Quick look: OCDE’s Youth Substance Use Prevention team is partnering with community afterschool programs to deliver interactive lessons that help students build confidence and make healthy choices.
OCDE’s Youth Substance Use Prevention Services unit is continuing to bring drug-free education directly to students and families in Orange County through partnerships with community-based programs — using hands-on lessons to promote healthy lifestyles.
Through its work with Jamboree Housing Corporation in Irvine, the team has connected with local afterschool programs operated by its Garden Grove community collaborative, bringing alcohol and other drug prevention education directly to students where they live and learn.
Five students ages 5 to 11 at the Briar and Rose Crest afterschool program participated in a six-week series of interactive workshops led by OCDE staff, wrapping up in December. Throughout the program, students explored how substance use can impact the developing brain and body while building skills in communication, decision-making and teamwork.
The workshops culminated with a creative project in which students designed their own drug-free stickers using the digital platform Canva. With guidance from OCDE Project Liaison Joanne Reyes and project assistants Lisa Nguyen and Brittany Morales-Bravo, students brainstormed ideas, sketched designs and created digital artwork that reflected messages of positive, healthy choices. Along the way, they also learned practical strategies for resisting peer pressure.
“Through this experience, students not only deepened their understanding of substance use and its impact, but also built confidence, creativity, and teamwork skills,” Reyes said.
Students collaborated by sharing feedback and editing their designs before the final products were printed and distributed to show off their colorful creations featuring mermaids, soccer and capybaras.
Building community partnerships
Since completing the project, the Youth Substance Use Prevention team has continued to build on its partnership with the Garden Grove community collaborative, hosting additional workshops earlier this year at Wesley Village and the Buena Clinton Youth and Family Center.
Looking ahead, the team aims to expand these services to reach more students, parents and caregivers across the Garden Grove community.
“Our team has developed valuable partnerships with organizations that serve youth and families beyond the school walls, often in under-resourced areas,” said Stephan Lambert, OCDE coordinator of prevention education. “This enables us to tackle health disparities while elevating the voices of young people within their own communities. We are thankful that our funding from the OC Health Care Agency affords us this flexibility, and we continue to be inspired by the ideas and creativity of students.”
OCDE’s Youth Substance Use Prevention Services brings free drug and alcohol education to schools and youth organizations in Santa Ana, Garden Grove, Irvine, Tustin, Orange, Stanton and Westminster, serving students in grades four through 12.