January 2023

Save the Date: Alexandria Youth Speak Up Event on January 19

Mark your calendar for the next Youth Speak Up event on Thursday, January 19 from 6-8 p.m. at George Washington Middle School. This event will bring middle school students and their parents together to discuss healthy ways to manage stress and anxiety.

This event will be hosted by SAPCA, the Children Youth and Families Collaborative Commission, the Alexandria Campaign on Adolescent Pregnancy (ACAP), and the Gang Prevention Community Task Force. The most recent Youth Speak Up event, held in December 2021, featured a panel of Alexandria City High School (ACHS) students highlighting what they need from adults to navigate life after the pandemic.

Click here to RSVP to this event.

SAPCA Launches Video Series to Encourage Youth to be Marijuana Free 

SAPCA has launched a prevention campaign featuring a series of short videos created by ACHS students that encourage youth to be marijuana free. The videos, which feature Alexandria youth sharing reasons why they do not use marijuana, reinforce and raise awareness that the majority of Alexandria’s youth do not use marijuana.

To help raise awareness about this campaign, SAPCA invites social media users of all ages to share the videos, along with the reasons they themselves do not use marijuana. Sample social media posts to share with these videos can be found here.

Teen marijuana use in the City of Alexandria decreased 33% between 2016 and 2022. According to the 2022 Developmental Assets Profile, only 3% of 8th graders, 7% of 10th graders, and 17% of 12th graders reported using marijuana in the past 30 days. Additionally, only 7% of 8th graders, 12% of 10th graders, and 19% of 12th graders reported vaping tobacco, nicotine, or marijuana in the past 30 days.  

On July 1, 2021, non-medical marijuana use, with certain conditions, was legalized in Virginia for adults 21 years or older. In response to this legislation, SAPCA created a list of the Top 10 Things youth and adults should know about this law.  

Learn more facts about marijuana and explore tips for communicating with teens at PreventItAlexandria.org.  

SAPCA Members Elect Officers and Board of Directors

In November, SAPCA invited motivated youth and adults to submit nomination applications to serve two-year terms as officers and members of the SAPCA Board. Board members help shape policy and strategy in the Alexandria community. After wrapping up the election process, conducted electronically this year, we are so excited to announce our Board of Directors:

Officers

• Chair: Allen Lomax | Independent Consultant
• Vice Chair: Kimberly Hyde Santucci | Salem Media Marketing Director
• Secretary: Kate Harbour | Alexandria City High School Senior
• Treasurer: Fredy Martinez | Alexandria City Public Schools K-12 Substance Abuse Prevention and Intervention Services Coordinator

Board of Directors

• Cheyenne McKay | Alexandria City High School Junior
• Gabriel Elias | Alexandria City High School International Academy Teacher
• Keiry Cortez | Francis C. Hammond Middle School 8th grader
• Maureen McNulty | Neighborhood Health Ryan White Nurse
• Tom Gates | Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Deputy Executive Director for Operations and Programs

Biographies for these individuals can be found here.

SAPCA's Board also includes three appointed positions to represent the Alexandria Police Department, the Alexandria Sheriff's Office, and the Keep It 360 Peer Advocates.

Thanks to the support of our members for selecting these individuals to serve our community for the next two years! SAPCA looks forward to continuing to work with our community to reduce and end youth substance use in Alexandria.

Volunteer Spotlight: Recognition of Outgoing SAPCA Board Member

As SAPCA welcomes returning and incoming Board members this month, we also extend our gratitude and appreciation to outgoing Board member Shirlen Rac Carpio. Shirlen, now an ACHS student, was elected to serve on the Board as a Hammond Middle School 7th grader. We wish Shirlen the best and are so appreciative of the time, input, and ideas she shared during her time as a Board member!

