October 2023

SAPCA Hosts "A Trend To Get Behind: Celebrating 15 Years of Prevention"

On Wednesday, September 27, SAPCA hosted "A Trend To Get Behind: Celebrating 15 Years of Prevention," a family-friendly community celebration of SAPCA’s fifteenth year anniversary. This celebration began with an informal reception featuring food, games, music, a photobooth, a photo slideshow, and a timeline highlighting SAPCA's efforts to educate, inform, and empower Alexandria youth to make informed choices about their health and future. 

After the reception, Keep It 360 Peer Advocates Chloe Yokitis, a senior at Alexandria City High School (ACHS), and Khamille Muhammad, a sophomore at ACHS, kicked-off the event program. They welcomed attendees before introducing Cantamos, an ensemble of elementary school-aged students involved in Sympatico, to perform a selection of three songs. Sympatico is a music education program underwritten by the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra and provided in partnership with the Alexandria City Public Schools.

Following this performance, Mayor Justin Wilson presented a proclamation recognizing SAPCA's fifteenth anniversary.

SAPCA Chair Allen Lomax then recognized SAPCA's school and community partners and some of our community's Prevention Champions for their dedication to advancing substance use prevention efforts in the City of Alexandria. Please join us in celebrating these community champions!

We are so appreciative of everyone that joined us to celebrate this milestone accomplishment and our joint efforts as a community to prevent youth substance use and promote positive opportunities for Alexandria’s youth.

The Keep It 360 Peer Advocates are a group of Alexandria youth that work closely with SAPCA, ACAP and the Alexandria Sexual Assault Center to support prevention and outreach efforts.

Celebrate Red Ribbon Week This October!

Each year, communities around the country celebrate Red Ribbon Week from October 23-31, an alcohol, tobacco, and other drug prevention awareness campaign. Red Ribbon Week is an ideal way for people and communities to unite and take a visible stand against drugs. This year's theme is: “Be Kind To Your Mind. Live Drug Free.” Explore these ideas to celebrate Red Ribbon Week this year:

• Enter the Red Ribbon Week Poster Contest by November 15, 2023. Three winners will receive a $100 gift card and have their poster featured in Red Ribbon Week 2024! 
• Take the Red Ribbon Week Pledge to stand up against substance use. Take the pledge today -- and encourage friends and family to do the same -- to continue to help make our community drug-free.
• Join SAPCA in celebrating and recognizing the winners of last year's poster contest: 
• Tasnia Rahman, 6^th grade student at Francis C. Hammond Middle School
• Honey Lopez, 8^th grade at Jefferson-Houston PreK-8 IB School
• Sarah McBurney, 11th grade student at Alexandria City High School
• Stay informed -- learn the latest facts about alcohol, cannabis, e-cigarettes, and prescription and over-the-counter medication.

Click here to explore more ways to celebrate Red Ribbon Week this month!

October 28 is Drug Take Back Day

Safely dispose of unneeded prescription and over-the-counter medications, including those prescribed by veterinarians, during National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, October 28. This event is a great opportunity to safely dispose of unneeded prescription and over-the-counter medications, including pet prescriptions.

Medication can be dropped off from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. at the following sites:

• Alexandria Police Department Headquarters (3600 Wheeler Ave.)
• Fire Station 210 (5255 Eisenhower Ave.)
• The Neighborhood Pharmacy of Del Ray (2204 Mt. Vernon Ave.)
• Woodbine Rehabilitation & Health Center (2729 King St.)
• Goodwin House Alexandria (4800 Fillmore Ave.)

Can't make it to Drug Take Back Day? Dispose of medication year-round at one of the City's permanent medication drop boxes. Needles are not accepted during the take back event or in the permanent medication drop boxes. Dispose of needles and syringes in a separate designated permanent drop box. 

Interested in volunteering for this month's drug take back day? Volunteers share information and distribute resources about the importance of safe medication disposal at one of the four drop-off locations. Contact Emma Beall at [email protected] to learn more or to sign up.

Learn more about the importance of safe medication disposal here.

Save the Date: Titan Takeover on November 3

Titan Takeover Teen Nights are held at local recreation centers on Friday evenings to provide Alexandria teens with a safe place to hang out and have fun. These events feature a DJ, photo booth, free dinner, gift card raffles, games and more! The next Titan Takeover Teen Night will take place on Friday, November 3, from 7-10 p.m. at Charles Houston Recreation Center (901 Wythe St.) Teens can text TITAN to 571.640.2898 to RSVP for this event.

These events are hosted by SAPCA, ACAP, the Alexandria Sexual Assault Center, and the Department of Recreation, Parks & Cultural Activities.

