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Santa Clarita DFYiT ‘Summer Splash’ Pool Party Starts A Sober Summer

All SCV Teens Grades 7-12 Invited to Santa Clarita Aquatic Center Saturday 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Santa Clarita DFYiT Summer SplashBy Stephen K. Peeples

The Santa Clarita DFYiT anti-drug program has just completed its first school year, and organizers have invited all Santa Clarita Valley students in grades 7-12 to celebrate the milestone at the DFYiT “Summer Splash” pool party at the Santa Clarita Aquatic Center on Saturday, June 8, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The $5 admission includes swimming, food, music by a DJ from SOS Entertainment, shaved ice, a pair of DFYiT sunglasses, and encouragement to DFYiT members to stick with the program and have a sober summer between semesters.

“We have nearly 800 DFYiT members in 13 junior high and high schools — a very successful, I think, first year,” said Albert Bradley, who oversees DFYiT as part of his duties as the City of Santa Clarita’s Human Services supervisor.


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DFYiT Modeled After Proven Program

Established in Dade County, the greater Miami, Fla., area in 1992, the national DFYiT (Drug-Free Youth in Town) program now has more than 60,000 members in clubs across the country.

Spurred by a rise in drug abuse among Santa Clarita Valley teens and young adults, a task force of local representatives researched the Dade County DFYiT’s success. The task force included officials from the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station, the Wm. S. Hart Union High School District, the City of Santa Clarita and L.A. County’s 5th Supervisorial District.

Then the organizations collaborated to create the Santa Clarita DFYiT chapter, and the clubs at each junior high school, middle school and high school in the valley. The clubs opened in late summer 2012, in time for students to sign up for the fall semester.

RELATED:  It Takes A Village, Part 5: Locals Unite Against Youth Drug Abuse In The SCV

After building the program and its membership over two semesters, DFYiT organizers and members held a year-end ceremony May 8, as the spring semester wound up.

“We learned a lot, we worked very well with the Hart school district and the Sheriff’s Department; they’re awesome partners,” Bradley said. “I think we’re off to a good start. We’re very strong in the junior highs (with) a great group that will be entering the ninth grade next year. So we’re really excited about the wave of those kids going into high school.”

‘DFYiT Summer Splash’ Welcomes New Members in Grades 7-12

Santa Clarita DFYiT dodge ball playersThe “DFYiT Summer Splash” pool party is also an open invitation to other Santa Clarita Valley students to become DFYiT members this fall.

“The purpose is really to invite all teenagers within the valley to come, have a good time, choose healthy lifestyles and meet that type of people,” Bradley said.

“We’re just really trying to draw more people into DFYiT,” he said. “Social youths love meeting kids from other schools. That’s our big event for the summer, so we’re really excited about this.”

After the “DFYiT Summer Splash,” the next DFYiT events are in late August, as the new school semester is about to begin, Bradley said.

“Next (school) year, we have a lot of social events planned,” he said. “We have a scary movie night, we have a ‘Junk Drugs’ event, and hopefully a ‘5150 Jump’ night. We’re looking to do another dodge ball tournament — that was very, very successful this past year (dodge ball players are pictured at right). So we’re trying to do social events, trying to improve our curriculum. We have guest speakers and ACTION (Family Counseling) coming in, and some sheriff’s detectives. We’re just working to get bigger and better. We’d love to double the size of DFYiT this year.”

For more information about the Santa Clarita DFYiT program and “Summer Splash,” click here. You can also check out the city’s preview video.


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Santa Clarita DFYiT ‘Summer Splash’ Pool Party Starts A Sober Summer

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