Friday Night Live (FNL)

The Orange County Department of Education (OCDE) is recruiting schools and youth-serving organizations to establish Friday Night Live (FNL) clubs for the 2026–2027 school year. FNL is a youth-led club for students in grades 4–12 that empowers young people to develop leadership skills while planning and implementing substance use prevention projects. Each club is supported by a school/organization staff advisor, with ongoing training, resources, technical assistance, and program materials provided by OCDE at no cost. During the 2025–2026 school year, 44 Orange County schools and organizations participated in FNL. Middle and high school youth lead projects focused on preventing alcohol, vaping/nicotine, and other drug use on their campuses and in their communities. Elementary clubs focus on promoting healthy habits and positive character development. OCDE provides advisors and students with training, T-shirts, program materials, and ongoing support at no cost to Orange County schools and youth-serving organizations. The program can also be integrated into existing leadership classes or leadership programs to strengthen youth substance use prevention efforts.

For more information, visit the FNL website or contact Elke Petras at 714-966-4458 or ​ ​epetras@ocde.us.

Peer Assistance Leadership (PAL®​)

The Peer Assistance Leadership Program is a school-based, peer-to-peer youth development program for students in grades 4-12 built upon a philosophy of students helping students. The mission of our PAL program is to ​develop youth leaders who connect with their peers to create a caring, safe, and supportive school environment for all. PAL peer leaders help build a positive school climate through youth leadership, mentoring, conflict resolution, cross-age teaching, peer helping, service learning, and prevention activities. The PAL program supports skill development in the areas of leadership, communication, team building, and problem solving. The program can be implemented as a club, class, or incorporated into an existing leadership program, where students receive training in the PAL curriculum and plan campus outreach activities.  An effective PAL program can help schools implement many of the research-based activities that enhance youth engagement and connectedness to school and community, two of the most important protective factors for all types of high-risk behaviors.​

Student Advocates for Mental Health

The goals of the Student Advocates for Mental Health (SAMH) program are to engage, train, and support students in youth-led efforts to increase mental health awareness, promote suicide prevention, reduce stigma related to mental illness, and increase access to support services on school campuses and in the community. To accomplish these goals, the program provides education, guidance, materials and resources to support student leadership groups to implement activities and events for their school communities. This opportunity is available at no cost for Orange County public, private, and charter schools.

For more information, visit the SAMH website​ or contact Stephanie Loscko at 714-966-4319 or sloscko@ocde.us.​