The theme for 2023 was to “Be Kind to Your Mind, Live Drug Free.” Festivities were held throughout the week at both Laconia Middle and High School as part of the Stand Up Sachems clubs. LYA and community members handed out Red Ribbons to local businesses to spread awareness and show support. Thank you to everyone who participated in 2023! For more information about Red Ribbon Week, visit www.redribbon.org.

In 2023, LYA and Stand Up Sachems hosted a number of events. For Alcohol Awareness Month, 200 Laconia Middle School Students tested their knowledge about alcohol, which was made possible by our Stand Up Sachems club! For Mental Health Awareness Month, Laconia Middle School students put on activities like positivity rock decorative and planting positivity to showcase on school grounds (pictured).

In December, we partnered with the Lakes Region Mental Health Center to bring a National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) NH Life Interrupted speaker to Laconia.

We partnered with the Laconia Police Department to provide community members with information and resources for safe medical disposal and storage.

Prom night has been identified as one of the most dangerous nights of the year for young people making high-risk choices. In 2023, we worked with the community to host a Chem-Free After Prom Party, which was a safe, supervised environment for all Laconia High School students to celebrate and enjoy time together. We spent the night at Smitty’s Cinema in Tilton and had fun with a hypnotist, photo booth, snow cones, pizza, donuts, games, axe throwing, and Guardians of the Galaxy! A huge thank you to Goody Good Donuts, Sal’s Pizza, Dunkin Donuts, Domino’s, Bolduc Park, the Laconia Police Department, and Laconia High School in their partnership to make this event happen!

We hosted our annual Party in the Park with a twist in 2023 - a Battle of the Bands! Three bands competed for a spot on the “Backstage” show on 104.9 The Hawk. We also had a pie eating contest sponsored by Beans and Greens. Free food, live music, and a community resource fair rounded out the event. A huge thank you to our sponsors, Leavitt Park, and our fiscal agent Partnership for Public Health for making this all possible!

In November, we participated in Celebrate Laconia - LYA sponsored a tree and marched in our own float!

Laconia Middle and High School students wrote and recorded their own alcohol and drug prevention public services announcements, with the generous support of 104.9 The Hawk. You can take a listen here.

LYA and Laconia High School’s Stand Up Sachems group hosted a substance-free red carpet dance and highlighted positive statistics related to teens not using substances.