The members of the Riverhead Youth Coalition recently showcased their powerful substance abuse public awareness campaign at the Long Island Prevention Resource Center’s annual networking luncheon at the Bayport-Blue Point Library.
During the presentation, the students in grades 7 through 12 shared their experiences with an audience of substance abuse professionals by highlighting their innovative public awareness campaigns and displaying the results of their research on the latest trends in e-cigarette use.
The students, who have pledged to lead a substance-free lifestyle, meet every other week to record public service announcements and coordinate medication take-back events with the Riverhead Police Department and the DEA. They also participate in Project Sticker Shock, in which they place brightly colored stickers on cases of beer to warn customers about penalties related to buying alcohol for minors.
Currently, the coalition members are working to conduct scans within the community to identify retailers that sell and aggressively advertise e-cigarettes. They are sharing their knowledge with local leaders in an effort to curtail e-cigarette usage among teens.
The three-year-old Riverhead Youth Coalition is sponsored by the Riverhead Community Awareness Program and overseen by Cynthia Redmond, a community prevention specialist at CAP.
Source: Press release issued by the Riverhead Central School District dated Feb. 28, 2018.
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