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The California Friday Night Live (FNL) Program
was developed in 1984. It began as a pilot program dedicated
to reducing the number of deaths and injuries caused by teen
motorists driving under the influence of alcohol and other
drugs. During the first years of the program the youth involved
were organized into high school-based student action groups.
The success rate was so great that in 1988 a statewide office
was established. By 1990, the number of counties with the
FNL Program had increased 300% and the main focus of the program
began to shift from one of preventing drinking and driving
among teens to promoting healthy lifestyles free of alcohol,
tobacco, or other substance abuse among youth.
Due to the overwhelming success of Friday
Night Live, a middle/junior high school component was developed
in 1988 named Club Live (CL). In 1990, the Friday Night Live
Kids (FNL Kids) Program, which focused on youth in the 4th
through 6th grades began. By 1994, 48 counties had also implemented
the CL Program and /or the FNL Kids Program. The chapter locations
had also broadened from school campus-based programs to recreation
facilities, housing projects, youth centers, and youth in
detention centers, reaching nearly one million youth throughout
California. In 1998, the partnership
began a pilot process for FNL Mentoring. The five original
counties had great success and within two years had developed
the FNL Mentoring Model. The primary
focus of the FNL/CL/FNL Kids/FNL Mentoring Programs is to
form youth/adult partnerships with young people, providing
programs rich in opportunities and support, so young people
will be less likely to engage in problem behaviors, more likely
to achieve in school, and more likely to attend higher education
or secure a full-time job.
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