers emerging young leaders by providing training and connecting them to resources in their community.
This year’s conference theme is “Lead with Courage.” The first two days of this three-day conference will be virtual and feature interactive workshops focused on teaching youth how to engage, lead, and advocate for issues in our community. To facilitate youth-adult partnerships, the last day of the conference will include an afternoon networking session with community leaders, including City Council and School Board representatives, City Board and Commission leaders, non-profit executives, and City staff.
Youth who attend the conference in its entirety are eligible to receive a $20 gift card. Youth that participate in the conference will also receive updates throughout the year about internships, volunteer and leadership opportunities and other ways to get involved in the Alexandria community.
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Community Leaders, You're Invited to Attend the Youth Leadership Conference Networking Session
Community leaders, SAPCA and ACAP cordially invite you to an in-person Networking Event with some of Alexandria's rising youth leaders, on Thursday, August 11, from 4:00-5:00 p.m. in the Reading Garden at Beatley Central Library. Please register here by August 5.
In partnership with the Alexandria Sexual Assault Center and the Alexandria Library, SAPCA and ACAP are sponsoring the 9th annual Alexandria Youth Leadership Conference, an event to teach youth how to engage, lead, and advocate for issues in our community. We anticipate between 25 and 30 young leaders will participate in the leadership conference this year. In addition to skill-building, the Youth Leadership Conference helps to strengthen essential building blocks for young people, or Developmental Assets, including a sense of feeling valued by their community, self-esteem, recognizing themselves as a resource to others and planning and decision-making.
The Youth Leadership Conference is excited to continue our annual Networking Event to encourage youth civic engagement in Alexandria. Our goal is to facilitate youth-adult partnerships by providing a forum in which organizations can connect directly with Alexandria's youth leaders. Your participation as a leader in the Alexandria community is invaluable. Youth will have an opportunity to talk with you and other adult community leaders and learn about volunteer and leadership opportunities available in Alexandria. Youth have much to learn from your experience and are deeply connected to the work you are doing in our City.
This is also your opportunity to recruit youth who have the necessary skills to participate in your organization in a leadership position such as a member of your Board of Directors, Commission member or Committee Chair. Many Alexandria boards, commissions and community groups have space reserved for youth representatives or could be stronger if youth voices were included in the
group. Unfortunately, many youth spaces remain consistently unfilled, or organizations do not think of including youth leaders on their boards. Our aim is to help build a network of youth leaders who can serve effectively and to help boards, commissions and community groups understand how to benefit from youth voices. We believe the first step is to have community leaders talk with youth to learn about their abilities and interests and to see where their voices and skills could fit within our community. To accomplish this, SAPCA and ACAP will work with you to:
- Meet Alexandria's youth leaders at this Networking Event and throughout the year.
- Help orient you as to why it is important or beneficial to have youth leaders on Alexandria's boards, commissions and work groups, and
- Work with you to make sure that our city's boards and commissions know how to engage youth who serve with your adult leadership.
We hope you can join us for this important event. If you have questions or would like more information, please contact one of us listed below.
Sincerely,
Allen C. Lomax Helen Morris
SAPCA Chair ACAP Chair
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Alexandria Chamber of Commerce Celebrates Community Leaders
On July 21, the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce celebrated its sixth class of 40 Under 40 Honorees, a program that recognizes adults age 40 and under who are shaping Alexandria for the future. This event is a celebration of incredible individuals, their successes in various industries, and their impact on the thriving Alexandria community. Through this program, the Chamber also recognized Alexandria's youth with the selection of two additional student honorees. These youth honorees are:
- Kate Harbour, a rising senior at ACHS and SAPCA Board Member, and
- Sylvia Rahim, an ACHS graduate and former Keep It 360 Peer Advocate
Please join us in congratulating Kate and Sylvia for receiving this extraordinary honor and thanking them for the positive impact they have made for our community.
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SAPCA Chair Allen Lomax, Student Honoree Kate Harbour and Councilman Canek Aguirre
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Student Honoree Sylvia Rahim |
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City Hosts Teen Pool Nights for Alexandria Youth
On July 9, the Department of Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Activities hosted a Teen Pool Night at Chinquapin Recreation Center for Alexandria teens ages 13 to 17. This event included free food, games, and music.
Keep It 360 Peer Advocates Alayit Berhanu, Chloe Yokitis, and Yaerelin Molina joined their peers at this event to spread the word about the Alexandria Youth Leadership Conference and distribute flyers created by the City's Opioid Work Group that share facts about fentanyl. The Keep It 360 Peer Advocates are a group of Alexandria youth who work closely with SAPCA, ACAP, and the Alexandria Sexual Assault Center to support prevention and outreach efforts.
The next Teen Pool Night will take place on Saturday, August 13 from 6-8 p.m. at Warwick Pool. Youth must complete this program registration form to attend this event. We hope to see you there!
