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SAPCA Members,
We are partnering with the Alexandria Campaign on Adolescent Pregnancy (ACAP) to host a FREE Alexandria Youth Leadership Conference in August.
The conference will take place over two days and include workshops, guest speakers, team building activities and opportunities for the teens to put what they've learned into action. We will provide meals and transportation. Stay tuned for the conference dates!
If you are interested in participating or volunteering with this conference, please contact me at [email protected].
Noraine
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Farewell and Congratulations to Derek Bibbs and Charlotte Clinger
We want to thank Charlotte and Derek for serving as SAPCA board members. Charlotte has served on the board since 2009 and Derek since 2011. Both donated countless hours to SAPCA's efforts in reducing substance use among their peers. Derek will go to Tuskegee University in the Fall and Charlotte will go to Yale University. We wish them both the best of luck!
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SAPCA Meets With Dr. Ola From Nigeria to Talk Coalition Building (6/6)
Noraine met with Dr. Ola, a Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) member from Nigeria, and discussed how to build a coalition. Dr. Ola was interested in learning how coalitions recruit their members, how they create action plans and most importantly, how they engage youth. Dr. Ola said he left with some practical methods he could use in Nigeria to recruit both adult and youth members. We wish him luck!
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SAPCA Volunteers For ANGP (6/15)
SAPCA Board Member, and TC Parent, Sandy Freedman co-chaired the All Night Grad Party (ANGP) Committee. SAPCA Board Member, Deputy Valarie Wright and Noraine staffed the registration table and congratulated our graduates.
This special party, sponsored by the T.C. Williams PTSA and made possible by the generous support of local businesses, citizens, community organizations, and alumni, sends the clear message that our community values the academic achievements of our students and cares deeply about their safety and well-being. Almost 350 seniors partied the night away at the Chinquapin Recreation Center!
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SAPCA'S UPCOMING MEETINGS
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Facilitator Training (7/8)
Monday , July 8, 6:00-6:30 p.m., 720 North Saint Asaph St., 4th floor conference room
If you are interested in becoming a facilitator for a focus group, please contact Noraine at [email protected].
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Board Meeting (7/8)
Monday, July 8, 6:30-8:00 p.m., 720 North Saint Asaph St., RM 315.
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UPCOMING PARTNERS' EVENTS |
Volunteers Needed For National Night Out (8/6)
SAPCA will partner with the Gang Prevention Community Task Force and the Alexandria Police Department to celebrate the 30th Annual National Night Out (NNO). The special celebration is part of a nationwide crime and drug prevention effort sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch . To heighten awareness of crime prevention, residents in Alexandria neighborhoods will turn on their porch lights, host cook-outs and sponsor block parties in support of NNO.
If you would like volunteer for NNO and help spread the word about teen substance abuse prevention, contact Noraine at [email protected].
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Youth Taking Action for Sustainable Changes on Underage Drinking (7/25)
Youth Empowered Solutions (YES!) youth focus on effective ways to prevent underage drinking. This National Electronic Webinar will focus on two of their campaigns which support environmental changes that prevent youth access to alcohol. One campaign focuses on strategies that eliminate underage access to a group of products called "Alco pops". The presenters will provide a description, overview, and trends of these products. Another initiative, Talk It Up. Lock It Up!™, focuses on eliminating underage access to alcohol in private residences. By having adults consider how they play a role in properly monitoring and securing alcohol in their homes, they can prevent youth access and keep young people safe.
The webinar will take place on Thursday, July 25, 3 - 4:15 p.m. Register online to participate.
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Exploring the Link: Drugs and Mental Health (8/29)
Does a mental health issue lead to substance use? Does substance abuse lead to a mental health issue? The answers to those questions are not clear, but we do know millions of adults in the United States have both. A very small percentage of people receive treatment for both conditions and a majority doesn't receive any treatment at all.
Research has shown that treatment addressing both conditions at the same time has better outcomes with lower costs, yet it still isn't happening nearly enough.
During this hour-long broadcast, Exploring the Link: Drugs & Mental Health, they will look at the most common co-occurring disorders, learn about treatment options, and see how the shift towards a behavioral health model can make a difference.
The webinar will take place on Thursday, August 29 from 1 - 2 p.m. Register online to participate.
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Tips for Parents to Keep Their Children Safe During the Summer
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has created the following tips to help parents keep their kids drug free during the summer months:
- Encourage teens to get a summer job - not only does it put a little extra cash in their pockets (and yours!) it gives them a safe, supervised place where there is little time to get into trouble, not to mention it gives them work ethic and makes them more responsible.
- Opportunities for community service - get a jump-start on college applications by embarking on community service opportunities. It is good for the community and it keeps them busy during the day.
- Sign them up for a camp or summer sport - physical activity is beneficial for a strong healthy life!
- Daily check-ins - it is important to know what your kids are doing. Send an occasional text just to see what they are up to while you are at work .
- Don't let them go to parties where there's going to be alcohol - talk to the parents of your child's friend to make sure they will be supervising and if they allow alcohol.
- Be aware of what is in your home - if you have a stocked liquor cabinet or a medicine cabinet filled with prescription pills, be aware of how much is there. Double check every so often and beware of drastic decrease. You may also want to consider locking these substances in a safe place.
- Talk to your kids - they think they know what is going on but sometimes they do not have all the facts. Talk to them and make them aware of the true dangers of drugs and alcohol. The more comfortable and open you are, the more likely you are to know if your kids are getting into trouble with drugs and alcohol.
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Is Alcohol Advertising Harming Girls?
In a recent editorial in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, Dr. Flegel, Senior Associate Editor for the Canadian Medical Association Journal, makes the argument that like tobacco companies, the alcoholic beverage industry has recognized that a good way to increase profits is to target young female consumers - and this has left adolescent girls, who also see the ads, particularly vulnerable. Dr. Flegel offers some insight into responsibility and potential strategies.
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Survey: 35% of Teens Think Stimulant Abuse is Major Problem
A new survey of young people ages 10 to 18 finds 35 percent think prescription stimulant abuse is a big problem with their peers, and 15 percent said they had used stimulants at some point. One-tenth of kids said they had diverted medications in some way.
The survey found 7.5 percent said they had used stimulants such as Adderall or Ritalin in the last month; 3.9 percent said they took the drugs for nonmedical reasons. The findings were reported at the recent annual meeting of the College on Problems of Drug Dependence, by Linda B. Cottler, PhD, MPH, Chair of the Department of Epidemiology in the College of Public Health and Health Professions and College of Medicine at the University of Florida.
Participants were also asked how they would prevent kids from using other people's prescriptions, and how should young people be told what prescription drugs are and what harm they can cause. Suggestions ranged from requiring fingerprint matches to allow prescription bottles to open, to requiring teens to have their medications dispensed at the pharmacy. Some said it can't be prevented, Dr. Cottler noted.
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Noraine Buttar, MPH
720 North Saint Asaph Street Alexandria, VA 22314 703.746.3670 (office) 703.887.8812 (mobile) [email protected]
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