Program Spotlight: Recognizing Keep It 360 Peer Advocates' Accomplishments

Before winter break began for ACPS students, SAPCA, ACAP, and the Alexandria Sexual Assault Center hosted a holiday gathering for the Keep It 360 Peer Advocates to celebrate their accomplishments and wish them well before the holidays. Please join us in recognizing all of our Peer Advocates for their hard work supporting prevention and outreach efforts in Alexandria:

• Alayit Berhanu (ACHS Senior)
• Amel Mohdali (ACHS Senior)
• Andrea Funes Quinones (ACHS Senior)              
• Chelsea Waruzi (ACHS Senior)       
• Chloe Yokotis (ACHS Junior)
• Nathan Desta (ACHS Senior) 
• Lenhle Vilakati (ACHS Senior)
• Yaerelin Molina (Northern Virginia Community College Student and ACHS Graduate)        
• Yanelvis Gomez (ACHS Senior)   

Between January 2022 and December 2022, the Keep It 360 Peer Advocates delivered 20 workshops to a total of 787 students participating in after-school programming at Community Lodgings, GW Middle School, Hammond Middle School, and Jefferson Houston PreK-8 IB School. Workshops covered a variety of prevention topics, including the facts and consequences of alcohol use; how to respond to peer pressure; and the importance of coping with stress in healthy ways.

As many of these students prepare to graduate from ACHS in the spring, we also want to highlight their college acceptances thus far: Drexel University, Fisk University, George Mason University, Hampton University, High Point University, Howard University, Morehouse College, Morgan State University, Old Dominion University, Penn State University, Randolph College, Roanoke College, Spelman College, Temple University, Tuskegee University, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Virginia State University.

We look forward to continuing to work closely with these students in the new year to ensure that youth in Alexandria have the information and tools to make informed choices about their health and future so they can thrive today, tomorrow and in the future.

To learn more about the Keep It 360 Peer Advocates program, contact Felicia Parks, Youth Engagement Specialist, at [email protected]

SAPCA Delivers Facts and Consequences Presentations to Bishop Ireton Students

On December 6 and 7, SAPCA visited Bishop Ireton High School to deliver Facts and Consequences presentations to 90 freshmen. This interactive presentation highlights the consequences of using alcohol, e-cigarettes, marijuana, and prescription and over-the-counter medication; ways to respond to peer pressure; and healthy ways to cope with stress.

During these visits, students also reviewed the latest youth substance use data trends, provided their reactions to this information, and shared strategies to prevent and reduce youth substance use in our community. The invaluable student feedback will support SAPCA's efforts to prevent youth substance use, misuse, and abuse.

SAPCA is appreciative of the opportunity to share important information with students in our community and looks forward to continuing to collaborate with Bishop Ireton High School in the future.

Interested in supporting SAPCA to deliver Facts and Consequences Presentations? 

Contact Emma Beall at [email protected]. No previous experience is required and all volunteers receive training before presentations take place.

Click here to register for this event.

Click here to register for this event.

DASHing Words in Motion Contest Accepting Submissions

DASHing Words in Motion is back and open for entries! This poetry contest brings recognition to writers, promotes an appreciation of poetry as an art form, and provides inspiration to individuals using the Alexandria Transit Company’s DASH Buses and Trolleys. 

The contest encourages quality writing by participants 16 years of age or older, who live, work or study in the City of Alexandria. Contest winners will have their poems on exhibit on DASH buses and trolleys throughout the City, as well as displayed on websites, social media platforms, brochures and flyers.

The online submission deadline for the DASHing Words in Motion is Friday, January 27, 2023.

To submit poetry, click here.

Alexandria Library Hosts Teen Winter Creativity Contest

Teen artists and writers in grades six through twelve are invited to enter Alexandria Library's Teen Winter Creativity Contest. Prizes of $100, $50 and $25 are awarded in each of six categories and entries can be about any topic.

Contest submissions are due by 11:59PM on February 15, 2023. Participants will be notified of the results by March 22, 2023. Learn more about the Winter Creativity Contest here.