Hanley Foundation and Glades Middle School Collaborate for Youth Summit

WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA — Hanley Foundation and Glades Middle School collaborated for the third year in a row for the annual Youth Summit, which was recently held at the school’s Miramar, FL campus. In honor of National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week (March 18 through March 24), 18 Hanley Foundation staff members provided age-appropriate programming and tools to educate 630 Glades Middle School students about this critical topic. 

Two key programs shared at the Youth Summit include Hanley Foundation’s Alcohol Literacy Challenge (ALC) and Marijuana and Vaping Prevention (MVP). The Alcohol Literacy Challenge provides students with facts about the physical effects of alcohol, and knowledge and awareness about alcohol-related health issues, in an effort to reduce underage drinking, promote responsible drinking behaviors as adults, and reduce abuse and misuse of alcohol. The Marijuana and Vaping Prevention program functions similarly, to illustrate the harms of marijuana and e-cigarettes, to correct misconceptions, and to promote healthy behaviors in youth. 

Hanley Foundation staff also hosted mindfulness and Zumba sessions to teach and encourage positive ways to deal with stress. 

Hanley staff presented some interesting facts to the students during the sessions, such as:

• Alcohol is the most commonly used substance among Florida youth. However, from 2012 to 2023, past 30-day alcohol use among Florida middle and high school students declined from 24.6% to 11.0%. 
• Approximately 1 in 10 people who use marijuana will become addicted. When they start before age 18, the rate of addiction rises to 1 in 6. However, from 2014 to 2023, past 30-day marijuana use for Florida youth decreased from 12.4% to 7.4%.

“We believe that with continued outreach programs like this one, we can continue to reduce these percentages and keep our children on a positive path, free of addiction,” said Diamond Howard, Hanley Foundation’s Corporate Director of Prevention. 

Support for this program administered by Hanley Foundation has been provided by the following Funds at the Community Foundation of Broward: Keith W. Dunn Restricted Endowment Fund, Mary and Alex Mackenzie Community Impact Fund, Fonda and H. Wayne Huizenga, Jr. Family Trust Fund, and The Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation Broward Community Fund. 

About Hanley Foundation 

Hanley Foundation envisions a world free of addiction, leading the way as the largest provider of grant-funded prevention education programs in the State of Florida. Hanley Foundation’s mission is to eliminate addiction through prevention, advocacy, treatment, and recovery support. Operating under these pillars, Hanley provides accredited, holistic addiction treatment, recovery scholarships to those in need, and training to identify the signs of substance misuse. Hanley Foundation educates, changes minds, and saves lives through its evidence-based treatment and prevention programs. For more information, please visit hanleyfoundation.org or call 561-268-2355. Follow Hanley on Instagram and Facebook @HanleyFoundation and on Twitter and LinkedIn @HanleyFNDN.