Congratulations to the selected 2011 Alcohol-Free Quinceañera participants!

September 5th, 2009 at Carl Hayden Community High School

On Saturday, September 5th, COPE Coalition hosted the 1st Annual Alcohol-Free Quinceañera at Carl Hayden Community High School for 13 young ladies. The focus of the event was to demonstrate that a Quinceañera can be celebrated successfully without the influence of alcohol. Alcohol is the drug that is abused most by youth in Arizona. Youth that start drinking in their early teens are much more likely to become involved with illegal drugs, as well as increase their likelihood of becoming an alcoholic as an adult.

The first role models that youth have in life are their immediate family members. If a child sees their father drinking excessively at a family barbeque or a Quinceañera, then that child is going to associate drinking alcohol with family enjoyment. When that same child is influenced by peer pressure to drink alcohol, or smoke a joint, they are going to have less incentive to say NO because they have already associated drinking alcohol as an acceptable form of socializing through the observed actions of his or her father.

By hosting the Alcohol-Free Quinceañera, COPE Coalition is beginning a new trend that reinforces positive family values and a healthy lifestyle. Parents and other adult family members can learn from this example, and demonstrate an alcohol and drug free lifestyle for the children that look up to them.  

The Quinceañera is a coming of age celebration for young ladies in Latino cultures that acknowledges both the physiological and cognitive changes they are going through.  It is celebrated within the context of family, spirituality and culture.  TERROS/COPE Coalition selected this event because of the positive impact it can have on families and community.  Youth is a stage of identity formulation facilitated by the ability to conduct complex abstract thinking of the meaning of life and values of right and wrong.   The attachment to family and culture as a protective factor without alcohol is designed as a method of valuing the positive in families and culture without the negative impact of alcohol on youth and their families. 

In Arizona, the focus of diversity in prevention work has been lead by both the Governor’s Office of Substance Abuse Prevention and the Prevention Office of the Division of Behavioral Health. Their leadership and support allowed TERROS and COPE Coalition to tailor its work in a culturally appropriate manner.  Cultural Competence is a requirement in the Strategic Prevention Framework which all prevention work is supposed to include. TERROS and COPE Coalition will be pioneering a way to evaluate this prevention effort as it moves forward.

Sept. 18th, 2010 at Club 602

This year's Alcohol-Free Quinceañera turned out to be another huge success. This year we celebrated with 11 participants and their families at Club 602 (who donated their services) on 43rd Ave. & Thomas. We had over 300 guests enjoy the cultural traditions and lively atmosphere. The photo (taken by Luis Arambula) above shows the 11 participants and their beautiful dresses that were donated by Azteca Wedding Plaza, along with special guest Miss Arizona 2010, Kathryn Bulkley.

The community support was a key element in the success of this event. We had several volunteers that helped throughout the whole planning process, as well as during the night of the event itself. COPE Coalition would like to thank all of the individuals who assisted with putting this event together. D'Image Beauty College donated their services again this year to help prepare the hair & make-up for the participants. Diana's Bakery donated a cake again this year. The band, La Llegadora, played live music at the event. Additional support came from TERROS, the Drug Free Communities Support Program, Decoraciones LizJenn, DJ Norteño, Maricopa County Department of Public Health, TILT Youth group, Universal Flowers, Vision Video Productions and Golden Gate Community Center.

The most credit goes out to the participants, their family members and chamberlains that attended weekly classes for over two months in preparation for the Alcohol-Free Quinceañera. The classes were given by members of the Alcohol-Free Quinceañera Planning Committee and focused on adult responsibilities, alcohol/drug prevention, character-building and of course preparation for the choreographed dance during the event. On behalf of COPE Coalition and TERROS, a special thank you to all that participated and attended the 2010 Alcohol-Free Quinceañera. We look forward to hosting the 2011 Alcohol-Free Quinceañera. Interested participants can email info@copecoalitionaz.org to inquire about the details as we progress.