Seminole County Youth Commission – Background  Established to serve as a community advocate and catalyst in identifying and promoting services and opportunities for youth.  Vision To be the most influential and effective advocate for youth.  Mission To strengthen the quality of life for youth in Seminole County. 2

Seminole County Youth Commission Board Members  Dede Schaffner (Chair)  Kip Beacham  Steve Glazier  Paul Hoyer  Bill James  Matt Julian  Robert Merchant, Jr.  Sid Miller  Mike Napier  Scott Plakon  Michele Saunders  Karen van Caulil  Wayne Weinberg 3

What if… All Seminole County youth did say “no” to drugs and alcohol…. 4

What if… All Seminole County youth felt positive about their body image and led healthier lifestyles…. 5

What if… All Seminole County youth knew how to deal with conflict and resolve it in a peaceful manner…. 6

What if… All Seminole County youth knew how to cope with depression and where to go for help…. 7

Major Work of the Youth Commission to Date Seminole County Youth Survey – 2008 and 2009 CRITICAL ISSUES – Alcohol/Drug Abuse – Body Image – Depression – Conflict Resolution Seminole County Youth Summit – 2008 and 2009 State of Our Youth Report - significant amount of data reported and trended on health, education, juvenile justice and other indicators for youth. Four Working Committees Comprised of Community Leaders and Student Leaders 8

Youth Summit 9

11 Top Issues Identified  Alcohol/Drug Use  Body Image  Depression  Conflict Resolution

12 Alcohol Use  65.5% of high school students had tried alcohol in their lifetime  38% of high school students had used alcohol in the past 30 days  Most commonly used drug among Seminole County youth Source: 2008 Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey Results

13 Drug Abuse  16.8% of high school students reported starting using cigarettes before age 13  22.4% of high school students have tried marijuana at least once in their lifetime  Ecstasy is the most commonly used “club drug” among Seminole County teens Source: 2008 Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey Results

14 Body Image  13.6% of youth felt they were overweight  12.8% of youth reported that they did not participate in any rigorous activity on any day during the past week Source: 2009 Seminole County Youth Survey

15 Conflict Resolution  77% of youth reported helping someone stay out of trouble 1 or more times in the past month  45.4% of youth reported having trouble getting along with other students at least once in the past month Source: 2009 Seminole County Youth Survey

16 Depression  43.5% of youth reported being “very sad” 1-5 days in the past month  37.8% of youth reported having difficulty concentrating on their school work 1-5 days in the past month Source: 2009 Seminole County Youth Survey

Overarching Action Steps 1. Critical issues profile directories posted at 2. Utilize Seminole County youth leaders throughout the school year. 3. Include prevention and education articles on healthy choices in school newsletters. 4. Increase collaboration among community agencies. 17

Action Steps – Alcohol/Drug Abuse 1. Continue to support drug free presentations/ initiatives such as the mock DUI 2. Peer presentations on prevention. 3. Formal collaboration with the Seminole Prevention Coalition (via MOA) 18

Action Steps – Body Image 1. Review the Seminole County School Health Services Plan to integrate body image related strategies. 2. Increase awareness of existing school based counseling programs. 19

Action Steps – Conflict Resolution 1. Collaborate with local initiatives focused on conflict resolution. 2. Increase awareness about conflict resolution and available resources to the faith leaders. 3. Provide conflict resolution training to adult and student leaders. 20

Action Steps – Conflict Resolution (continued) 4. Promote conflict resolution training to youth. 5. Media competition regarding conflict resolution (i.e. video, podcast). 21

Action Steps – Depression 1. Implement district wide educational campaign about the signs of depression and available resources. 2. Utilize multi-media tools designed by youth regarding depression. 3. Pilot a peer mentoring program to help students identify depression and make appropriate referrals. 22

Next Steps  Four committees will meet to further develop the strategies and implement solutions  Develop Youth Commission website as a community resource to parents and students and the general community 23