OCAY Tenafly | Our Community Allied With Youth
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OCAY

Our Community Allied with Youth

Our Community Allied with Youth (OCAY), formed in 2016, is a community coalition in Tenafly, NJ coming together to help reduce youth substance use. OCAY is made possible by a grant awarded to Tenafly Public Schools from the Drug-Free Communities program.

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The Goals of OCAY

The Coalition seeks to reduce alcohol sales to minors through policy change initiatives to reduce access to alcohol, by educating local alcohol permit holders, and advocating for changes in law enforcement and court policies and practices related to substance use violations.

OCAY promotes awareness and education on the effect of marijuana by providing trainings and technical assistance on signs and symptoms of marijuana use to teachers, parents and professionals that work with youth. The Coalition hosts events that educate the community about the health, social, and legal consequences of marijuana use among youth in grades 6th through 12th.

The OCAY Coalition develops environment strategies to reduce access to prescription drugs, such as hosting Prescription Drug Take Back events and implementing Operation Medicine Cabinet.
We host community forums to educate community members of all ages and walks of life about medication security in homes, and how to safely dispose of medication.

Screenagers

Growing Up In The Digital Age

“Screenagers” Viewing

Moderated Discussion with Psychotherapist Talia Filippelli

Tenafly Middle School Auditorium, Tuesday May 2, 7-9 PM

 

o Learn about our teens’ (and pre-teens’) techno-life

o Understand the neurological and behavioral impact of tech usage

o Share information about how to protect your family’s time, values — & health

 

See the trailer here: http://www.screenagersmovie.com

 

About Screenagers: Are you watching kids scroll through life, with their rapid-fire thumbs and a six-second attention span? Physician and filmmaker Delaney Ruston saw that with her own kids and learned that the average kid spends 6.5 hours a day looking at screens. She wondered about the impact of all this time and about the friction occurring in homes and schools around negotiating screen time…. Through poignant, and unexpectedly funny stories, along with surprising insights from authors, psychologists, and brain scientists, SCREENAGERS reveals how tech time impacts kids’ development and offers solutions on how adults can empower kids to best navigate the digital world and find balance.

UNDER PRESSURE

Event was a great success

On March 30th, Our Community Allied with Youth (OCAY) of Tenafly presented “Under Pressure” at The Clinton Inn in Tenafly, NJ and featured Ray Lucas, NFL player and survivor. Mr. Lucas shared his story of painkiller addiction, near-suicide, and eventually: recovery. Ray Lucas played seven seasons in the NFL as a quarterback and special teams player for the New England Patriots, New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, and Baltimore Ravens. When he was sidelined by an injury and his career abruptly halted at age 30, he initially turned to painkillers for relief, but before long they became the problem rather than the solution. Following Ray Lucas, a panel of experts answered questions about drug and alcohol addiction, underage drinking, binge drinking, and prevention.
Approximately 130 members of our community attended the event.

Get involved…We can all be OCAY!

VISION

Our Community with a Common Goal

Our vision for OCAY is to enhance and extend our role as the primary organization driving focus on the critical issue of youth substance use.

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SUPPORT OCAY AND OUR YOUTH

OCAY helps us raise awareness about Alcohol and Drugs in our community