Monthly Archives: April 2009

A Glimpse into the Life of a Rusher: The Truth About Sororities

I always viewed sororities in a negative light so I decided it was time to figure out what sororities were all about. To me, the whole purpose of joining a sorority would be to meet people through what I felt to was excessive partying. I had stereotyped sororities to the extent where I felt there [...]

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Feeling the influence of older kids

The following essay was written by “Belinda,” a 6th grader in Ventura County. There are some older kids at my school that are drinking. I have witnessed this at school and I have seen the way they act and I don’t want to be like that, EVER. I think it’s really stupid that someone would [...]

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What are we up to these days at Straight Up?

What a thrill it was to accept the Honorary Service Award along with the young people that have given of their time and talents to the Straight Up Program! (read more here) It has been my great pleasure to work with so many teens and young adults who are willing to stand up for something [...]

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Straight Up honored by the California PTA

Straight Up Ventura County, a youth development project that promotes awareness and issues surrounding underage and binge drinking, was honored by the California Congress of Parents, Teachers, and Students, Inc. (PTA) in March 2009.

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Social Host Ordinance for Santa Barbara?

A hotbed of debate that is arising in Santa Barbara centers around the possible implementation of that county’s first Social Host Ordinance. Similar to the laws already in effect throughout Ventura County, the ordinance states that anyone hosting a loud and unruly party of five or more people – two of which are minors – [...]

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