June 2025 Newsletter

June 2025

Announcements

Click here to register for the Youth Leadership Conference!

Dear Community Leaders,

The Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition of Alexandria (SAPCA) and The Alexandria Campaign on Adolescent Pregnancy (ACAP) cordially invite you to an in-person Networking Event with some of Alexandria's rising youth leaders, on Thursday, August 14, from 4:00-5:00 p.m. at the Del Pepper Community Resource Center Café (4850 Mark Center Dr.) Please register here by August 1.

In partnership with the Alexandria Sexual Assault Center and the Alexandria Library, SAPCA and ACAP are sponsoring the 12th annual Alexandria Youth Leadership Conference, an event to teach youth how to engage, lead, and advocate for issues in our community. We anticipate between 50 and 75 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,

Middle School Families Attend Healthy Conversations Workshop

On June 3, 8th grade students and their parents gathered in the George Washington Middle School (GWMS) library to participate in Healthy Conversations, an interactive workshop about making choices during adolescence. GWMS Principal Jeanette Vinson welcomed families to the event and spoke on the importance of working together to prioritize prevention.

During this event, families learned about foundational relationship building, strategies to show love and support, and how to address difficult topics, such as vaping, cannabis, alcohol, and dating. Families also had time to practice addressing difficult scenarios together.

This workshop was hosted by SAPCA, ACAP, the Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) Family and Community Engagement Center, and the Peer Advocates. The Peer Advocates are a group of Alexandria youth and young adults who work closely with SAPCA, ACAP, and the Alexandria Sexual Assault Center to support prevention and outreach efforts.

Couldn’t make it to this event? Explore tips for communicating with teens here.

Medication Collection Recap

Last month, the City of Alexandria collected and safely disposed of 120 lbs. of unused or expired medication collected from the Neighborhood Pharmacy of Del Ray's permanent medication drop box. Medication can also be disposed of 24/7 at the following locations:

Alexandria Police Department Headquarters (just inside front entrance, ring bell for access): 3600 Wheeler Ave.
Inova Alexandria Hospital Emergency Department: 4320 Seminary Rd.

Needles are not accepted in the permanent medication drop boxes. Dispose of needles and syringes using a separate sharps disposal container located in the Emergency Department at Inova Alexandria Hospital.

Click here to learn about the importance of safe medication disposal.

Community Connections: Promoting Prevention Resources

Last month, SAPCA collaborated with our school and community partners by promoting prevention resources with youth and parents at several events.

On May 3, SAPCA Coordinator Emma Beall and Youth Development Counselor Valeria Antelo attended the 2025 Oakland Baptist Church Health and Wellness Expo. During this event, they distributed 12 locking medicine boxes and shared information about safe medication disposal. They also distributed Parent Handbooks. Developed by Operation Parent, these parent handbooks raise awareness about the latest trends, warning signs, and tips for effective parent/child communication. City of Alexandria families can pick up these free resources by emailing emma.beall@alexandriava.gov.

On May 7-8, Emma delivered Facts and Consequences to 84 Bishop Ireton High School 9th grade students. Emma also visited Francis C. Hammond Middle School to deliver this presentation to 13 youth involved with Liberty's Promise, a program that supports low-income immigrant youth by providing them with means to become actively involved in civic life, pursue higher education, and embark upon meaningful careers. During Facts and Consequences presentations, students learn facts about alcohol, marijuana, vaping, and fentanyl and discussed healthy ways to cope with stress.

On May 22, Emma dropped off 30 locking medicine boxes at Friends of Guest House for women served by this program. Since 1974, Friends of Guest House has been helping women successfully reenter the community from incarceration.

SAPCA appreciates these opportunities to connect with our community and looks forward to continuing to collaborate with our partners to promote prevention resources in our community.

Virginia PTA Recognizes SAPCA Board Member Maureen McNulty

Last month, Alexandria City High School (ACHS) parent and SAPCA Board Member Maureen McNulty was honored as a Virginia PTA Child Advocate of the Year. As a parent of an ACHS 11th grader and an ACHS alum, Maureen has been a champion advocate for the ACPS budget process for the last several years. She has not only personally advocated at School Board and City Council meetings, she also developed a campaign to educate the community on the budget process and how to get involved in it.

Please join us in congratulating Maureen for receiving this extraordinary honor and thanking her for the positive impact she continues to make in our community!

Youth Voice Spotlight: Peer Advocate Program

This month, we are excited to hear directly from ACHS Junior Khamille Muhammad, a SAPCA Board Member and Peer Advocate, as she provides an inside look into the program

Peer Advocates facilitate workshops for middle schoolers almost every week, trying to present engaging activities that encourage our students to be mindful about the lesson topics. In this 2024-2025 school year, we had many new Peer Advocates since most of the previous members graduated, so we worked really hard coming up with fresh activities that could compliment the new cohort. We often incorporated Kahoot, board games, or partnered activities into the lessons so students can apply their learning effectively.

