The Fayette County Prevention Coalition (FCPC) will be holding a free skating party for middle and high school teens on Thursday, July 15.

The skating party will be held at the Roller Haven Fun Center, located at 1640 U.S. Highway 22 N.W. in Washington Court House. The party is scheduled to last from noon to 2:30 p.m.

Skate rental, pizza and pop have been paid for, according to organizers.

“Our hope is to eliminate barriers to youth being able to come have fun in a safe environment,” FCPC explained.

Prior to the skate, a survey will be taken in order to get feedback from teens on topics such as alcohol, opioids, tobacco and more. This information is pivotal to FCPC efforts to reduce drug use by local teens and in the local community.

Another goal of involving youth is to boost youth-led coalition efforts in both local public school districts — Miami Trace Local Schools and Washington Court House City Schools — as youth-led efforts are a highly effective deterrent to substance abuse.

Youth who don’t use are the majority, according to organizers. So often, the negative side of youth is heard about in the news, however, FCPC prefers to acknowledge the positive aspects of local teens.

The mission statement for The Fayette County Prevention Coalition is: the coalition “will create a unified community response to prevent youth substance abuse and support the development of effective community programs to promote a safer, healthier and drug free Fayette County.”