Contact: Xanthi Soriano, Executive Director, Communications
Phone: (279) 789-1601 • Email: xsoriano@scoe.net
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, April 21, 2023
Sacramento, CA—Students in the Friday Night Live (FNL) program at Inderkum High School (Natomas USD)—which is supported by the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE)—have been preparing a multi-media campaign this school year to tackle underage drinking in Sacramento County.
Despite a 34.5% decline since 2004 in the prevalence of drinking among 12–20-year-olds (due in large part to prevention efforts and changes in legislation), alcohol is still the most widely used substance among youth in the United States. Young people in Inderkum High School’s Friday Night Live program are on a mission to ensure underage drinking rates continue to decline.
Sacramento County residents should be proud to know that a survey, conducted by Inderkum FNL students, shows that 95% of the students who attended the school during the 2022–23 school year live alcohol free. Students are highlighting this positive behavior with the creation of posters, digital graphics, and public service announcements that encourage young people across the county to make healthy life decisions. They will spread the message wherever young people congregate—their campuses, neighborhoods, online platforms, and even the airwaves.
The official campaign slogan FNL members selected is:
Be the Change. Change the mindset.
Join the 95% of Inderkum Students who choose to be alcohol free.
In addition to learning the health risks of underage drinking, Inderkum students in FNL have been learning valuable skills like data collection, environmental prevention, public speaking, leadership development, and how to create public service announcements. “This project is important to us because we don’t want anybody doing anything they would regret, and we want everyone to make smart choices. By highlighting the positive side of why teens choose to be alcohol free and telling personal stories that tap into people’s emotions, students can effect change and change the way teens think about the dangers of alcohol and other substances,” said Briana Henderson and Sarah Woolley, Inderkum FNL Leaders.
The launch of Inderkum’s Friday Night Live multi-media initiative gives participants an opportunity to counter existing stereotypes about youth and alcohol, promoting positive social norms instead. The project is a collaborative effort. Inderkum High School students are joined by young people in forty-five chapters across California as they highlight the stories of their peers who are choosing healthy behaviors and remaining alcohol-free.
About the Project
Friday Night Live builds partnerships for positive and healthy youth development, engaging youth as active leaders and resources in their communities to create positive changes on important issues that matter to them. With support from the California Friday Night Live Partnership and grant funding from the California Office of Traffic Safety (through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), students from FNL chapters across California are utilizing environmental prevention strategies to develop youth-led initiatives that educate their peers, neighbors, and local leaders about ways to reduce underage drinking. The Prevention and Early Intervention Department at the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) supports Friday Night Live and Club Live chapters in Sacramento County.