We design our workshops based on monthly topics that we want to bring awareness towards. In January we discussed puberty, in February we did a lesson for Black History Month, March was Women’s History Month, and then in April we went over consent. In May we facilitated, what has become my favorite lesson this school year, a lesson on mental health in honor of Mental Health Awareness Day. This became an amazing opportunity in particular to connect to the students.

During this lesson we went over a brief presentation that discussed positive and negative stress so that the students know that not all stress has to be bad. We went over coping mechanisms by asking them what they do to deal with stress, and we emphasized the use of healthy strategies. We proceeded to teach them about “box breathing” and took a couple of deep breaths with them. We also ensured they had a resource number -- texting or calling 988 -- in case a student or loved one needed professional help. In the end, we put our coping mechanisms to action by allowing them to engage in an interactive activity of their choice, and this is where the students could enjoy themselves for the rest of the time we had with them. As long as the weather allowed it, we all went outside where they could choose to go to a journaling station, a drawing station, a mental health kit station, a physical activity station (consisting of hula hoops, jump ropes, soccer, and football), or all of them! The mental health kit had been a particularly wonderful touch since the students could put together a small bag that consisted of a miniature journal of their choice, stickers, fidget toys, and a list of coping mechanisms to take home. To conclude the lesson we handed out our evaluation surveys and popsicles which marked the end of our last lesson of this school year!

This lesson was important to me because we could participate in these stations with the students more personally than any other lesson. We watched them engage in activities that resonated with them and that they could implement in their day to day life. Whether it was drawing or spending time with them playing a sport, the Peer Advocates ended up having as much fun as the students had. This lesson not only uplifted the mood of the students but it also improved our mood as facilitators, which is what coping skills are meant to do.

Please join us in thanking Khamille for her help shining a spotlight on the Peer Advocate program!

Five Things You Should Know: 2025 Summer Activities

As summer break approaches, SAPCA encourages youth and parents to explore some of the activities open to Alexandria youth and families:

City of Alexandria Community Cookouts

Come and join the City of Alexandria’s Department of Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Activities (RPCA) at the 18th Annual Community Cookout event series. This is a great opportunity to connect with neighbors, enjoy free food, games, activities, giveaways, and learn more about the wide range of services and programs offered by our department and other City agencies. Check out the full schedule of upcoming cookouts happening near you:

Wednesday, June 11: Princess Square (400 North West St.)
Wednesday, June 18: Patrick Henry Rec Center (4643 Taney Ave.)
Wednesday, June 25: Andrew Adkins (1200 block of Wythe St.)
Tuesday, July 1: Casa Chirilagua (4100 Mt. Vernon Ave.)

Youth Engaged In Service

Youth Engaged In Service (formerly Breaks with Impact), or YES, is returning this summer with opportunities for middle and high school students to serve the community. This program provides students with opportunities to engage with nonprofits, city agencies, and people from all walks of life as they earn service hours and explore career paths.

Visit VolunteerAlexandria.org/YES to view the full program summer schedule.

RPCA Summer Camp Experience

Get ready for a summer filled with endless fun!

The City of Alexandria offers a wide variety of action-packed, exciting camp programs for kids of all ages. From sports to arts, there’s something for every interest. Learn more and register today at alexandriava.gov/recreation-programs/camps.

Alexandria Pride Fair

In recognition of World Pride Month, the City of Alexandria welcomes back the Annual LGBTQIA+ Pride fair on June 28 from 3 to 6 p.m. at City Hall and Market Square (301 King Street).

This year’s Pride Fair promises an afternoon full of energy, connection, and community with:

Live music and dance workshops to get you moving
Delicious eats from local food trucks
50+ LGBTQIA+-inclusive businesses and community organizations
Free, confidential health services
Family-friendly activities and spaces for all ages

World Pride Month is recognized each year across the globe to celebrate LGBTQIA+ people and the influence they have had in our lives, as well as to raise awareness of the challenges faced by these communities and the struggle for civil rights. For more information about Pride month and other upcoming activities as well as resources for LGBTQIA+ people and their families, visit alexandriava.gov/LGBTQ.

SummerQuest 2025

Get ready for a bright and vivid summer with Alexandria Library's SummerQuest reading program! Open to children, teens, and adults, this year's program theme is “Color Our World.”

From June through August, visit Alexandria Library locations in person and online for music, magic, storytelling, reading, nature shows, hands-on activities and more! Participants of all ages can earn prizes for reading and completing activities, including free books and tickets to a Washington Nationals or Washington Spirit game. Scheduled events and the downloadable brochure for this year's SummerQuest are listed here.