Solano Teens Tackle Tobacco, Alcohol, Drugs At 21st Annual Event

From SCOE: On Friday, February 8th, the Solano County Office of Education took 35 students to the 21st Annual Teens Tackle Tobacco, Alcohol, Drugs and Youth Wellness Conference at UC Berkeley. Students from Benicia, Dixon, Travis, Fairfield-Suisun, Vacaville and Vallejo Unified School Districts attended workshops designed by youth for youth. Workshop topics included: healthy relationships, youth preventing violence, tobacco, vaping, and more. Students walked away with a better understanding about prevention, advocacy, cessation, and overall wellness.

The Solano Youth Coalition’s (SYC) Family Justice Center Youth Committee (FJCYC) and Mental
Health Awareness Committee (MHAC) presented workshops to over 50 participants. The FJCYC has been working closely with the Solano Family Justice Center, over the past year and a half, raising awareness on Teen Dating Violence. The interactive presentation defined the types of abuse, statistics, and resources for victims and allies. MHAC’s workshop focused on stress, how it effects the lives of teens, how youth cope, and provided participants healthy strategies and practices to manage stress. Solano County Superintendent of Schools Lisette Estrella-Henderson supports the Solano Youth Coalition saying, “Through open youth-adult conversations about Mental Health and Teen Dating Violence the Solano Youth Coalition is taking a leadership role in prevention education. They understand that educating youth, their peers, is one of the most effective ways to make change.” Rebecca Floyd, a Youth Activities Specialist that oversees the Solano Youth Coalition says she is proud of the work the students are doing. “These young people having been working for months researching, meeting with professionals in the field, and building these presentations to make a greater impact on their communities. We look forward to doing more presentations and workshops in our communities.”

Images via SCOE