June 2026 Newsletter

June 2026

Announcements

Youth Spotlight: Recognition of Outgoing Seniors

As the school year comes to a close, please join us in recognizing the graduating youth leaders involved with the Alexandria Youth Ambassadors and Peer Advocates. These leadership programs support community engagement, prevention education, and outreach efforts in Alexandria. They also ensure youth voices are heard by providing meaningful opportunities for students to share their ideas and insights on issues impacting their community. Please join us in recognizing our graduates!

Alexandria Youth Ambassadors

Elyas Noorzai is attending the University of Wisconsin - Madison
Mya Medrano, a SAPCA Youth Board Member, is attending Radford University
Phoebe Booker is attending the University of Maryland Eastern Shore

Peer Advocates

Khamille Muhammad, a SAPCA Youth Board Member, is attending Montgomery College
Marieme Dat is attending Northern Virginia Community College
Yasin Bhuiyan is attending Northern Virginia Community College
Zenith Parker is taking a gap year in Europe or Southeast Asia
Zhi McMillan is taking a gap year in Guatemala, then attending Morehouse College

We wish Elyas, Mya, Phoebe, Khamille, Marieme, Yasin, Zenith, and Zhi all the best and are incredibly appreciative of their time, input, and dedication to supporting efforts that help Alexandria youth thrive today, tomorrow, and in the future.

The Alexandria Youth Ambassadors are a group of high school students who support community engagement efforts focused on anti-violence, trauma healing, and social emotional learning.

The Peer Advocates are a group of Alexandria youth and young adults who work closely with SAPCA, the Alexandria Campaign on Adolescent Pregnancy (ACAP), and the Alexandria Sexual Assault Center to support prevention and outreach efforts.

Celebrating Graduation Season Safely

With the school year coming to a close, many students are celebrating the end of the school year, graduation, and the start of summer. While there is certainly cause to celebrate, it’s important to help youth make healthy, substance-free choices and ensure celebrations remain safe for everyone.

Make your values clear and talk with your teen early and often about the consequences of underage drinking and youth substance use. Remember, small conversations can make a big difference.

Tips for when your teen is attending a party

Contact the adult hosting the party and ask about supervision, location, and timing.
Let the host know your teen is not allowed to use alcohol, marijuana, tobacco, or other drugs.
Talk with your teen about rules, curfew, and how they will get home safely.
Create a “code word” your teen can use if they need a ride home or feel unsafe.

Tips for when your teen is hosting

Know who will be at the gathering.
Avoid “open parties” where uninvited guests may show up.
Set clear rules that alcohol and other drugs are not allowed.
Be available to answer questions from other parents.

Please choose to celebrate safely and encourage friends and family members to do the same. Explore more tips for celebrating safely at PreventItAlexandria.org

Community Connections: Promoting Prevention Resources

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

On May 13, SAPCA Grant Coordinator Jamie Ciesla and SAPCA Coordinator Emma Beall presented a workshop at the Northern Virginia Juvenile Detention Center focused on supporting, guiding, and empowering youth to make positive choices. Parents, caregivers, and youth practiced talking through tough situations, handling peer pressure, and building communication skills while learning about practical tools, strategies, and community resources that can provide additional support.

On May 21, Emma attended the Senior Health & Fitness Fair, hosted by Senior Services of Alexandria, to share prevention resources with older adults -- including locking medication boxes, at home drug disposal kits, reusable hot and cold packs, and information about the City’s permanent medication drop boxes.

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

Registration is Open for the 2026 Alexandria Youth Leadership Conference!

Rising 9th through 12th graders residing in the City of Alexandria are invited to register for the annual Alexandria Youth Leadership Conference. This year's conference will be held August 11-13 at the Del Pepper Community Resource Center (4850 Mark Center Dr.) This event is free and youth must register by August 7. Register here.

The first two days of this three-day conference will feature interactive workshops. The last day of the conference will include an afternoon networking session with some of Alexandria's most prominent community leaders. Lunch will be provided all three days of the conference and youth who attend the conference in its entirety are eligible to receive a $20 gift card.

The Youth Leadership Conference empowers emerging young leaders by providing training opportunities and connecting them to resources in their community. This event is hosted by the SAPCA, ACAP, the Alexandria Sexual Assault Center, and the Alexandria Library.

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 13, from 4 - 5 p.m. at the Del Pepper Community Resource Center Café (4850 Mark Center Dr.) Please register here by August 3.

In partnership with the Alexandria Sexual Assault Center and the Alexandria Library, SAPCA and ACAP are sponsoring the 13th 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,

Five Things You Should Know: Tips for a Safe Summer

As summer begins, many teens have more free time and less structure. This month, we will be highlighting tips to support teens to make safe and healthy choices all summer long.

Set summertime rules

Be clear about expectations for behavior. Make sure your teen understands the rules and knows the consequences if they are broken. Also notice and praise good choices -- positive reinforcement can go a long way.

Encourage healthy risk-taking

Help teens find safe and positive ways to try new things. Ask about what excites them and work to find a healthy challenge that produces the same feeling of excitement that they get from taking a risk.

Host alcohol-free celebrations

Embracing alcohol-free celebrations can promote inclusivity and well-being. Offer a variety of creative non-alcoholic beverages, like mocktails or festive punches, that are both delicious and fun. Incorporate games, music, and storytelling to connect and create lasting memories without the need for alcohol.

Help them get involved in the community

Encourage volunteering and community activities to help teens build skills, relationships, and purpose. Explore a range of opportunities available for teens through Volunteer Alexandria and ALX Beyond.

Remember, you are a role model

As a parent or caregiver, you are one of the biggest influences in your child’s life. Kids are always watching and listening -- not just to what you say, but also to what you do. Making safe and healthy choices helps your child learn to follow your example.

Explore additional prevention resources at PreventItAlexandria.org.

Quick Links

Learn more about SAPCA

Subscribe to SAPCA's e-mail list

Make a tax-deductible donation to support local prevention efforts

Upcoming Events & Resources

SummerQuest 2026

Can you dig it? Get ready to bury yourself in a good book this summer with Alexandria’s SummerQuest reading program! Open to children, teens, and adults, this year's theme is “Unearth A Story.”

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 a downloadable brochure for this year’s SummerQuest are list ed here. The full brochure is also available in Spanish, and the game boards for tracking your reading progress are available in Spanish, Amharic, Arabic, and Dari/Farsi.