Youth Advocacy refers to youth who are invested in helping their peers make healthy lifestyle choices.  This can take many forms—from organized educational seminars to casual conversations and writing letters to the editor.  In short, it is peer-to-peer outreach aimed at reducing alcohol and substance abuse. 

Many of our coalitions partner with youth groups for a variety of community initiatives.  We rely on our youth advocates to tell us what will work and what will not work.  After all, as a teen you’re much more familiar with how to effectively communicate to your peers that we are.  We look to youth to lead our communication and outreach efforts and become “change agents” for the behaviors of their peers, teachers, parents, and community members. 

Our youth advocates typically focus on two complimentary pools of knowledge: first, the deadly and tragic effects substance use and abuse can have; and second, the fact that the majority of teens (60%) do not participate in risky behavior—refuting the notion that you have to drink to fit in with your peers.