Youth Program available at Jackson County Community Services Coalition

notes: Underage Drinking Task Force of Jackson County For more information contact: Kim Styron, Prevention Director at (228)-522-1965 “Alcoholism is not an adult issue, it is a teenage issue.” More than 40 % of youth who begin drinking before the age of 13 will develop alcohol dependence by the time they are an adult (CSAP prevention alert 2002). Alcohol is the most commonly used drug among 12-20 year olds. 12% of 8 th graders, 22% of 10 th graders and 28% of 12 th graders reported engaging in heavy drinking, defined as having five (5) or more drinks in a row at one time during the two weeks preceding the survey. (Monitoring the Future Data, 2004). Children of alcoholics are at four to ten times greater risk of becoming alcoholics as compared to children with no alcohol family member (Russell, 1990). Alcohol is the main cause of death for people under the age of 21. About 5,000 youth a year die from injuries related to underage drinking. These figures include 1,900 deaths from motor vehicle crashes, 1,600 from homicide, and 300 from suicide (Alcohol Research & Health, Vol. 28, No. 3, 2004/05, p.113). Yearly, more than 600,000 students ages 18-24 are victims of an assault by a student who has been drinking. More than 70,000 students are victims in an alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape incident (Hingson et al., 2002). The Underage Drinking Task Force of Jackson County seeks to promote alliances within Jackson County and the state to provide multiple interventions in doing something about the problem of alcohol and other illegal drugs regarding our youth. The task force meets bi-monthly on the east and west side of the county. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Communities Mobilizing for Change {CMCA} CMCA is the 2nd science based program the Coaliion is using effectively CMCA is a community-organizing program designed to reduce adolescent 13-20 year old access to alcohol by changing community policies and practices. CMCA employs a wide range of social organizing techniques to address legal, institutional, social, and health issues. The forming of alliances through civic groups, faith organizations, schools, community groups, law enforcement, liquor licensing agencies and advertising outlets partnering together to combat the ongoing issues of underage drinking. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Project Northland Sponsored by the Mississippi Alliance for Prevention Since 2001 the Jackson County Community Coalition has educated more than 14,000 youth in Jackson County on the danges of alcohol and other drugs with science based drug prevention education strategies in the Jackson County, Moss Point, Ocean Springs and Pascagoula school districts. Project Northland is a science based curriculum for youths in the 6 th grade through the 10 th grade teaching teenagers the dangers of underage drinking. All four school districts in Jackson County have participated in Project Northland since its inception in 2002. 6 th grade: The Slick Tracy Home Team Program educates parents and their children on the dangers of underage drinking through the use of comic books and a weekly 10 minute assignment for the family unit. 7 th grade: Amazing Alternatives teaches youth alternatives to underage drinking and taking other illegal drugs through peer-led activities. 8 th grade: Powerlines introduces youth to the process of living and working in a community and how one group in the community affects another group. The youth learn about the following groups within a community, schools, police, liquor store owners, the media, local government and ways to access these groups to curb the problems of underage drinking and illegal drug use. 10 th grade: Supercharged: A program that presents successful strategies for getting parents and communities involved in youth alcohol prevention. Since its inception in 2002 Project Northland has strategically impacted more than 8,000 youth on the dangers of underage drinking and other illegal drug use. -> Underage Drinking Task Force of Jackson County For more information contact: Kim Styron, Prevention Director at (228)-522-1965 “Alcoholism is not an adult issue, it is a teenage issue.” More than 40 % of youth who begin drinking before the age of 13 will develop alcohol dependence by the time they are an adult (CSAP prevention alert 2002). Alcohol is the most commonly used drug among 12-20 year olds. 12% of 8 th graders, 22% of 10 th graders and 28% of 12 th graders reported engaging in heavy drinking, defined as having five (5) or more drinks in a row at one time during the two weeks preceding the survey. (Monitoring the Future Data, 2004). Children of alcoholics are at four to ten times greater risk of becoming alcoholics as compared to children with no alcohol family member (Russell, 1990). Alcohol is the main cause of death for people under the age of 21. About 5,000 youth a year die from injuries related to underage drinking. These figures include 1,900 deaths from motor vehicle crashes, 1,600 from homicide, and 300 from suicide (Alcohol Research & Health, Vol. 28, No. 3, 2004/05, p.113). Yearly, more than 600,000 students ages 18-24 are victims of an assault by a student who has been drinking. More than 70,000 students are victims in an alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape incident (Hingson et al., 2002). The Underage Drinking Task Force of Jackson County seeks to promote alliances within Jackson County and the state to provide multiple interventions in doing something about the problem of alcohol and other illegal drugs regarding our youth. The task force meets bi-monthly on the east and west side of the county. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Communities Mobilizing for Change {CMCA} CMCA is the 2nd science based program the Coaliion is using effectively CMCA is a community-organizing program designed to reduce adolescent 13-20 year old access to alcohol by changing community policies and practices. CMCA employs a wide range of social organizing techniques to address legal, institutional, social, and health issues. The forming of alliances through civic groups, faith organizations, schools, community groups, law enforcement, liquor licensing agencies and advertising outlets partnering together to combat the ongoing issues of underage drinking. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Project Northland Sponsored by the Mississippi Alliance for Prevention Since 2001 the Jackson County Community Coalition has educated more than 14,000 youth in Jackson County on the danges of alcohol and other drugs with science based drug prevention education strategies in the Jackson County, Moss Point, Ocean Springs and Pascagoula school districts. Project Northland is a science based curriculum for youths in the 6 th grade through the 10 th grade teaching teenagers the dangers of underage drinking. All four school districts in Jackson County have participated in Project Northland since its inception in 2002. 6 th grade: The Slick Tracy Home Team Program educates parents and their children on the dangers of underage drinking through the use of comic books and a weekly 10 minute assignment for the family unit. 7 th grade: Amazing Alternatives teaches youth alternatives to underage drinking and taking other illegal drugs through peer-led activities. 8 th grade: Powerlines introduces youth to the process of living and working in a community and how one group in the community affects another group. The youth learn about the following groups within a community, schools, police, liquor store owners, the media, local government and ways to access these groups to curb the problems of underage drinking and illegal drug use. 10 th grade: Supercharged: A program that presents successful strategies for getting parents and communities involved in youth alcohol prevention. Since its inception in 2002 Project Northland has strategically impacted more than 8,000 youth on the dangers of underage drinking and other illegal drug use. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- F.O.C.I.S. Focus on children in separation The Coalition began an exciting program in April 2002. F.O.C.I.S. (Focus on Children in Separation) is a four hour educational program for parents experiencing divorce. Children ages 5 - 17 attend with their parents. The three classes, adults, teens, and elementary class learn how divorce affects children and families. The classes give children a voice in a process that generally allows them very little control and helps to minimize the negative effects of divorce on children. The classes are scheduled through contacting the Coalition office at 228-522-1965 between 9-5 Monday –Friday. The actual classes take place in the evenings. There are 12 facilitators that have completed the training as of April 2002; during January- July of 2003, 34 adults and 32 children completed the program. The evaluations have been very positive. Some comments included: "I enjoyed the classes and so did my child." "This class gives insight into what our children are going through. It reminds me to keep our children's feeling first-our actions should be what will most benefit our children. As hurting angry adults, sometimes we forget." We would like to thank Chancery Judge Jaye Bradley for bringing F.O.C.I.S. to Jackson County and asking the Coalition to administer the program