Programs & Events
LIST OF CURRENT PROGRAMS
The Coalition has been active in advocating for smoke-free beaches and piers in the beach cities. Second-hand smoke kills nearly 62,000 non-smoking Americans each year and tobacco litter creates the most significant amount of litter on our beaches. Cigarette butts may seem small, but with several trillion littered every year the toxic chemicals add up fast!
ADVOCACY
The South Bay Coalition has actively supported the adoption of the Safe Space Program and the Social Host ordinance in Manhattan Beach. Parents are encouraged to sign “safe space” contracts, which state that their homes are alcohol and other drug-free.
Additionally, the Coalition advocates for more parental awareness and involvement through our monthly column, Tips For Parents, in The Beach Reporter newspaper.
The Coalition has most recently partnered with the California Alcopops Coalition working to have sweetened alcoholic beverages popular with youth re-categorized as distilled spirits rather than beer in order for them to be taxed at a higher rate which will result in reduced access for youth.
YOUTH ADVISORY COMMITTEE (YAC)
Comprised of area high school students committed to advocating for lifestyles free of alcohol, tobacco, or other drug use. The YAC sponsors and runs middle school dances throughout the school year, runs the Late Night Sports program, participates in the Coalition’s Youth Summit Day for middle school students, and offers a speakers panel for area workshops and other events. Three YAC members serve as voting members on the Coalition’s Board of Directors.
WILDERNESS CHALLENGE
This program is for at-risk high school students which includes 10 weeks of group counseling, a one-day ropes course, and a 3 day wilderness challenge. This experience provides lots of counseling, team-building and trust-building exercises.
A PARENTS GUIDE FOR THE PREVENTION OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO,
AND OTHER DRUG USE
This booklet offers parents a practical and easy-to-use guide to provide information that is helpful in preventing the use of alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs by youth. Some subjects covered include, “Parties and the Social Scene,” “The Negative Effects of Substance Abuse,” “Legal consequences,” and “Signs and Symptoms of Substance Abuse.”
FOCUS (Finding Our Center Using Sport)
This new, innovative program emphasizes life skills education and information that is useful in sports/competition, but also extends beyond sports into everyday life.
YOUTH SUMMIT DAY
An event for middle-school age youth to help them transition into high school. Youth Advisory Committee members participate by offering peer counseling sessions which provide an opportunity for the middle school students to ask questions about high school and what to expect. The day also includes inter-active theater performances dramatizing the pitfalls of substance use, etc.
