Become part of the UPC Youth Council
Youths in the News
RED RIBBON WEEK banners were distributed by the UPC Youth Council to Fairfax County middle schools. Langston Hughes Middle School students and principal Aimee Monticchio (left) (pictured above) have a week of activities designed for promoting a healthy and drug-free life.The Virginia Department of Alcohol and Beverage Control (ABC) awarded the Unified Prevention Coalition of Fairfax County (UPC) a grant to help develop a UPC Youth Council. ABC Special Agent Phil Disharoon made the presentation for the $7,513.75 award to UPC leaders and youth at the coalition’s October 2012 meeting. Click here for press release.
High school students are invited to apply to become part of our UPC Youth Council and support a healthy lifestyle free of alcohol and other drugs. This is your opportunity to represent youth from your high school as well as Fairfax County. View Flyer.
You will earn community service hours while creating plans to solve alcohol- and drug-related issues in your schools and communities. Give youth a voice, stand up for what you believe is right, gain support from community members and make a change!
Take a look at some activities that the Youth Council takes part in.
- September: Representatives from the Youth Council attended CADCA's Annual Drug-Free Kids Campaign Awards Dinner to celebrate the importance of youth making a difference in the community.
- October: The Youth Council donated Red Ribbon Week banners to each Middle School in Fairfax County to raise awareness on the prevention of alcohol, tobacco and other drug and violence use.
- February: Representatives from the Youth Council supported UPC by attending Capitol Hill Day.
- April: Youth will help plan and implement a prevention conference that focuses on healthy alternatives to stress and alcohol use.
- May: The Youth Council will address the school board and Board of Supervisors in support of the Parents Who Host, Lose the Most Campaign.
Joining the UPC Youth Council is extremely important. Hear what YC members are saying...
I feel that alcohol and drugs are becoming too prominent in today's society, and the UPC Youth Council can help the youth make better and more careful decisions.
I think that it is a very good idea to have an organization against underage use of drugs and alcohol because it is an issue in today's society, and I think that an organization could really help to inform and protect people from drugs and alcohol.
I think this is a great cause and would love to be involved in any way that I can.
I like the idea of teens reaching out to other teens because we can all relate to one another.
I would like to help prevent underage drinking and drug usage because I feel that many teens don't realize the true danger of it. Due to peer pressure and cultural trends, I feel that teen views on drinking might be blurred. I would like to help spread the reality of it.
I completely support drug and alcohol prevention. I believe that when a group of young people work together for a unified cause the effect will be much greater.
In July 2012, members of the UPC Youth Council attended the annual Youth Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Project (YADAPP)
APP) Conference at Longwood University. UPC's Youth Council teams were recognized as mini-grant award winners at the conference. They received $500 to help implement their Strategies to Act Now (STAN) Plans developed during the week long event. This written STAN Plan is a detailed and realistic guideline for how to develop and promote alcohol and substance abuse prevention within Fairfax County. Congratulations to our youth!
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