Pima County youth met with Congressman Raul Grijalva in D.C. | Community Spirit

Seven students from the Drug Free Communities Project met in person with Congressman Raul Grijalva and a staff representative of Congressman Ron Barber on February 6, to report about the progress of the underage drinking and other drug abuse prevention programs in both Tucson and Amado areas.

The group included students from BASIS Tucson North, Pima Community College and the Amado area.

The report by the young people covered prevention activities involving the Amado Youth Alliance and BeFreePima.com youth groups as well as trainings, mentoring activities and safe gatherings at the Amado Youth Center that opened last June. Prior to its opening, Amado, a rural area directly in the drug trafficking corridor, had no safe haven for youth during after school hours.

The most exciting news the youth brought to the congressional offices in Washington D.C. was how BeFreePima.com and other Drug Prevention projects in the local area are making a difference by offering local youth healthy alternatives to alcohol and drug abuse. The youth from Pima County were particularly proud of the fact that the numbers of youth using alcohol, marijuana and other drugs is on the decline in their county.

The youth attributed the decline in drug use as an indicator that the work they do is critical; and encouraged their representatives in Washington, D.C. to continue to support the work of youth peer-to-peer drug prevention groups like theirs.  These programs, are made possible by grants like the Drug Free Communities Support Program from The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), in partnership with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).