The Fuquay-Varina Coalition for a Healthy and Safe Community was formerly known as the Fuquay-Varina Citizens Against Drugs (FVCAD). In 2019, the FVCAD leadership team met with several community partners to reenergize the Coalition to align with the growing needs of the Fuquay-Varina Community. FVCAD is now known as the Fuquay-Varina Coalition for a Healthy and Safe Community and partners with the Poe Center for Health Education.
The Fuquay-Varina Coalition builds collaborative partnerships to reduce youth alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use in Fuquay-Varina by empowering the community and youth to educate others and change policies. Community partners include local businesses, service organizations, faith-based organizations, youth, parents, schools, law enforcement, and other community members who care about the well-being of our youth. Together with the youth empowerment teams, the Coalition builds awareness around the dangers of use, shares resources, advocates for tobacco-free policies and educates merchants on best practices for preventing access.
The Coalition supports youth empowerment teams and their efforts to make a difference with their peers. The Fuquay-Varina High School S.T.O.P. (Students Taking On Prevention) Club increased awareness and education through posters, school announcements and community presentations. The FVCO-LAB (Fuquay-Varina Teen Collaborative) has created a teen-led Instagram page (@fvcolab) to promote both positive and prevention messages to educate and empower their peers. The content is created and led by teens in the community. In addition, FVCO-LAB members have presented at the Wake County Tobacco Forum on Tobacco Free Parks, at national conferences, and produced video ads for our underage drinking prevention campaign.
The Coalition graduated from the National Coalition Academy in February of this year and members are using the skills and resources they learned to make a difference in our community. Some of the community events they have participated in include hosting a Community Conversation on Equity in partnership with the Downtown Fuquay-Varina Rotary Club, providing adult and youth educational sessions for Wake Chapel Church, and increasing education and awareness at the Fuquay-Varina Growers Market. In addition to these community events, the Coalition has shared some of their Coalition successes at national conferences like the CADCA National Leadership Forum and the CADCA Mid-Year Leadership Institute.
Currently, the Coalition is doing a youth survey to learn more about youth perception, access, and experience in our local community. The survey is anonymous and will help them with future programming. Another community initiative is the Talk It Up. Lock It Up!TM Campaign. The Fuquay-Varina Coalition empowers parents and caregivers with resources to talk with their children and the tools to monitor and secure alcohol. They are encouraging parents and caregivers to take the pledge at their website fvcoalition.org.
There are many ways to support the Coalition. You can join the Coalition. They meet every third Thursday of the month to plan activities. You can also spread the word about the Coalition and initiatives like the Talk It Up. Lock It Up!TM Campaign and the youth empowerment team activities. They are always looking for volunteers. The youth empowerment team is a great way for teens to get involved in making a difference in our community while gaining community service hours for future endeavors. The Coalition also provides virtual and in-person education classes and resources to youth, families, churches, and civic organizations. Classes include tips and activities that reinforce healthy decision-making, refusal skills, and support conversations between caregivers and youth on these challenging topics. Please share this information with any group that could benefit from the educational sessions. And finally, they are always looking for businesses and organizations that would like to partner with them to provide resources and incentives for our youth. It takes a community. Together we can make a positive difference in our youth here in Fuquay-Varina.
