Youth Leadership

Communities Against Substance Abuse know that young people are eager to make a difference in their own communities and have experienced it firsthand.  Evidence increasingly shows that incorporating youth leadership development and engagement strategies to promote social, ethical, emotional, physical, and cognitive competencies in young people has positive results.  Participation in environmental substance abuse prevention efforts inform and develop young peoples’ knowledge of local government, equipping them with skills for effective participation in the democratic process in the future.

Youth advocates play important roles in our substance abuse prevention campaigns as media advocates and assessors, documenting and reporting on conditions to elected officials and media representatives.  Policymakers’ attention to presentations from young, concerned, community members has been a key element in local campaigns.  These include campaigns for smoke-free parks in the Cities of La Mesa and Lemon Grove, as well as tobacco retailer licensing in the City of El Cajon.  Youth work continues on these issues in other communities.

Youth play a critical role in documenting and reporting on community conditions resulting in new policies by decision-makers including:

• Tobacco youth purchase surveys that identify retailers who sell tobacco illegally to minors.
• Documentation of secondhand smoke exposure in parks and on college campuses
• In partnership with law enforcement, acts as youth decoys to reduce retail sales of alcohol to youth.

Since 1995, Communities Against Substance Abuse has supported a youth leadership development and prevention advocacy group composed of high school students. Now known as Students Together Against Alcohol ‘N Drugs, STAAND, our program engages young people as partners in substance abuse prevention initiatives throughout the diverse communities that comprise the East Region.  STAAND provides meaningful opportunities for youth participation in environmental strategies and offers young people opportunities to form relationships with supportive adult role models from law enforcement, business and other community leaders.