August 2021
Announcements
Meet SAPCA's New STOP Grant Coordinator!

Please join SAPCA in welcoming April Pavis-Shroeder, SAPCA’s Grant Coordinator for the Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking Act (STOP) grant.

Awarded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), this grant supports SAPCA's efforts to reduce underage drinking by focusing on prevention among Latino students and extending its reach to all middle school students, students that are part of the International Academy at our high school and one middle school, and older adolescents, ages 18-20, attending the Northern Virginia Community College Alexandria Campus.

April has spent the past fifteen years working in public libraries supporting teenagers, is a youth group leader at her church, and has a consulting business called A Teen Advocate. April has two small children at home (Harper is 5, Maybelle is 1.5) and is regularly sought out for parenting advice from those living and working with teenagers.
 
April earned her Master’s Degree in Library Science from the University of Maryland in 2010, attended St. Mary’s College of Maryland (class of 2009), and the College of Southern Maryland (class of 2007 and hands down the best of her three higher education experiences). She has been volunteering for food pantries and homeless shelters since she was a young teenager. She knows that empathy is the first and most important tool to employ when working with and for at-risk populations. In addition to empathy, April excels in organization, teamwork, writing, and brainstorming. 
Registration Open for 2021 Alexandria Youth Leadership Virtual Conference

Rising 9th graders through 12th graders residing in the City of Alexandria are invited to register for the annual free Alexandria Youth Leadership Conference (YLC) from August 10-12. The YLC empowers emerging young leaders by providing training opportunities and connecting them to resources in their community.

The conference will provide youth with opportunities to participate in engaging sessions focused on mental health, self-care, mindfulness, youth advocacy, media literacy, social media, social change. and professionalism and networking. A networking event will take place on August 12 with some of Alexandria's most prominent community leaders.

This year, the conference will be held virtually. To register, please click here. This event is hosted by the SAPCA, the Alexandria Campaign on Adolescent Pregnancy, the Alexandria Sexual Assault Center and the Alexandria Library.
Virginia ABC Awards Alcohol Education and Prevention Grant to SAPCA

In July 2021, Virginia ABC awarded SAPCA with a $6,308 grant to support alcohol education and prevention efforts in the City of Alexandria. This funding will support SAPCA to continue to hold Project Sticker Shock, an annual youth-led community awareness initiative designed to educate adults who might purchase alcohol legally and provide it to minors. Funds will also be used to share prevention information with youth, parents and community members and to increase opportunities for youth to participate in substance-free activities. Virginia ABC awarded grants to ten organizations, including SAPCA, across the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Join the Take Down Tobacco Movement

The Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids has teamed up with DoSomething.org – the largest organization exclusively for young people and social change – to launch a youth program called Why We Should Care. 

The program runs until September 15, and youth participation is easy:
  • Go to the website or text TAKEDOWN to 38383 to take a five-question educational quiz.
  • Receive a customized conversation guide and a checklist of action items you can use to activate your friends to also take a stand against Big Tobacco. 
  • Watch "Take Care, Not Tobacco," a short video featuring Ava Michelle, star of the Netflix movie Tall Girl.

Why We Should Care was created to inspire and educate Gen Z about the negative role the tobacco industry and tobacco use play in the causes they care about the most – and unite them to keep their loved ones and friends tobacco- and nicotine-free. 

Summer Safety - Stay Safe on the Road

Governor Ralph Northam announced a new summer travel safety campaign and survey designed to engage Virginians in efforts to reduce speed-related crashes, injuries, and fatalities on the Commonwealth’s roadways.

The “Don’t Speed Thru Summer. Make it Last.” initiative uses both online and traditional media to focus on the dangers of speed and aggressive driving. Governor Northam is inviting Virginians to participate in the #YourSayVA Digital Town Hall on speeding through Friday, August 13. To participate, visit the Commonwealth’s new highway safety portal, TZDVA.org, and click the icon for the #YourSayVA Digital Town Hall to access the anonymous survey.

SAPCA reminds youth and adults that it is unsafe to drive while under the influence of marijuana, alcohol, certain prescription medications, or a combination of these substances as these substances impact specific areas of the brain that impact judgement, thinking and concentration, attention, coordinated movement, and decision-making. It is also unsafe to get in a car with a driver who is under the influence of these substances.
Quick Links
Upcoming Events & Resources

Whether in-person or virtually, going back to school can be stressful for students, parents, and teachers—especially while navigating a pandemic. Save the date for the National Institute of Mental Health's (NIMH) first Instagram live on August 24! Krystal Lewis, Ph.D., a licensed clinical psychologist at NIMH, will discuss causes or triggers of stress and share coping techniques to help reduce anxiety and improve the transition back to school. Dr. Lewis will also answer questions about stress and anxiety in children and adolescents.
Adults and Youth - Register for #RaceAnd: Our Present, Our Future

Join Race Forward on September 25, 2021 for #RaceAnd: Our Present, Our Future to center the racial justice work of Black & Indigenous youth ages 13-25! The content will be youth focused, but the audience will be all ages. #RaceAnd: Our Present, Our Future will elevate how youth and young adult activists are using organizing, art, cultural, narrative, and policy strategies to strike powerful blows to structural racism in the U.S. and continue the global movement to defend Black Lives. This virtual event is presented by Race Forward and The Funders Collaborative on Youth Organizing.

This conference offers a special Youth Group Pass that grants access to twenty "Youth Leaders (Ages 13-18)" tickets, plus, 1 FREE "General Admission" ticket. This is an ideal ticketing option for youth Commission, schools and school districts and/or youth-serving & focused non-profits.

Click here to register for this event.
Keeping our Community Safe - COVID-19 Updates

Following a recent increase of cases, Alexandria has been elevated to a state of substantial COVID-19 community transmission for the first time since early May. On July 27, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced updated prevention measures based on the latest evidence on the Delta variant. The CDC now recommends that residents in communities with substantial or high transmission levels wear masks in indoor public settings, regardless of vaccination status. Because Alexandria is currently in a state of substantial transmission, and is exceeding 50 new cases per 100,000 residents in the past seven days, masks should be worn in public indoor settings. The CDC also recommends universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to all schools. 

Effective July 30, the City of Alexandra has updated requirements for wearing masks and maintaining physical distance in City facilities per guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
  • All visitors and employees in City facilities are required to wear a mask regardless of vaccination status.
  • Everyone who has not been fully vaccinated is strongly encouraged to find an appointment at vaccines.gov, and should continue to wear a mask and maintain 6 feet of physical distance from others while inside City buildings.
  • This new guidance is indicated with signs at facility entrances.
  • Meeting rooms, hallways and elevators will remain set up with safety measures in place to provide the option to maintain physical distance. Virtual options may be available for meetings as indicated at  alexandriava.gov/Calendar. Plexiglass partitions will remain in place until it is determined they are no longer needed.
  • The federal government continues to require that masks are worn when using  public transportation, including on buses, trains, and airplanes.

Every Alexandrian can take precautions to help reduce the spread of COVID-19: choose outdoor gatherings over indoor gatherings, stay home and get tested when symptomatic, wear a mask over your nose and mouth in public indoor settings, wash your hands, and maintain at least 6 feet of distance from others.
Connect With Us
SAPCA
Alexandria Teen Life
Contact Us
Emma Beall, MPH
SAPCA Coordinator
O: 703.746.3670 
C: 571.302.1022
Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition of Alexandria 
123 N Pitt St, Suite 225
Alexandria, VA 22314