Youth Advisory Committee

The Youth Advisory Committee is a student leadership group interested in staying substance-free and making a positive impact in their school and the community. Our youth councils work on prevention-related educational activities that are student-focused, such as Use Your Cube and SAMHSA’s National Prevention Week.

National Prevention Week

National Prevention Week is an annual health observance dedicated to increasing public awareness of substance use and mental health disorders. Our Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) members create projects for National Prevention Week that promote awareness around preventing underage drinking and alcohol misuse and preventing prescription and opioid drug misuse.


This year, YAC members determined that friends are one of the most important factors in staying away from substance misuse. That is why this year for National Prevention Week they worked together on projects that support positive social interactions with their peers. They planned updates to the recess space and designed a banner that highlights positive alternatives that EMS students use to stay drug and alcohol free. All students from EMS will have the opportunity to sign the banner in support of the project


Eldorado, IL — Community Prevention Resources through the Regional Office of Education #21 will join communities across the country in celebrating the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) National Prevention Week 2023 to increase public awareness of, and action around, mental and substance misuse disorders. Each year, SAMHSA’s National Prevention Week showcases the work of communities and organizations across the country dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of substance misuse prevention and positive mental health. National Prevention Week celebrates these year-round initiatives, and the possibilities prevention brings. This year, National Prevention Week will take place May 7–13.

To celebrate prevention, bring together our community, and encourage healthy decision-making, Community Prevention Resources is partnering with Eldorado Middle School (EMS) to host a school-wide event on Friday, May 5th. The Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) at EMS determined that friends are one of the most important factors for staying away from underage drinking and prescription drug and opioid misuse. With this in mind, YAC members worked together on projects that would support positive social interactions with their peers which included planning updates to the recess space and designing a banner that students from EMS will have the opportunity to sign in support of the project.

In addition, mural artist, Tiffany Black, will be using the YAC’s banner and responses from a school-wide survey to create a permanent installation near the recess area that highlights positive alternatives that keep EMS students away from substance use. Students will have the opportunity to complete a color-by-numbers version of the mural in anticipation of the final product that will be hung at the school in later May.

SAMHSA’s National Prevention Week echoes a key message of the 2016 Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health: We can shift the way society thinks about substance misuse and substance use disorders while identifying actions that individuals and communities can take to prevent and treat these conditions. Community Prevention Resources through the Regional Office of Education #21 is proud to be one of many organizations around the country encouraging people to raise awareness about the importance of substance misuse prevention and mental health promotion in their communities. as part of National Prevention Week.

For more information on National Prevention Week visit: samhsa.gov/prevention-week/about