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SAPCA Continues Collaboration with Community Partners to Distribute Reusable Bags
Bags were distributed to Groceries to Go Program volunteers and to ALIVE! team members to be shared with community members during upcoming food distribution events.
Groceries to Go is a shopping and delivery program for seniors who are 60+ living in the City of Alexandria. Through this program, screened volunteers deliver groceries year-round, every other week and provide a vital link to the community and outside world for seniors who otherwise have limited mobility.
SAPCA is appreciative of our partners for supporting efforts to share these bags with Alexandria community members and looks forward to continuing to distribute these items with the help of our partners.
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SAPCA Staff Attend National Trainings
This past July, STOP Act Grant Coordinator April Pavis-Shroeder and SAPCA Coordinator Emma Beall attended intensive national trainings to further strengthen SAPCA's prevention efforts in the Alexandria community.
April attended the Mid-Year Training Institute in Orlando, FL, hosted by the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA). This four-day conference provides participants with information, tools, and strategies to elevate prevention efforts; the latest science, news, and trends on substance misuse issues; and the opportunity to hear from nationally-known experts and policymakers.
Recognizing the need for strong leaders in the prevention sector, CADCA also partnered with the Prevention Technology Transfer Center (PTTC) to create a new training and certificate program: Coalition Business Administration. SAPCA Coordinator Emma Beall was selected to participate in this training, alongside 15 prevention professionals across the country, to learn about a wide variety of topics related to the business and administration of prevention coalitions such as branding, accounting, management styles, grant writing, and nonprofit development. The first part of this program kicked off in Orlando, FL with four days of in-person learning. Between August and January, participants will attend monthly virtual learning sessions and receive mentoring and coaching from CADCA and PTTC trainers. The program will culminate with a graduation ceremony at CADCA's National Leadership Forum in February 2023.
Emma and April appreciate these opportunities to learn how to most effectively support youth and families in Alexandria and look forward to continuing to collaborate with our partners to meet the needs of our community, together.
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Partnership for a Healthier Alexandria Releases 2022 Call for Grant Proposals
The Partnership for a Healthier Alexandria is seeking grant proposals from qualified nonprofit organizations to improve the health and well-being of youth and adults who live, work, and play in the City of Alexandria. Proposals are due by August 12, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. and must advance specific goals, strategies, and tactics in the Alexandria Community Health Improvement Plan in one of the Plan's three priority areas: housing, mental health, or poverty.
The strategies and tactics within each priority area are identified in the Community Health Improvement Plan. New and innovative tactics, not included in the Plan, will be considered as long as there is a written narrative showing the direct connection between the innovative tactic and its contribution to achieving the strategy or strategies identified in the proposal. In addition, proposals should describe how funding will be used to promote equity or address inequities or disparities.
Visit the Partnership's website to learn more about this Call for Proposals, apply for a grant, and review a set of Frequently Asked Questions related to the grant process.
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Upcoming Events & Resources |
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Sign Up for the Alexandria Library's SummerQuest 2022: Oceans of Possibilities
For the youngest group, points can be earned by logging the books a child reads or has read to them or by doing early literacy activities listed, including a storywalk at Holmes Run Trail. For the older age groups, SummerQuest participants earn one point for every 20 minutes they read or for taking part in a designated activity, such as attending a library program. Points can be redeemed for a free book and Washington Nationals tickets. Teens who complete the SummerQuest challenge will also be entered into a gift card drawing. SummerQuest runs from June 1 through August 31. Click here to learn more about this program.
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Volunteer Alexandria Hosts Breaks With Impact
Make a difference during Volunteer Alexandria's Breaks with Impact (BWI) program this August. BWI is a chance for middle and high school students to learn about the issues facing their community and to do something about it. Participants will engage with non-profits, city agencies, and people from all walks of life as they earn service hours and explore career paths.
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Resource Spotlight: Playbook for Parents To Support Healthy Youth
These guides highlight key factors that increase the likelihood youth will experience more difficult circumstances in life (risk factors) and those factors that can provide a buffer against these negative outcomes (protective factors). By learning about these challenges and sources of strength, parents and caregivers can take action to protect their children's health and well-being now and in the future.
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COVID-19 Reminders
The City of Alexandria and the Alexandria Health Department (AHD) strongly urge everyone to help end the pandemic by wearing a mask over both your nose and mouth, washing your hands frequently, and getting vaccinated. Your neighbors and loved ones are counting on you to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Every Alexandrian can take precautions to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. Learn more about how to protect yourself and those around you at alexandriava.gov/coronavirus
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Emma Beall, MPH
SAPCA Coordinator
O: 703.746.3670
C: 571.302.1022
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Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition of Alexandria
123 N Pitt St, Suite 225
Alexandria, VA 22314
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