LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — This fall, young people in Lower Lake High School’s Friday Night Live club launched a campaign to tackle underage drinking in Lake County in partnership with Lake County Behavioral Health Services.

Friday Night Live, or FNL, is a youth-led program facilitated by Lake County Behavioral Health Services that builds partnerships for positive and healthy youth development, engages youth as active community leaders, and generates resources to create positive changes on issues that matter to them.

Although underage drinking rates continue to decline, the 2023 California Healthy Kids Survey found young people in seventh, ninth and 11th grades had engaged in alcohol use at least once in the past month at rates of 4%, 10% and 14%, respectively.

Research from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has shown underage alcohol consumption can lead to a variety of risks and dangerous consequences for consumers, including impaired judgment, risky behaviors, interference with brain development, and increased risk of developing substance use disorders in adulthood.

California youth in Lower Lake High School are taking a stand with retail partners to promote healthy alternatives to underage drinking and support in creating safer communities.

As part of this year-long prevention campaign, Lower Lake High School’s FNL chapter members will drive initiatives to engage alcohol retailers to conduct store assessments and provide merchant education on preventative safety measures to reduce youth access to alcohol products.

Youth leaders will also work with retailers to inform customers of the consequences of providing alcohol products to minors.

Throughout the campaign, young people will receive training on data collection, public speaking, creating public service announcements, and leadership and advocacy skills.

Friday Night Live is a statewide initiative and includes forty-five FNL chapters from across California.

Each receives support from the California Friday Night Live Partnership, with funding provided by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

FNL’s efforts will utilize environmental prevention strategies through youth-led initiatives to educate their peers, neighbors, and local leaders on ways to reduce underage drinking access and mitigate damage to communities resulting from underage drinking.

Locally, Lake County Behavioral Health Services plays a key role in facilitating these efforts, ensuring young people have the resources and support needed to drive meaningful change.

For more information about FNL, visit fridaynightlive.org or Instagram (llhs_fridaynightlive).