OCDE’s Friday Night Live program has launched a student advisory group to help drive countywide substance abuse prevention efforts and mental health initiatives from a youth perspective.
The Orange County Youth Council includes students from across the county who are part of FNL chapters at their high schools — or are members of the statewide FNL California Youth Council. Aided by technologies that have become ubiquitous during social distancing, the group is already developing virtual campaigns to connect with young people and parents.
“I have always felt it would be beneficial to develop a county youth council, but transportation challenges and busy schedules of students were major roadblocks,” said Elke Petras, OCDE’s coordinator for youth development programs. “The stay-at-home order introduced us to the world of online meetings, and everyone has more time. We thought this would be the perfect time to give this a try and so far it has been great.”
Administered by OCDE, the Orange County Friday Night Live Partnership promotes leadership, communication, team-building and problem-solving by empowering young people to take charge of alcohol and drug prevention campaigns at school and in their communities.
The Orange County Youth Council will meet weekly through the end of June. At the end of their term, students will reflect on the experience and develop strategies for next year.
This year’s members include:
Lizbeth Benitez, Grade 11
Santiago High School, Garden Grove Unified School District
Arly Chavez, Grade 12 (member, California Youth Council)
Orange High School, Orange Unified School District
Angelica Dominguez, Grade 11
Santiago High School, Garden Grove Unified School District
Seioriana Lam, Grade 11
Bolsa Grande High School, Garden Grove Unified School District
Kevin Lopez, Grade 12
Magnolia High School, Anaheim Union High School District
Veronica Lopez, Grade 12 (member, California Youth Council)
El Toro High School, Saddleback Valley Unified School District
Melanie Melara, Grade 11
Santiago High School, Garden Grove Unified School District
Iann Nguyen, Grade 11
Fountain Valley High School, Huntington Beach Union High School District
Seraphina Nguyen, Grade 11
Fountain Valley High School, Huntington Beach Union High School District
Kaithlyn Pham, Grade 9
Bolsa Grande High School, Garden Grove Unified School District
Nathan Pham (member, California Youth Council)
California State University, Long Beach
Callie Storm, Grade 10
El Toro High School, Saddleback Valley Unified School District
Tammy Van (member, California Youth Council)
University of California, Riverside
Kahel Zedekiah, Grade 11
Santiago High School, Garden Grove Unified School District
Adriana Zuniga, Grade 12
El Modena High School, Orange Unified School District
About Friday Night Live
The Orange County Friday Night Live Partnership, or OCFNLP, is funded by the OC Health Care Agency’s Alcohol and Drug Education and Prevention Team. Programs include Friday Night Live chapters at the high school level, Club Live groups at the middle school level and Friday Night Live Kids in the upper elementary grades.