RIVERHEAD, NEW YORK (FEBRUARY 2024) — Riverhead Central School District students in the Riverhead Youth Coalition (RYC) have partnered to develop and implement community initiatives to raise awareness about youth substance use, reduce the prevalence of and the promotion of preventive measures. The RYC is made up of Riverhead Middle and High School students. It is the youth arm of the Riverhead Community Coalition for Safe and Drug-free Youth under its lead agency, Riverhead Community Awareness Program, Inc. (CAP).
“The Riverhead Youth Coalition provides a great opportunity for students to serve their community while strengthening their leadership and collaboration skills,” said Riverhead Central School District Interim Superintendent Cheryl Pedisich. “Our district is proud of the incredible work these students have done, and we express our gratitude to Riverhead CAP for their partnership in facilitating this program.”
This school year, RYC eagerly expanded its Sticker Shock campaign to educate the public about the consequences of knowingly allowing alcohol or drug use by minors. With the help of the Riverhead Police Department, the campaign is now expanding to Wading River and includes partnering with additional businesses to place brightly colored stickers on their products warning customers of the penalties for providing alcohol and drugs to minors. Adults who knowingly allow alcohol or drugs to be consumed by minors can be charged with a misdemeanor under the Suffolk County Community Service Act, with penalties that include a $1,000 fine and/or one year in jail.
Wading River Pizza, Pazzo Ristorante and Cucina 25 are participating in this initiative and include the stickers on their pizza boxes. Wading River Beverage joined Riverhead Beverage—a longtime Sticker Shock campaign participant—in allowing RYC members to place stickers on beer multipacks and coolers in their stores.
“Businesses that support initiatives to prevent and reduce underage drinking demonstrate a sincere commitment to keeping our youth and communities healthy and safe,” said Isabella Marcucci, Riverhead CAP Coordinator and Community Prevention Specialist .
RYC has been involved in additional initiatives to serve the community as well. In observance of Drug Abuse Awareness Month in October, the RYC helped the Riverhead Police Department collect unused, unwanted and expired medications at the Town of Riverhead's Stop Pollution Day. A total of 157 pounds of medication was collected by community members and disposed of. The team also wrote and recorded radio public service announcements (PSAs) about safety and safe drug disposal in October and November and prepared the annual PSA discouraging impaired driving and drink driving for the season of holidays, in honor of National Impaired Driving Prevention Month in December. These PSAs aired on radio station 101.7 The Beach.
In addition, RYC members conducted beach cleanups at Reeves Beach and South Jamesport Beach. Around 60kg of rubbish was collected, enhancing the health and cleanliness of the environment, protecting wildlife and improving the experience of community members who frequent the beaches. The students noticed that although the use of alcohol is prohibited on the local beaches, the trash collected ignored these regulations, as beer bottles, Twisted Tea containers and vaporizers were found. This project also supported RYC's data collection through environmental scans. This initiative allows RYC to identify a community's risk factors that can contribute to underage alcohol and drug use.
Riverhead CAP is the lead coordinating organization for Riverhead's Community Coalition for Safe and Drug-Free Youth, whose mission is to engage partners in the design, implementation and evaluation of youth substance use prevention strategies. In 2013 and 2018, the coalition received a five-year Drug Free Communities (DFC) support grant through the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). In 2019, the coalition was named Coalition of the Year by the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA), the nation's leading drug prevention organization, for demonstrating long-term results in reducing underage drinking. For more information about the coalition or to get involved, call Riverhead CAP at (631) 727-3722 or visit RiverheadCAP.org.
Riverhead Middle School and Riverhead High School students can participate in the RYC program by contacting Cynthia Redmond at Cynthia.Redmond@RiverheadCAP.org.
