RyeACT's Nancy Pasquale on Reducing Youth Substance Use

Former Rye Mayor Doug French speaks to Nancy Pasquale, coalition coordinator and co-founder of RyeACT, about how a local coalition model can reduce youth substance use by centering youth voice, community collaboration, and data-driven prevention. The conversation covers RyeACT’s origins, the trends in its long-running student survey, and how mental health, family communication, and early prevention all connect.Pasquale also explains why coalitions work differently than committees, how RyeACT’s youth action teams shape the work, and why the group is now focused on sustaining momentum as federal funding ends.Recorded on September 24, 2026Show notes and full transcript available at MyRye.com