Cobb Alcohol Task Force - Mobilizing for Change 

e-newsletter

JULY 2013

According to a report by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, teens are more likely to take their first drink during the summer. HHS HealthBeat echoed that information in a June 25, 2013 article.      

  

As communities plan to celebrate independence Day and other summer events, the Taskforce is working through the media to get the word out about how to keep alcohol out of the hands of underage relatives and friends during the summer months. News releases and other tools are being used to share the following information:    

  

- Know the parents or guardians of your child's friends;

- Talk with other parents/adults to ensure that alcohol is not available at events youth will attend; 

- Talk with your child about responsible behavior regarding alcohol; 

- Set a good example for responsible adult alcohol use, if you choose to drink; and

- Remember that safe alcohol practices apply in the water and the grandstand, as well as the road.   

  

Moreover, everyone-- not just parents--  can help! Make food and non-alcoholic beverages available at your summer celebrations and limit excessive drinking. Refuse to supply alcohol to underage youth in your home or on your property. Report underage drinking incidents via 911 or your local police departments. And support law enforcement efforts, especially if your community has Social Hosting ordinances in place. 

 

The Taskforce and our coalition partners hope that you and the young people in your community are enjoying the summer. We hope that these reminders will help to make sure that you continue to do so.   

 

Please visit the Taskforce web site, www.cobbat.org, to find out more about program and activity updates. Thank you all for your support!

 

Peter I. Armstrong,

Executive Director 

 

 SPECIAL NOTE
  
There is no CAT General Meeting scheduled for July. The next meeting is scheduled for Aug. 6, 2013.
Please check our web site for updates.
CALENDAR SNAPSHOT

 

JULY

NO GENERAL MEETING 

1 - Executive Committee Meeting 

18 - CAT Board Meting

19 - Alcohol Statewide Policy Group Meeting

21-25 - CADCA Midyear Training Institute (Austin, TX)

30 - Youth Strategy Team Meeting

 

 

AUGUST

6 - CAT General Meeting 

18 - GTI Back to School Celebration 

20 - Education Strategy Team Meeting

21-25 - CADCA Midyear Training Institute (Austin, TX)

26-30 - GA School of Prevention Studies (Savannah, GA)

 

 

SEPTEMBER

10 - CAT General Meeting

12 - Executive Committee Meeting

17 - Education Strategy Team Meeting

19 - CAT Board Meeting

 

 

(Please check the calendar page frequently at www.cobbat.org for 2013 meeting times, locations and updates) 


JULY HIGHLIGHT: 

EDUCATION PARTNERS   


Schools are community institutions most likely to be exposed to youth alcohol related problems. According to both the US. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services, youth who drink alcohol are more likely to have higher absences, poor grades, and disruptive behaviors. 
 
The Cobb Alcohol Taskforce enjoys extensive and long-standing support from the public school districts and colleges throughout Cobb County. Teachers, professors, coaches, and mentors: your messages matter. Whatever your role is, in working with young people or young adults, you are critical part of the way they see the world and what is expected of them. For more information, check out the publication Representing Responsibility.  
 
CAT supports the efforts of Cobb schools and colleges to establish, enforce, and evaluate effective campus alcohol policies, as well as to sponsor only interventions that research has confirmed to be effective. For more information about how Education partners can continue to be proactive, check out this link at the CAT web site.  

 

THANKS TO ALL OUR OUTSTANDING EDUCATION PARTNERS.  Follow the 'shout outs' to Education partners on Facebook and Twitter throughout July.

 

Taskforce Happenings 


CAT Comments on Alcohol Inhalation -
Renewed media coverage is focusing attention on commercial and homemade devices that allow users to "smoke" alcohol. Media organizations contacted the Taskforce recently about this alarming fad, and in response CAT issued this statement: "The Cobb Alcohol Taskforce and our coalition partners  are committed to the work of ensuring that alcohol is not provided to young people who are underage. If consuming alcohol through inhalation is growing in popularity, then it demonstrates why we must continue to support our law enforcement and judicial partners with programs that raise local awareness about the dangers of underage and youth binge consumption of alcohol in any form."      

 

CAT Summer Fundraising Activity - Last year's raffle of an Apple iPad was so successful that we're doing it again in 2013! Raffle tickets will become available during July at a donation price of $10 each; the drawing will take place in September. For more information, contact Bonnie Brand, CAT Board Chair, and Peter Armstrong, executive director.

          

Exploring Opportunities for Broader Support - One of the challenges most nonprofit organizations face continually is the need to ensure that operating and program expenses are adequately supported. Peter Armstrong, Taskforce executive director, joined nearly two dozen other local nonprofit professionals in a seminar on June 19 about Nonprofit Finances. The seminar was held at First Presbyterian Church in Marietta, GA and hosted by the Cobb Community Collaborative in conjunction with The Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta.  

 

Volunteers Needed for Team Meetings - Please see dates/times on calendar and plan to attend one of these meetings. These team meetings are where the action is; all are welcomed.    

 
In The News

Teen Drinking Has Declined, According to Federal Data   
Data released on May 30, 2013 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that alcohol use, binge drinking, and heavy drinking among 12- to 17- year old youths declined between 2002 and 2010. The information is contained in a new report of the nation's trends in health statistics, and it shows that binge drinking among this age group has declined significantly. But there is still much work to be done to reduce binge drinking among the 18-25 age group, also referred to as "young adults."  Read more . . .   
  
About Us
Cobb Alcohol Taskforce is an alliance of individuals and organizations which mobilizes and challenges Cobb County adults to reduce underage drinking and youth binge drinking, by advancing strategic enforcement, policy and education goals.

 

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Contact Us
Cobb Alcohol Taskforce
3162 Johnson Ferry Rd., S-260
P.O. Box 823
Marietta, Georgia 30062
www.cobbat.org