Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


Local students are being encouraged to get involved with a youth-led initiative to help prevent substance use.

The Livingston County Community Alliance holds monthly Youth-Led Advisory Board (Y-LAB) meetings with the Be the Change club students from the respective Livingston County Community schools.

Y-LAB meetings are every second and fourth Thursday of the month from 5:30pm to 6:30pm and locations change each time. The next Y-LAB meeting is May 9th. More information regarding Y-LAB is available by contacting ylplivco@gmail.com.

Y-LAB is for middle and high school students in the Livingston County area that are looking to get involved in their schools and community.

Y-LAB brings youth from Be the Change chapters and other county leadership groups that allows for the youth to collaborate with the Livingston County Community Alliance in working to prevent youth substance use.

Some events that the Y-LAB have put on or been involved in include: Reality Tour, an Educational Experience for Families on Substance Use Prevention, Red Ribbon Week in October within the schools that encourages students to Live Drug Free Lives, Youth Tobacco Advocacy Day where youth attended the state capitol to talk and learn with local representatives about nicotine and its policies, youth have also attended Youth Leadership Summits, and the yearly CADCA conference that works on combating substance use and many more events.

Upcoming events include the Youth Art Voice that showcases student’s art work and how they tie their art piece and the creation of art to mental health. That event will be held at The Howell Opera House on Friday, May 17 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm. Details in WHMI.com event section.

Another event that the Y-LAB will be putting on is the Youth Leadership Summit, this fall. More information on that event will be announced later.

Be the Change meeting times are as follows:

Brighton High School SADD – Tuesdays after school
Hartland High School – Fridays at 8:00 am
Pinckney High School – Tuesdays during lunch
Fowlerville High School – Fridays after school
Bridge – Thursdays during lunch
Flextech – Tuesdays during lunch


The Youth-Led Advisory Board Members and their positions include:

Leahann Stamp (Fowlerville) – President and LCCA Youth Representative
Mark Benjamin (Pinckney) – Vice President
Elizabeth Morrow (Fowlerville) – Secretary
Maya Drury (Hartland) – Media Manager
Maren Estes (Pinckney) – Media Team

Katherine Dzialowski – Advisor
Holly Oswalt – Advisor
Maddie Parker – Advisor
Sandra Parker - Advisor


The Livingston County Community Alliance provides school and community-based substance use prevention programs for youth, adults, and adolescent recovery support programs in the Livingston County community.