Students Take the Lead on Underage Drinking Prevention

The Colton High School HEAL Program has been awarded a $5,000 grant to support Friday Night Live (FNL) youth leaders in the implementation of a variety of campaigns meant to directly combat underage drinking in their community. The grant is provided through the California Friday Night Live Partnership (CFNLP), with funding from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It will give local youth opportunities to lead projects that will actively engage their peers, family members and community members in reducing underage drinking and the plethora of issues that result from the behavior. According to the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office, in 2014 their office filed 11,178 alcohol-related cases. Of this number, 839 cases involved defendants under the age of 21. When HEAL student Gustavo Vargas, 17, was asked why he is involved in these activities he responded, “We are doing this to create awareness about the dangers of drunk driving. We are hoping that if we can get this message out there, we can prevent people from getting hurt.” “Youth respond to other youth much better than adult-driven and delivered messages,” says Dr. Jim Kooler, CFNLP Administrator. “And by supporting them with the skills and opportunities to make positive changes in their communities, we will see results that matter.”