September 2022

This past August, 75 youth attended the 9th annual Alexandria Youth Leadership Conference, a free event that empowers emerging young leaders by providing training opportunities and connecting them to resources in the Alexandria community. Brandon Byrd, owner of Goodies Frozen Custard & Treats, kicked off the event by delivering a keynote address about leading with courage, this year’s conference theme. Following this presentation, students attended a series of interactive workshops, including:

• “What’s Your Leadership Color?” presented by Ashley Sellman from the Alexandria Workforce Development Center  
• “Walk Out or Gun Control,” presented by Norah Nijbroek, a Hayfield Secondary School student, and SAPCA Coordinator Emma Beall
• "Leading With Courage: Overcome Leadership Fears," presented by Mabety Soumah, the Alexandria Library Mandela Washington Fellow  
• "Standing for Tomorrow for Environmental Health," presented by Alexandria City High School students Sarah Boglione, Bridget Baron, Ben Delnegro, Veronica Holguin, and Chloe Yokitis, and 
• "Networking and Personal Branding," presented by Ashley Sellman from the Alexandria Workforce Development Center.

To facilitate youth-adult partnerships, the last day of the conference included an afternoon networking session in the Beatley Central Library Reading Garden with over 36 Alexandria community leaders -- including City Council and School Board representatives, City Board and Commission leaders, non-profit executives, and City staff. The conference culminated with an “ice cream social” catered by Goodies Frozen Custard & Treats. 

The three-day event was hosted by SAPCA, the Alexandria Campaign on Adolescent Pregnancy (ACAP), the Alexandria Sexual Assault Center and the Alexandria Library.

Youth that participated in the conference will receive updates throughout the year about internships, volunteer and leadership opportunities and other ways to get involved in the Alexandria community. If your organization has opportunities for youth that you'd like SAPCA to promote, contact emma.beall@alexandriava.gov

City Hosts Teen Pool Night for Alexandria Youth

On August 13, the Department of Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Activities hosted a Teen Pool Night at Warwick Pool. for Alexandria teens ages 13 to 17. This event included free food, games, music, and gift card raffles. Keep It 360 Peer Advocates Alayit Berhanu and Lenhle Vilakati joined their peers at this event to promote community resources and opportunities for youth to get involved in the Alexandria community.

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. Stay tuned for information about future youth events!

SAPCA Joins Partners at Back to School Carnival

On August 16, SAPCA partnered with ACAP, the Sexual Assault Center, and the Keep It 360 Peer Advocates to conduct outreach at Hammond Middle School's Welcome Back Carnival. During this event, team members shared information and resources with over 450 students and their families. 

We had a blast connecting with students and families and look forward to continuing to work together to meet the needs of our community this year!

Supporting Healthy Youth and Healthy Families: Back-To-School Edition

With the start of school, SAPCA encourages families to talk with children and teens about substance use and misuse. Check out these ideas for starting - or continuing - the conversation:

• Make your values clear about substance use - particularly underage use of substances - with children and teens. 
• Have a conversation about family rules and consequences -  young people need clear rules, consistent consequences, and encouragement to do their best. Topics to discuss together could include:
• What is a realistic curfew for week nights? Is curfew different on weekends?
• What are some of the potential consequences of arriving home past curfew? How might these consequences change if communication takes place to explain a delay?
• Talk about the health, legal and social consequences of using substances like alcohol,  marijuana, and e-cigarettes and misusing prescription and over-the-counter medication -- including fake pills. 
• Know the legal consequences related to underage use of these substances. It is illegal for anyone under 21 to use, purchase or possess alcohol, marijuana or tobacco products. It is also illegal for anyone over 21 to provide alcohol, marijuana or tobacco products to persons under 21.

Not sure how to start the conversation? Explore these Tips for Communicating with Teens, available in English and Spanish. 

To learn more tips for preventing youth substance use and misuse in our community, click here.

DEA Recognizes National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day

On August 21, the the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) recognized National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day by joining the many voices dedicated to educating the public on the serious dangers of fentanyl poisoning from counterfeit (fake) pills and other illicit drugs. 

What you need to know

• Fentanyl is a very strong synthetic opioid that is tasteless and odorless. 
• Fentanyl is 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. 
• Street drugs can be laced with fentanyl without the user's knowledge. These may include unregulated marijuana, vaping e-liquids, fake pills purchased online, and cocaine. 
• It may only take a small amount of fentanyl, the equivalent to a few grains of salt, to cause an opioid overdose.

Spread the word

• Looks are deceiving -- fake pills look real. 
• If medication has not been prescribed to you, it runs the risk of being laced.
• Only take medication prescribed by a doctor or purchased at a pharmacy.

Learn more about fentanyl and help spread the word by sharing these flyers for youth and adults, available in English, Spanish, Amharic, and Arabic. 

Recovery is for Everyone: Every Person, Every Family, Every Community

September is National Recovery Month, a time to celebrate the gains made by those in recovery from substance use and mental health; increase awareness and understanding of mental health and substance use disorders; and encourage individuals in need of treatment and recovery services to seek help. This year's theme is Recovery is for Everyone: Every Person, Every Family, Every Community. Here are several resources to access and share in recognition of Recovery Month: 

• Faces & Voices of Recovery, which serves as the central location for all national recovery events. Browse through their library, webinars, publications and COVID-19 resources, and then share them with others. 
• “This is Recovery," a 14 minute video featuring men and women across Northern Virginia who share their stories of recovery to help others who are dealing with similar challenges.  

Learn more about local resources available for children, youth and families at alexandriava.gov/DCHS

Supporting Our Community During National Suicide Prevention Month

Nationally, one in five Americans live with a mental health condition. Nearly one in five youth will experience a mental health challenge such as depression or anxiety at some point during their life, and suicide remains the third leading cause of death in this age group. We can all help prevent suicide. Each September, mental health advocates, prevention organizations, survivors, allies, and community members unite to promote suicide prevention awareness during National Suicide Prevention Month. 

What can you do?

• Help keep our community safe by locking up guns and medication.
• Dispose of unused or expired medication safely. Nineteen percent of people who complete suicide use poison or medication. Limiting access to these lethal means is one way you can help prevent suicide in Alexandria. Learn more about safe medication disposal.
• Know the signs and what you can do to help someone in crisis.
• Attend a Youth Mental Health First Aid training. Contact noraine.buttar@alexandriava.gov to learn about upcoming trainings. 
• Get involved with the Suicide Prevention Alliance of Northern Virginia.
• Join Alexandria’s Trauma Informed Community Network (TICN), Resilience Alexandria: Inform. Support. Elevate.

Volunteer Opportunity Spotlight:

ASCEND Alexandria

Looking for opportunities to get involved this school year? Consider volunteering with ASCEND Alexandria, a program formed by Alexandria High School dedicated to fighting climate change and educating the community. The goals of ASCEND Alexandria cleaning up the city by picking up trash bimonthly while also educating the community about the importance of being green and reducing the impacts of climate change. Interested in getting involved? Click here to express interest in this opportunity to learn more about how you can get involved.

ASCEND Alexandria is a community program is a subdivision of Volunteer Alexandria that specifically focuses on informing, educating, encouraging, and recruiting volunteers to help out with initiatives around the city. Explore more volunteer opportunities at VolunteerAlexandria.org.