Scottsdale, AZ
Rancho Solano Middle School & High School
Rancho Solano is a private elementary, middle and high school in Scottsdale, Arizona. They brought Vive18 speakers Jake White and Tomas Barraza to address underage drinking, vaping, THC, and driving under the influence. The students were talking about the presentation long after and mentioned things like “this was way better than the normal presentations we see.” Many students stayed after to talk with the drug prevention speakers and share personal stories, how the presentation impacted them, and what they’d like to do after. The school counselor Elizabeth loved how actionable the program was and that it can be helpful for years later as well. It wasn’t a typical “just say no” presentation, but empowered students to make choices that help them achieve the future they want. During the day, Vive18 addressed students in upper elementary, middle school, and high school while tailoring each to be age and developmentally appropriate.
Douglas, Arizona
Alexandra (Alex) Boneo is from the Douglas, Arizona, and Agua Prieta, Sonora border communities. She has over 15 years of experience in community development in the non-profit sector. As a Douglas coalition substance abuse coordinator, she was able to serve her border community directly by coordinating local efforts to address substance abuse prevention, underage drinking, and prescription drug abuse. She heard Jake White from Vive18 speak for the first time at a Youth Conference in Southern Arizona.
She said he truly connected with the youth and kept their attention. She didn’t see any of the students take out there phones, which was amazing to her! Jake helped students explore who they are and what they want to do. The message was truly from the heart and helped them think about how they see themselves and how they want to influence their community.
