Friday Night Live Program

About the Program

Category: Children and Youth (Best in Category)

Year: 2015

The Friday Night Live Program is a youth development and substance abuse prevention program overseen by the San Bernardino County Public Health Department. Friday Night Live (FNL) programs are designed to engage youth actively in program decision making, planning, and implementation so that youth participants build on their strengths, develop skills, and engage as leaders in creating healthier schools and communities. FNL youth chapters are typically school-based. Each year FNL high school youth chapters sponsor prevention activities at their respective campuses before prom to encourage their peers to make the right choices, especially on prom night when there will likely be peer pressure to drink alcohol. The Safe and Sober Prom 2015 campaign was developed with three objectives in mind: 1) Involve youth in a broad-based community/county prevention effort on an issue that impacts youth, 2) Partner with county law enforcement and community groups beyond the school campus that share the same concerns, and 3) Collectivize the voices of youth and their community partners to reach a larger community and affect change. The Safe and Sober Prom campaign promotes the importance of how youth contribute to problem solving in health and public safety issues while developing youth leadership skills during the planning process. The partnerships created for the Safe and Sober Prom 2015 Campaign include FNL Youth/Public Health, San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff Department and the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools. This campaign combines the collaborative efforts of youth, prevention specialist, law enforcement and education to help reduce the harm of underage drinking among adolescents in the county. This approach increased the number of school and youth participants, and the media appeal of the activity.