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SAPCA Members,
Celebrate Alcohol Awareness Month in April with SAPCA! We will have information table with fun games at TC Williams during lunch times in April. SAPCA will facilitate a Parent Chat group at Tenants and Workers United on April 13 and co-sponsor a Community of Concern Dinner at Francis Hammond on April 17. You can help us celebrate by talking to youth in your life about the negative effects alcohol can have on the growing teen brain. Refer youth to great resources such as www.checkyourself.com!
Noraine
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SAPCA Presents WreckED to Building Better Futures Students (3/7)
Shelly Morgan, SAPCA Vice-Chair, and Noraine presented The Partnership at Drugfree.org's wreckED, a program that challenges teens to think more about their own and their friends' behavior regarding alcohol and other drugs, and to consider the consequences of getting involved. Over 20 students attended the presentation.
If you work with youth and would like to host a wreckED presentation, contact Noraine at noraine.buttar@alexandriava.gov. |
SAPCA Celebrates Kick Butts Day with Coalition for Clean and Smoke Free Air and Y Street (3/21)
On Kick Butts Day, March 21, scores of Alexandria youth and adult volunteers celebrated the placement of smoke-free signs in the City's 122 bus shelters at a kick-off ceremony held at the bus stop on 3400 King Street at 3:30 p.m. The signs provide a simple message: "For Everyone's Health, Thank You For Not Smoking." On January 24, the Alexandria City Council authorized the placement of signs discouraging smoking in all City parks, playgrounds and bus shelters.
Kick Butts Day is a national day of activism that engages youth in a variety of activities designed to raise awareness about the problems of tobacco use in the schools and in the community. After the kick-off ceremony, Alexandria Health Department staff posted smoke-free signs on bus shelters, as youth canvassed the surrounding area to conduct Y Street surveys about tobacco advertisements and their placement. Y Street is a youth-led movement that empowers high school students to make a difference in their schools and communities across Virginia.
The Kick Butts Day activities were sponsored by the Alexandria Coalition for Clean and Smoke Free Air in partnership with the Partnership for a Healthier Alexandria, SAPCA, and the Y Street campaign.
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SAPCA's Upcoming Meetings |
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SAPCA's Board (4/10)
Tuesday, April 10, 6-7:30pm, 720 North Saint Asaph St. |
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ACPS Substance Abuse Regulation Review Committee (4/11)
Wednesday, April 11, 4-5:30pm, TC Williams RM A-308, 3330 King St. |
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Marijuana Prevention Workgroup (4/12)
Thursday, April 12, 6:15-7:30pm, 720 North Saint Asaph St. |
Tell Bud Light to Butt Out of UFC
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the world's largest promoter of cage fighting events and Anheuser-Busch InBev (ABI), makers of the Bud Light family of beers, are delivering harmful content to millions of youth. In its 2011 announcement of Bud Light's UFC sponsorship renewal, ABI states that it "will continue to immerse the beer into all areas of the world's premier mixed martial arts organization." According to UFC president Dana White, "Our target audience is anywhere from age 17 to 35."
To tell ABI to stop supporting UFC, click here. |
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Parent Chat Group in Spanish (4/13)
SAPCA will host a Parent Leadership Chat Group at Tenants and Workers United on Friday, April 13 at 5:30pm. Victoria Menjivar, SAPCA board member will facilitate the group in Spanish. Parents will help each other answer tough questions like, "What are some ways to check in and monitor what your teen is really up to?" and "What do you tell your teen if they ask you if you drank when you were younger?"
If you know a parent who would make a great chat group host, encourage them to contact Noraine at noraine.buttar@alexandriava.gov. |
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COC Dinner at Francis Hammond Middle School (4/17)
Francis Hammond Middle School eighth graders and their parents are invited to a Community of Concern Dinner on Tuesday, April 17, from 6:30pm to 8:30pm in the cafeteria. The evening will be one of dialogue and education relating to underage drinking prevention. To register send an email to hammonpta@gmail.com. |
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National Prescription Drug Take Back Day (4/28)
SAPCA is partnering with local law enforcement for National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday April 28 from 10am to 2pm. Drop off locations include: Alexandria Police Department, 3600 Wheeler Ave and George Washington Masonic Memorial Temple, 101 Callahan Drive. Please plan to drop off your unused prescription drugs! |
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Data Detectives (4/26)
During the hour-long program Data Detectives, learn how to investigate your local conditions to find the indicators you need to make positive change. Find out what sources of credible local data are readily available. See how data can help you define your substance abuse problems, select strategies, and prove your effectiveness. Master the art of using data to tell a story in the community and grow your coalition. Learn how to avoid data overload.
This program will take place on April 26 from 1 to 2pm. Click here to register. |
The Surgeon General's report details the causes and the consequences of tobacco use among youth and young adults by focusing on the social, environmental, advertising, and marketing influences that encourage youth and young adults to initiate and sustain tobacco use. This is the first time tobacco data on young adults as a discrete population have been explored in detail. The report also highlights successful strategies to prevent young people from using tobacco. |
Based on scientific research, The Partnership at Drugfree.org's "Six Components of Effective Parenting" is a new tool comprised of "how-tos" specifically designed for parents, guardians and other caregivers who play an active role in helping prevent substance abuse in their families.
Among the tips:
1. Build a warm and supportive relationship with your child.
2. Be a good role model when it comes to drinking, taking medicine and handling stress.
3. Know your child's risk level.
To learn and read more, download your guide today. |
The Maryland Senate is debating a bill that would ban smoking in vehicles with passengers who are younger than 8. According to Action on Smoking and Health, at least five U.S. states-Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Maine and Oregon-have banned smoking in cars when children are present.
More than one-fifth of middle and high school students were exposed to secondhand smoke in cars in 2009, according to a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This represents a significant decrease from 2000, when 40 percent of teens were exposed to cigarette smoke in cars.
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