West Marin Coalition for Healthy Youth

The West Marin Coalition for Healthy Youth aims to change community norms regarding underage drinking, smoking, and drug use. To significantly reduce underage alcohol, tobacco, and drug use, we mobilize across all community sectors and work collaboratively. To achieve this goal, the following actions are taken:

Organizes educational workshops and forums
Makes the public aware of the issue
Establishes local policies and initiatives
Encourages community action in West Marin
Becomes a partner with individuals and organizations
Educates and informs youth and adults
Provides referrals for health and support services

San Geronimo Valley Community Center and West Marin Community Services jointly lead the West Marin Coalition for Healthy Youth. Community partners representing 12 sectors attend the meetings, including youth, parents, businesses, media, schools, youth-serving organizations, law enforcement, religious/fraternal groups, civic/volunteer groups, healthcare professionals, and local governments.

We’ve recently redesigned a dedicated website with resources in the following content areas:

The Mission

To mobilize across all sectors of the unincorporated West Marin Community and work collaboratively to reduce the incidence of underage use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. Their goal is to improve the overall health and wellness of our community by raising awareness of current mental health and substance abuse issues, identifying and implementing strategies for reducing risk factors, and promoting positive youth engagement in West Marin. Ways they take action:

Develops and partners with local policies and initiatives
Mobilizes our West Marin communities to take action
Provides information and educational materials for youth and adults
Creates public awareness
Convenes educational workshops and forums
Offers referrals for health and support service

The coalition now meets virtually once per month. The West Marin Coalition for Healthy Youth meetings are for community partnrs representing 12 sectors including Youth, Parents, Businesses, Media, Schools, Youth-Serving Organizations, Law Enforcement, Religious/Fraternal groups, Civic/Volunteer Groups, Healthcare Professionals, and Local Government Agencies. If this capacity building appeals to your organization, please join!

West Marin Teen Centers

The Loft: The Loft is a diverse, youth-driven teen program dedicated to promoting personal and group development through fun events, creative expression, community activism, youth empowerment, mentoring, and the open exchange of ideas. The loft is for all youth in 4th- 8th grade. https://www.sgvcc.org/loft-after-school/

The Lounge: The Tomales Bay Youth Center opened its doors for after school and weekend programs in the fall of 2011. Initiated, sponsored, and largely constructed by the West Marin Lions Club, the TBYC is a diverse, youth-driven program, offering a safe, supervised space for West Marin students to gather and engage in positive group activities. https://www.tbyclounge.org/

The Den: The Den, located in Stinson, provides a safe and inspiring space for community building, personal discovery, and peer-supported growth for 6th to 12th graders, with a special focus on the middle school population by providing a meeting space, dinner, and the guidance, the one evening per week. https://bostinden.wordpress.com/