New Resource: Reliable Data Sources on Alcohol Harm and Analysis

Marin Institute has created a new resource containing links to websites that house reliable data sources you can use to find alcohol-related statistics for the U.S. and your state.

- - - Reliable Resources

Talk Alert!

Time for Prom and Graduation? Time To Talk with Your Teens

Prom season is fast approaching, and for many teens, this time of year offers a taste of new freedoms and the temptation to engage in risky behavior. A new study of 11th and 12th grade students from across the country shows that teens don't recognize the dangers of driving on prom and graduation night, even though they recognize their peers may be more likely to drink on these occasions. Nearly all of the students surveyed, 90 percent, reported that their peers are more likely to drink on prom night and 79 percent reported the same for graduation night. Despite believing that their peers are more likely to drink during prom and graduation, only 29 percent reported that they believe driving on prom night is dangerous, while 25 percent said the same for graduation night.

The study surveyed over 2,500 students and was conducted by ORC Guideline for Liberty Mutual and Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD).

What You Can Do to Help Keep Prom Goers and New Graduates Safe?

To keep celebrations safe and healthy, here are some helpful tips and advice for parents and caregivers:

Know Your Teens' Plans and tell them to update you if the itinerary changes so you're aware of their whereabouts.

Check In With Them Via Text - they are more likely to reply, since it's discreet. You can send messages like "Hope ur having a gr8 time!" or "U OK?" before and after the dance.

Trust Your Teens and resist the urge to hover. You've filled them in on the rules and the risks - chances are they got the message.

For more information visit - Time for Prom and Graduation? Time To Talk with Your Teens

We have received much positive feedback by Washtenaw County residents regarding the prevention billboard posted off I94W. The billboard was seen by a great number of drivers heading westbound on I94 before the Rawsonville Exit during the months of August and parts of September. The billboards artwork was created by Cindy Wegryn and her team from U of M’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, Pediatric Trauma Program. We are working to secure the health and safety of our children by joining the national efforts to reduce underage drinking.

 

Originally designed as a poster for the 2009 Safe Prom Initiative, the poster caught the eye of many youth, parents and high school faculty members. One of Huron High school counselors, Brain Williams, thought that poster would make a great freeway billboard for locals to see during the summer.

 

Given we love a challenge and a great idea, we looked further into the possibilities. Faced with the challenge of shrinking prevention dollars, the director of Clean Teens, Justin Bishop, contacted Adams Outdoor Advertising to see if they could help make this idea a reality. Bottom line, they wanted to help, and their help made it happen. The company representative, Kimberly VanDeCreek, worked hard to finalize the finished product.

 

It seems when prevention creates an effective positive health and safety BUZZ in the community, the alcohol industry has the means to compensate with their deep pockets. We bring this up because a beer company, we would rather not name, bought the billboard sign immediately after the sign above was removed.

Washtenaw County Community Partnership
is a nonprofit, state licensed, substance abuse prevention organization, that has served youth, parents, schools and neighborhoods with comprehensive substance abuse prevention/intervention programs and activities.

Since 2001, Clean Teens programs have helped strengthen many families while collaborating efforts to promote safe and healthy neighborhoods.

The organizations mission is to delay, deter, and/or eliminate adolescent alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use/abuse and problematic behavior in the context of educational and intervention programming. 
You can teach an adolescent a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives.

We hope that our web site can serve as a resource to support your prevention and intervention needs at home, your child's school and in your community. We furthermore hope that our web site can increase attention to the great need for substance abuse prevention programs and activities in our community.

Each page contains links to helpful information resources and details on the substance abuse prevention and intervention services we provide for youth, parents, and high schools. If you should not find the information you seek, please email your questions/comments to cleanteens@aol.com

Hitting the Road;
A Crash Course on Underage Drinking
                            Hosted by: The Ann Arbor Student Volunter Group; 
                                               Students On Alcohol Prevention, SOAP

Guest Speakers from Clean Teens, Huron Valley Ambulance, Ann Arbor & Pittsfield Police Department, Pioneer & Huron High School students, local alcohol retailer, and Pioneer High School Counseling Department meet with Ann Arbor parents on March 22, 2010 at Pioneer High School from 6:30pm to 8:30pm to discuss Underage Drinking. The Town Hall Meeting provided an opportunity for youth, parents, teachers, officials and other community members with the opportunity to ask the professionals some questions, voice their concerns publicly, and suggest collective ideas to further prevent young people from using alcohol and therfore reduce drunk driving in Ann Arbor.

