Welcome to the SACY website!

IF YOU ARE A STUDENT IN CRISIS CONTACT THE CRISIS CENTER AT:

BC 1-800-SUICIDE: 1-800-784-2433
Mental Health Support Line: 310-6789
Vancouver Coastal Regional Distress Line: 604-872-3311
Online Chat Service for Youth: www.YouthInBC.com (Noon to 1am)

If you require additional information, please contact Natasha Gates, Vice Principal, Mental Health & SACY   ngates@vsb.bc.ca

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When it comes to COVID-19, SHARING ISN’T ALWAYS CARING 

***check out this resource developed by SACY 

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FENTANYL and VAPING... 

... resources available at Vocal about Vaping and SACY Resources page.

SACY FENTANYL VIDEO now available on YouTube: 

Click for a Discussion Guide, or a Short Quiz for use with the SACY Fentanyl Video.

For further information, please browse the 'Resources' tab or click here. 

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What is SACY?

Supporting And Connecting Youth (SACY) - Substance Use Health Promotion Initiative engages Vancouver parents, teachers, students, administrators and the greater community to strengthen school-based alcohol and drug prevention and early-intervention programs and policies.

The goal of SACY is to: Enhance the prevention and brief intervention infrastructure in VSB schools and surrounding community to prevent substance use, delay substance use and reduce substance use related problems. 

At SACY we believe that young people that feel connected to their schools, who have supportive family, and have adult allies and mentors are stronger, healthier and better able to live up to their full potential.

SACY staff and allies are committed to listening to their experiences and supporting them in the prevention, delay and reduction of substance use.

How do we work?

The SACY team uses a comprehensive approach to deliver coordinated prevention and early intervention strategies that emphasize relationships, connectedness, positive youth development, and social and emotional learning. 

SACY utilizes a number of unique activities including “Capacity Cafes” (where youth voices educate adults), community service learning opportunities, parent engagement and specific activities that involve Aboriginal and multi-cultural communities.

SACY has four interrelated activity streams:

Youth Prevention and Engagement,
Parent Engagement,
Curriculum and Teacher Training, and
STEP - a three day off site program

What does SACY work focus on?

• Strengthen youth’s connection to school, family and community.
• Build resiliency in youth, parents and within the community by focusing on strengths versus deficits.
• Encourage open and honest dialogue on issues related to drugs and alcohol.
• Promote positive youth development - emotional, physical, intellectual and spiritual.
• Create opportunities for youth voices to be heard.

SACY acknowledges that adolescence may be a time of experimentation with substances, including tobacco, alcohol and other drugs, and therefore works to:

• Ensure that prevention efforts are relevant and realistic, helping young people navigate a society where substance use is prevalent.
• Generate opportunities for youth to give back to their communities.
• Address risk factors that exist around substance use and which are related to individuals, families, schools and community.

SACY recognizes the important role of parents, teachers and other adults and therefore seeks to:

• Support parents/caregivers in maintaining strong relationships with their youth.
• Teach parents effective ways of communicating with their children.
• Promote adult listening and adult ally building - important steps that help young people stay healthy and feel positively connected to their schools and communities.

SACY seeks to impact the school environment and thus aims to: 

• Support teachers and administrators to utilize evidence-based prevention practices
• Conduct teacher training to implement effective classroom curricula.
• Work with schools to implement an integrated approach to substance use prevention.

SACY is committed to a multi-faceted approach and ongoing monitoring and evaluation.

SACY is a joint initiative of the Vancouver School Board and Vancouver Coastal Health in collaboration with the City of Vancouver, , the University of British Columbia, the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR) and the Vancouver Police Department.    

	Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR)