OXNARD : Festival Urges Youths to Resist Drugs, Alcohol

More than 1,000 people turned out Sunday for an alcohol-, tobacco- and drug-free festival at Del Sol Park in Oxnard, the second annual celebration aimed at steering children away from dangerous substances.

Hosted by the Colonia Coalition, a collection of Oxnard-based nonprofit and community organizations, the party featured music, food and informational booths loaded with literature depicting the pitfalls of drugs and alcohol.

“This is the day we’re trying to get out the message to the community that you can have a drug- and alcohol-free life,” said organizer Henry Casillas, who works in the Oxnard Housing Department.

“The bottom line is that we’re creating a consciousness,” he said.

Noelia Chavez, who also helped organize the event, said minority groups often are singled out by beer, liquor and cigarette advertisers.

“Latino communities are targeted by the alcohol and tobacco industries, so we’re trying to counteract some of that,” Chavez said. “You can have fun in a good, clean environment without alcohol.”

In addition to the anti-drug messages, festival-goers also were given information about health and medical services available at St. John’s Regional Medical Center.

“Many people are coming by--even singles and males,” said Iluminada Camacho, who was distributing birth and parenting literature. “Many of them are high risk because they don’t have access to prenatal care and classes.”

Rose Baneullos was selling Mexican food to raise money for a field trip to Magic Mountain for members of the Colonia Village Youth Council.

“This is a really positive thing, especially for the teens out here because they’re getting good role models and learning to be responsible,” she said.

Five-year-old Joshua Alamillo got the message.

“It’s bad,” the boy said of smoking and drinking. “People get drunk and they get into crashes or they fight, and the police will get them.”

Basilia Alamillo, the boy’s mother, said she started teaching her children early about the risks of drinking and smoking.

“We let them know that drinking is very harmful and creates problems,” she said. “We tell them all the time. Smoking is harmful, it smells bad and they know it.”