 

Town Hall Meeting Discussion Topics

 

• How Parental Disapproval Discourages Underage Drinking.
• Underage Drinking, Seen Through the Eyes of EMS providers.
• What Parents Should Know About Alcohol & the Adolescent Brain
• Crash Course in Alcohol-Related Consequences
• Why Avoiding Alcohol Is Important to Me.
• Youth access points to alcohol & point of sale policies & laws.
• Teachers, Teens, and Parents: Working Together To Prevent Underage Alcohol Use.
• Spring Break, Prom & Graduation Celebration

An alarming number of Ann Arbor High School students are choosing to drink and drive. The 2009 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study released March 2, 2010 by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America found that more kids are reporting alcohol use (up 11 percent in regard of past-month alcohol use) and other drugs, but many parents are unable or unwilling to deal with the issue. Our already hard-pressed state, community, businesses and families will have to “shovel up” for the astounding short and long-term costs of these trends—unless we collectively act.

 

The Town Hall Meeting was part of the national effort by the Federal Substance Abuse & Mental Health Service Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Service, to educate youth, parents, and caregivers, and other adults about the harmful effects of underage drinking.
Click here to view the Ann Arbor News media coverage of the event.

For more information, please contact cleanteens@aol.com.

2010 Ann Arbor & Ypsilanti
Safe Prom & Graduation Initiative

Safe Prom and Graduation Partnership is focused on Proms and Graduations in the Northland area.  To keep these events safe the Washtenaw County Community Partnership works with following partners to educate and help prevent underage drinking and illegal activities at parties involving minors.  Working together, we can send a unified message to help keep our kids safe. 

• Alcohol Retailers
• High Schools in Washtenaw County
• Hotel / Motel Managers
• Law Enforcement
• Limousine Services
• Parents & Youth

To receive additional information about these programs contact Project Coordinator, Justin Bishop by email at cleanteens@aol.com or call (734) 646-8426.

Helping to sustaining solid relationships with many community partners to sustain and further build upon the annual Safe Prom & Graduation Initiative, you will find (above pictures) many local business proprietors joining the effort by posting signage that indicates their participation. Here you can see one of Ann Arbor school Resource Officer (SRO), Office Jason Gold forging solid relationships with local retailers. Officer Gold has supported this effort for the past 3 years. 

Why would our community group or coalition want to do this project?
This initiative may help reduce access to alcohol and places to use alcohol on prom night or other high-profile high school dance or event.

What area of underage drinking prevention does this project address?This project will address youth access to alcohol and creating or strengthening community norms that support not providing alcohol to minors.













My Strong Willed  Out of Control Teen
How much longer will you tolerate the dishonesty & disrespect?
How many more arguments will you endure?
Have you wasted a lot of time & energy trying to make your child change?
If yes, We may be of serivce to you - Click here for more information.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

^{Federal initiative urges parents to "Start Talking before They Start Drinking”}

Nearly 1,200 town hall meetings convened around the nation in 2006 as part of a national campaign to prevent underage drinking. Town hall meetings were to increase community dialog as part of a national strategy spearheaded by a Federal Inter agency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking, chaired by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), in partnership with state and local agencies and organizations. Meetings were held in all 50 states, four territories, and the District of Columbia.

Clean Teens received a federal grant from SAHMSA to join this national effort and to spearhead a local response with a team of community organizations and decision makers from Washtenaw County. Over 20 nonprofit organizations and a number of local volunteers helped to increase their communities awareness of the concerning increase underage drinking. The collaborative team of nonprofits, students and parents hosted a series of 6 Town Hall Meetings with a panel of experts from each community. Over 180 Ypsilanti, Whitmore Lake, Northfield Township, Milan, Ann Arbor, Saline and Pittsfield Township residents attended the meetings to learn and share ideas that support efforts to reduce underage drinking in their community. Below are a few pictures of those that participated in this county-wide effort to reduce underage drinking in Washtenaw County.



Information on the town hall meetings and the Start Talking Before They Start Drinking initiative is available at www.stopalcoholabuse.gov or call 1-800-729-6686. To learn more or to get information about the short and long-term consequences of underage drinking, including tips for parents on initiating conversations about alcohol, visit www.stopalcohlabuse.gov or call 1-800-729-6686.

Information on the town hall meetings and the Start Talking Before They Start Drinking initiative is available at or call 1-800-729-6686. To learn more or to get information about the short and long-term consequences of underage drinking, including tips for parents on initiating conversations about alcohol, visit or call 1-800-729-6686.

 The Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking Act
The Sober Truth on Preventing (STOP) Underage Drinking Act was introduced in the House and Senate on July 21 and 22, 2006. The principal sponsors of the House bill are Congresswomen Lucille Roybal Allard and Rosa DeLauro and Congressmen Tom Osborne, Zach Wamp and Frank Wolf. The principal sponsors of the Senate bill are Senators Mike DeWine and Christopher Dodd. These bills are a bi-cameral, bi-partisan effort that represents an important step in our nations efforts to combat underage alcohol use and abuse. For more information click here.

 

 

 

Ann Arbor Campus Community Coalition

 

Click above link to learn more about Ann Arbor's Coalition efforts.