Youth Leaders Stand Against Drug Use at Annual Drug Free Youth Summit

More than 250 youth leaders from 24 schools across Kern County rallied behind drug prevention efforts at the annual Drug-Free Youth Summit hosted today by Kern County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (KernBHRS). Student representatives came together to sharpen their strategies for drug and alcohol prevention, connect with their peers, and plan impactful activities for Red Ribbon Week, which takes place at the end of October.

“It’s what we use to kick off the new school year, get students motivated about prevention work, and build on their leadership skills,” said Graciela Tinoco, KernBHRS substance use prevention specialist. “My favorite part every year is hearing the students’ ideas. They always surprise me.”

Tinoco emphasized the critical role young people play in influencing each other, noting that peer-driven prevention is far more effective than traditional adult-led approaches.

“Young people listen to each other more than they listen to us adults sometimes,” she said.

Students take what they learn at the summit and bring it back to their schools.

NASA Special Agent David Daniels-Watanabe delivered the keynote address, motivating students to lead with resilience and vision. After, attendees worked together on prevention strategies, learning tools to combat substance abuse and plan drug-free initiatives in their own schools.

For the first time, the Kern County Youth Council played an active role in leading the event. The Youth Council is a group of high school and college-age students committed to raising awareness on youth issues. Joel Ruiz is a leader with the Kern chapter and a member of the California Youth Council. He says these programs are all about building relationships with the community, promoting education, and giving young people a voice.

“Someone that’s underrepresented like me, it was definitely empowering to have a voice and to speak on issues, especially in high school,” he said.

Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT) presented a powerful session on the effects of stress among students and the dangers of getting into the habit of using tobacco. SWAT works on community advocacy and education with their adult partners at the Kern County Superintendent of Schools (KCSOS) and the Tobacco Free Coalition of Kern. 

The student-led group also talked about the health-related effects of tobacco on the growing brains of young people, the chemicals in e-cigarettes, and how commercial tobacco is targeting youth with candy and fruit-flavored vapes and e-cigarettes. They debunked common myths about vaping and explained how it leads to nicotine addiction.

“One of the biggest reasons we hear why students vape is because they believe it’s a healthy coping mechanism. In reality, it can lead to nicotine addiction,” said Liz Velasco, prevention specialist with KCSOS.

Prevention and advocacy efforts are working as youth vaping rates continue to fall nationwide. A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) showed a sharp decline in e-cigarette use among middle and high school students, from 2.13 million in 2023 to 1.63 million in 2024. High school users alone dropped from 1.56 million to 1.21 million.

KernBHRS stresses the importance and effectiveness of evidence-based prevention strategies. Rather than teaching kids to ‘just say no to drugs, ’ they address risk factors that may lead to drug use and focus on building students’ knowledge, life skills, and support so they can make informed decisions about their health.

“Teaching them that their brain isn’t fully developed, talking about the harms that come from drugs and alcohol, giving them all of the facts and science behind it,” Tinoco said. “They tend to listen more whenever we explain to them why we want them to stay away from something.”  

KernBHRS and its partners hope the momentum from this year’s summit will inspire ongoing efforts throughout the school year, ensuring that Kern County’s youth create healthier, drug-free communities.