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April 2014
SAFE Member News
In This Issue
Training Opportunities
Alcohol Awareness
Merchant Trainings
 

Check out the SAFE Coalition Website HERE!

 

April/May Events

APRIL IS ALCOHOL AWARENESS MONTH

1st-  SAM Training 

2nd- Harmony YLC

8th-  VBHS YLC

15th- SAFE Coalition

16th- 7th YLC

16th- 8th YLC

16th- Sticker Shock

17th- Sticker Shock

22nd- Peer Teaching

22nd- HS YLC

May

2nd- Community Service Day

7th- Harmony YLC

13th- VBHS YLC

15th- VB Senior Awards

 

             YLC Activities

  

April is a busy month for YLC members as they bring awareness to the dangers of Underage Drinking throughout the month.  To kick off the month YLC members along with the SAFE Coalition hosted a town hall meeting titled Our Health. Our Community. Our Future. This event allowed participants to have a conversation about the use of alcohol as well as youth use of tobacco and marijunana. The group gained some valuable insights from community members that will help them refine their plans for future YLC work. To read more about the event---> Click here
  
Additional Alcohol Awareness Month Activities that will be occurring this month include:
  • Sticker Shock
  • Peer Teaching with 5th, 6th and 7th grade students
  • A display at the Van Buren High School
  • Posters at the Harmony High School
  • A video brining awareness to underage drinking
  • Cups in the Fence
  • Radio Show
  • Posters for community businesses 

To learn more about YLC or these events you can check out the

Facebook Page

or

Flicker Account

  
More information on YLC activities can be found on the YLC website!
  
Training Opportunities
                    
Upcoming Training Opportunities Include:
  
April
  
Click Here for the --->Training Calendar
  
  
Upcoming Coalition Travel Includes:
May
19-23- CADCA Academy Training- Des Moines, IA
Heidi Bainbridge
SAFE Coalition is on Social Media!
 
If you haven't yet had an opportunity to join the coalition via social media we encourage you to do so! The coalition is now active on both facebook and twitter. Please join us or follow us on these networks to get the most up-to-date and current information about the SAFE Coalition and the YLC program!
  
Like us on Facebook
  
Follow us on Twitter
  
View our videos on YouTube
  
  
View our photos on flickr
  
April is Alcohol Awareness Month

 

Alcohol use by young people is extremely dangerous-both to themselves and to society, and is directly associated with traffic fatalities, violence, suicide, educational failure, alcohol overdose, unsafe sex and other problem behaviors. Annually, over 6,500 people under the age of 21 die from alcohol-related accidents and thousands more are injured.
 

Additionally:

   Alcohol is the number one drug of choice for America's young people, and is more likely to kill young people than all illegal drugs combined.

 Each day, 7,000 kids in the United States under the age of 16 take their first drink.

 Those who begin drinking before age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcoholism than those who begin at age 21.

 More than 1,700 college students in the U.S. are killed each year-about 4.65 a day-as a result of alcohol-related injuries.

 25% of U.S. children are exposed to alcohol-use disorders in their family.

 Underage alcohol use costs the nation an estimated $62 billion annually.

 

Reducing underage drinking is critical to securing a healthy future for America's youth and requires a cooperative effort from parents, schools, community organizations, business leaders, government agencies, the entertainment industry, alcohol manufacturers/retailers and young people.

 

The Van Buren County SAFE Coalition is working to help reduce alcohol use by youth. They are raising awareness while encouraging people to make healthy and safe choices when it comes to use of alcohol. Do no supply alcohol to minors, monitor alcohol you have in your home and have conversations with your teens about the dangers of using alcohol before the legal age.


balloons_congrats.jpg
Letters to Seniors 
  

This April the SAFE Coalition, will visit the classrooms of the fifth graders at Harmony and Van Buren Elementary Schools and work with them to write an important letter to one of our high school seniors as part of the "Dear Senior" safety promotion project put on by the Van Buren County SAFE Coalition.

 

Each fifth grader will ask the senior receiving their letter to go through graduation season free of alcohol and/or other drugs and to remember that young children view older students as important role models.  The letter will be delivered to each senior before graduation.  Each letter is valuable to the project's purpose and each speaks with a unique voice to the senior who receives it.

 

Another copy of the child's letter has been saved to be given back during graduation of their own senior year. In this way, the current fifth grader's own advice will come back to them. This is the first year since the coalition began this project that it will be giving the graduating seniors their own letters!  We hope this message from themselves will help them choose not to use alcohol or drugs during this important time of their lives.

Seniors will also be receiving letters from the coalition, the sheriff and their school administration congratulating them on their accomplishments and wishing them success for their future.

 

  
  
The Drug Takeback will be held at the Keosauqua Senior Center. For more information about this event please visit the DEA website.  
 
Merchant Trainings
  
April Trainings are scheduled for:
April 15th 6pm
April 16th 9am
  
These training will be held at the Roberts Memorial Center in Keosauqua. RSVP is required for all training please call 319-293-6412 or email info@vbsafecoalition.com
    
Just a reminder to businesses: The coalition recommends three steps for training employees:
1) Orientation DVD (provided by the coalition)
2) VB SAFE Merchant Training
3) IPACT ABD Training (ABD Online)
For assistance with this process you may contact the coalition at the number or email above.  
  
 
  
Van Buren County SAFE Coalition - 405 4th St  -  Keosauqua, Iowa 52565
info@vbsafecoalition.com   www.vbsafecoalition.com