On Tuesday, January 24 in the Camarillo Ventura County Office of Education, it was time to Kick Ash. Kick Ash is a seminar built for students to educate regarding the harm and disparities of vaping, tobacco, and drugs. Students who attended learned more about the synthetic opioid, fentanyl, and how in a second your life flips to the other side of the coin. Kick Ash provides personal stories and spreads the word through music and rap, allowing teens to feel more expressive of themselves and to get in the groove. Students from schools all over Ventura County attended this workshop in Camarillo allowing students to socialize with other students from different schools. Kick Ash really showed an insight on being yourself, and to not lose sight of yourself through different influences. 

This day started off by a delightful breakfast provided by the team of Kick Ash. They served gourmet bagels with refreshments. They also had a stand for free shirts, providing them for the students to spread the word through daily wear. In the background, Emcees Vanessa Alva and DJ Dank Soli jammed to beats as the students served themselves and sat down. Soon, students received a little welcome following Music Notes, a duo dedicated to express the dangers of drugs through rap, allowing teens to understand through their daily culture.

Through Music Notes, we learned how to stop teens from vaping through rap. In their famous rap, ‘It’s Time For Some Action’, they state their rap, “It’s time for some action. We see the trial of the game, now it’s on us to make a change.” This rap provided an emotional but worthy insight for teens, allowing them to fully understand the devastating consequences of drugs. From performer Mr. Dean Landix, apart from Music Notes, he shared his vulnerable and personal story of his parent’s death because of weed. In his presentation, Landix said, “If we don’t stop, all of our loved ones are gonna die, which is why we need to help them fight.” This duo educated teens through their raps and beats, helping teens sink in this perilous information.

Soon, this seminar took a twist, allowing students to separate in groups. Students were given the opportunity to participate in a workshop with Music Notes, providing students a chance to write a song or rap about the consequences of drugs and how to stop. They can further take this workshop, as Music Notes will even let them publish this story on their website allowing their creation to create some good. Then there were two other workshops. The first workshop was hosted as a fun game show for student to team up to play games and win prizes. The games taught students about fentanyl, and many other facts about drugs. Finally, in the  last workshop, Soli and Alva shared a presentation pouring with music about their own heartbreaking experiences abusing drugs. In this presentation, Alva shares her insight of why we need to stop, and she states, “…because we want you to live, we want you here, and we need all the support we can get.” This emotional quote hit hard for many students, helping them experience an alternate dimension of drugs. 

Next, was a small lunch break for students to recoup for a little energy boost. The lunch included many meat sandwiches with toppings on the side. Throughout this lunch break, was a small photo booth for students to keep a memory of Kick Ash. There was also a raffle hosted by the team of Kick Ash, allowing teens to win little prizes to keep as well. Then came the next Keynote from Alex Mendoza, famous freestyle soccer player known for being on large sports ads such as Nike and Adidas. Mendoza shares his childhood story through soccer and allows the students to have a great time. Since Mendoza faced a terrible injury, his friend performed many tricks to wow all of the students. This heartfelt presentation also showcased the terrible dangers of drugs.

Lastly, the Kick Ash seminar ended with a closing and raffle, as well as a survey asking students how they felt about the presentation. Students had the opportunity to meet the presenters and take pictures with them, as well as autographs. Soon students had to clean up, and leave the conference room with a goody bag provided by the team of Kick Ash, consisting of lollipops and other snacks. Kick Ash is an amazing experience for students to enjoy music as well as getting educated in the dangers of tobacco products and drugs. Be sure to follow Kick Ash through Instagram (@tobaccofreevc), TikTok (@vc_tupe_tok) and Twitter (@VCTobacco). Follow Music Notes as well on Instagram (@musicnotesonline) and on Facebook (@musicnotesfans).  And don’t forget to Kick Ash!