CoPALM Community Brunch Inspires Youth Through Art and Prevention

CoPALM’s third annual Community Brunch and Rise Up, Speak Out artivism event brought together youth, families, and community members for a day centered on prevention, creativity, and connection. On April 18, 2026 at St. Anne’s Ballroom, the event welcomed 71 participants and highlighted the importance of promoting substance use-free lifestyles through education, storytelling, and art.

Youth leaders from Power of Choosing Out (POCO) delivered an engaging presentation on the harms of substance use, including a skit that demonstrated how to navigate peer pressure and make healthy choices. Participants also heard from Tyler Danna, creator of the comic Narc(m)an, who shared how storytelling and art can be powerful tools for raising awareness about fentanyl and substance use prevention.

Community members of all ages participated in interactive art workshops throughout the day, including canvas painting, tote bag design, LEGO community building, seed bomb planting, a community message paper chain, and a collaborative thumbprint mural. The event also served as this year’s Rise Up, Speak Out youth art celebration and showcase, uplifting youth voices through creativity and advocacy.

“The community brunch was very informative with lots of bite-sized pieces of information,” shared participant Elisabeth Atmadja. “The youth who gave the presentation are very devoted to their work. They even memorized the lines of their presentation and their skit!”

This event was made possible through the collaboration of CoPALM coalition partners including Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), Institute for Public Strategies, Korean American Families, The Wall Las Memorias, Social Model Recovery Systems, Power of Choosing Out, and Behavioral Health Services, with support from Substance Abuse Prevention & Control (SAPC).