The Carbondale PROmoting School â?? community â?? university Partnerships to Enhance Resilience (PROSPER) team is holding a holiday vendor fair on Saturday, Nov. 3 at the Carbondale Area Elementary School, 103 Brooklyn St., Carbondale from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The event will provide customers with a one stop holiday shopping experience and raise funds for PROSPER drug and alcohol and bullying prevention programs.

A wide selection of vendors will be on hand including Miche bags, Mary Kay cosmetics, Avon, Pampered Chef, Lia Sophia, Scentsy, Stampin Up and more. Handcrafted items such as jewelry, scarves, shawls, toyboxes, hair bows, home décor will also be featured. In addition, baskets, door prizes and food will be available. Admission is $2 per person.

The PROSPER project is an innovative model for bringing evidence based prevention programs to communities in order to strengthen youth, families, and the community. The focus is on strengthening parent-child relations and problem-solving, building youth life skills, and teaching youth to avoid peer pressure or dangerous behaviors.

The Carbondale Area School District has participated in the PROSPER project for 10 years. A team which consists of Penn State Extension, school personnel, students, families, community leaders, health and social service providers, and others work together to implement and sustain scientifically-proven programs that meet the needs of family and youth in the Carbondale and the Greater Upper Valley area.

Currently, three prevention programs are being implemented in the community â?? The Strengthening Families Program for Parents and Youth 10-14, LifeSkills Training and Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS).

The Strengthening Families Program for Parents and Youth 10-14 is a free seven week two-hour program which improves parenting skills, builds life skills in youth and strengthens family bonds. Over 200 Carbondale Area families have successfully completed the program.

LifeSkills Training is a fifteen lesson curriculum implemented in the eighth grade at Carbondale Area. It is designed to prevent the early stages of substance use by influencing risk factors associated with substance abuse, particularly occasional or experimental use.

PATHS is a violence-prevention curriculum for elementary students. It promotes social and emotional learning (SEL), character development, bullying prevention, and builds the problem-solving abilities and other life skills required for positive relationships today and throughout students' lives.

For more information about the holiday vendor fair or PROSPER, call Penn State Extension at 963.6842.