Youth Prevention work gives communities the power to connect through shared efforts in creating healthy and safe environments for all. Lopez island is no different. We’ve shared previous posts about how LIFRC is leading a community work group to re-establish a Lopez Youth Prevention Coalition (since Lopez’s coalition was dissolved pre-pandemic). LIFRC’s dedicated team is generously advised by WA State Department of Health, San Juan County Health & Community Services and several regional leaders. This rich network enables LIFRC to learn from other coalitions and adapt it to our local community.

One key takeaway they’ve shared is that if you just focus ticking the “best practices” boxes but don’t simultaneously hold space for genuinely inclusive representation, prevention work can become fragmented and you can find yourself scrambling to backfill. From our beginnings, LIFRC has focused on building an inclusive coalition that is accessible to everyone. All of our meetings, planning and presentations include youth leaders and Spanish language. Lopez’s Youth Prevention Working Group stands out for our focus on youth voice and bilingual accessibility. Our focus on these components has enabled the Lopez group to quickly become a model for how to build a robust youth prevention coalition.

“Last month, we were very happy to attend the Inaugural Latinx Health & Prevention Summit hosted by Mi Chiantla and Mason County Health and Human Services. We were invited to talk about our prevention work here on Lopez and listen to how other communities are working on it, while also sharing their experiences and suggestions. I believe in creating connections within our community by involving everyone in prevention work. This is the key to the success of our mission: we need to work together.” shares LIFRC’s Karina Cerda Aguirre, LIFRC Bilingual Youth Leadership & Prevention Coordinator.
“Building a bilingual coalition is important because it helps bring together people from different backgrounds. It can ensure that everyone feels included, and also invited to speak out. Our trip to Shelton was an example of bringing people together. It was a space where we were allowed to share our experiences, thoughts, and organization. Like our coalition work, it was all done bilingually. It was a way to bring people from different places together, says Evelyn Clavel-Aguilar, LIFRC Bilingual Youth Leadership & Prevention, Youth Liaison.
LIFRC is committed to providing as many training and certification opportunities to youth as adults. Recently, four Lopez youth became certified Peer 2 Peer Educators, hosted by United General District 304. Peer 2 Peer is a cannabis and tobacco prevention program focused on empowering youth across the 5-county region with the skills and confidence to teach their peers about important topics.
Lopez youth are bringing these new programs and skills back to our community. Recently, youth leaders co-led LIFRC’s Youth Services holiday celebrations. They modeled teamwork, joy, collaboration, and service. Plus, the younger kids love having teenagers as their activities leaders! As we close out 2024, we are filled with light and gratitude for our community leaders who continue to envision and build our beloved community. See you in 2025!!