City of Alexandria To Host Youth and Caring Adult Summit to Support Youth Safety

In an effort to further advance youth safety and resilience efforts, a Youth and Caring Adult Summit is scheduled for Thursday, November 9 at 4:30 p.m. at the First Baptist Church at 2932 King St. Led by Youth Ambassadors of the City’s recently launched Youth Ambassador Program, the workshop will focus on mental health and supporting a sense of safety among youth. It is open to all high school-aged youth and their caregivers to attend. Click here to register.

The City has also developed a Youth Resources webpage to help ensure that children, youth, and their families are aware of available resources. Among these is the Teen Text Line. Teens can text TEEN, SEX, DRUGS, or GANGS to 571.640.2898 to get answers to questions on health, relationships, pregnancy, drugs, alcohol, violence, and gangs within 24 hours, Monday through Friday, from trained City staff.

Learn more about the City's youth safety and resilience efforts here.

Fact of the Month: Resisting Peer Pressure

Each month, SAPCA will be highlighting a key fact to support our community to prevent youth substance use. This month we will be highlighting ways to respond to peer pressure.

What is peer pressure?

Peer pressure is the feeling that someone your own age is pushing you toward making a certain choice, good or bad. Peer pressure can take place in many settings, including online. There are various times of peer pressure, including:

• Put-down/Spoken: Insulting or calling a person names
• Unspoken: Something you feel without anyone saying anything to you
• Rejection: Threatening to end a friendship or relationship
• Reasoning: Telling a person reasons why they should try something or why it would be OK

Why does peer pressure work?

We all respond to peer pressure differently and sometimes it can be difficult to resist. Some reasons that someone may feel unable to resist peer pressure include that they are afraid of being rejected by others; want to be liked; want to appear grown up; do not want to hurt someone’s feelings; or are not sure how to respond to the situation.

The good news is that we can prepare for these situations, and practice how to respond, ahead of time. Making time as a family to talk about peer pressure can help young people stand up for themselves and stay true to their values, even in the face of pressure.

Explore these tips for responding to peer pressure as one way to start the conversation as a family:

• Stand up straight
• Make eye contact
• Say how you feel
• Stick up for yourself
• Focus on your behavior and response
• Avoid being judgmental and putting down choices that others make
• Honor your value system
• Be confident
• Remember, “no” is a full sentence  

Explore more resources to prevent youth substance use here.

Click here to apply.

Click here to register.

Alexandria Youth Support Network To Host Landscape Study Community Meeting

Last year, the Alexandria Youth Support Network, hosted by ACT for Alexandria, commissioned a landscape study on K-12 out-of-school time (OST) and community-based programs. The study has been led by Weber Moore Partners and generously supported by the City of Alexandria and the Frank & Betty Wright Foundation. The landscape study explored the perspectives of K-12 program providers, parents/guardians, and youth, including the needs and hopes surrounding OST/expanded learning programs in the community.

On Monday, October 16, from 6:30-8:30 p.m., Weber Moore Partners will share high-level findings from the landscape study in the ACHS cafeteria. In this participatory meeting, attendees will have the opportunity to review data, collaborate in teams, and share feedback to form the recommendations. Snacks, childcare, and interpretation services will be available.

All participating Youth Support Network providers are welcome to attend, as well as parents/guardians and family members, and community leaders. To register, please use the form linked below:

Landscape Study Community Meeting - Registration Form 

If you have any questions, please e-mail Caitlin Brown, Youth Support Network Manager, at [email protected]

The Alexandria Youth Support Network's mission is to foster collaboration and provide coordinated supports to a network of community organizations, government agencies, schools, and other partners dedicated to improving the equity, quality, and continuous innovation of youth-serving programs in the City of Alexandria. Learn more here.

Alexandria Library Hosts Le Tour D'Alexandria

On Saturday, October 21, Alexandria Library invites you to attend its annual bicycle fun-ride to all the library branches. This year's theme is The Joy of Cycling and Recycling! This leisurely ride begins at 10 a.m. at Beatley Central Library, is approximately 13 miles long and ends back where it began. Bring your bike and join library staff for this 2.5-hour fun ride. Stop at each branch for light refreshments and a short presentation about the library's and City's sustainability efforts.

Registration for the event is required as space is limited. Riders must be at least 13 years old to participate. Children and teens under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.

E-bikes are welcome. More information about the ride, route, and registration is available at alexlibraryva.org/alexandria-bike-tour.

Click here to apply.

Click here to learn more about this program.

Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition of Alexandria 

4850 Mark Center Drive

Alexandria, VA 22311