Summer is here & it's the most likely time youth will try alcohol for the first time! PACT is currently promoting its Alcohol and Teens Don't Mix: Be Their Guide. Don't Provide. campaign. The ATDM campaign provides guidance to parents to talk with their youth and young adults about the dangers of alcohol. PACT has a new Spanish Parent Landing Page and parent prevention ads are running across Facebook and in the print publication Noticia to reach Hispanic and Latino parents across Nassau County.  

Research shows that parents are the #1 reason young people decide not to drink!  

In New York State, alcohol training for businesses that serve or sell alcohol is voluntary. This means businesses that sell or serve alcohol are not required to have their employees participate in a NYSLA Certified Alcohol Awareness Program (ATAP). ATAP provides businesses and their employees with information regarding safe and legal sales of alcohol as well as tips for recognizing fake IDs. 

The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control recently enacted mandatory alcohol server training and over 56,000 California businesses that the serve alcohol will be trained and certified by August 31, 2022. Research shows that mandated alcohol server training can reduce single-vehicle nighttime crashes. Click here to learn more regarding Oregon's mandated alcohol server training's positive effect in their state.

Serving and selling alcohol bears an important safety responsibility to prevent underage drinking and reduce DWIs in our communities. PACT looks to further engage our sectors and partners in this public safety concern.

Please contact Cathy Samuels at (516) 799-3203 x131 for further information on PACT's efforts to ensure our communities and youth are safe. 

Transitioning to college is an exciting, emotional and often challenging time for both young adults and parents. YES Community Counseling Center’s BRIDGES Program is hosting Transitioning to College, a FREE workshop for parents and graduating high school seniors transitioning to college this fall. The program is on Wednesday, July 13th from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at YES Community Counseling Center, 152 Center Lane, Levittown. The purpose is to empower young adults to navigate the challenges of starting college and assist parents during this sensitive milestone.  

The evening will kick off with a panel of speakers addressing young adult social and emotional growth and common college transition issues. Next, The Safe Center LI will focus on creating healthy relationships, including sexual assault prevention. The final part of the program offers a choice of workshops from study skills to match one's learning style, to what college students should know about drugs and alcohol. A separate parent discussion will focus on ways to support their child's transition to college. Naloxone training will also be offered to both parents and young adults and Spanish translation services will be available for parent sessions. The College Transition program is also supported by YES Community Counseling Center’s PACT Initiative as well as Massapequa Takes Action Coalition.

To register online, click here.

YES Community Counseling Center and PACT will host Opioid Education and Naloxone Trainings in August across Farmingdale, Levittown, and Massapequa. In celebration of Overdose Awareness Day, a Light of Hope Remembrance Ceremony will be held on Wednesday, August 31st at Maria Regina Church in Seaford.

We invite the community in recognition of the world’s annual campaign to end overdose, remember without stigma those who have died, and acknowledge the grief of the family and friends left behind. To register, click here.