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Saratoga
Partnership for
Prevention
Youth and Adults Working Together
for a
Safe and Healthy Community
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May 13, 2004
Saratoga Partnership for Prevention
Meeting Minutes
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| Date: |
May 13, 2004 |
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Facilitator:
Elissa Nolan |
| Location: |
3 Blue Streak Blvd., 2nd floor, School District
Administration Building |
Recorder:
Robin Ambrosino |
| Attendees: |
R. Ambrosino, B. Boehmke, B. Dixon, J. Ekman, N. Karas, J.
Kelly, S. Lang,
M. Laudicina, D. McGarry, E. Nolan, K. Pettigrew, K. Sephas, J. Tirelli. |
| Materials Distributed: |
l Article in The
Saratogian about youth Post Prom organizers l "Kids Building
Community" nomination form l ACT for Youth Mini Conference flyer l Girls Inc. Action
for Safety self defense course flyer l "School-Based Harassment, Bullying
and Bashing" workshop announcement l Prevention Council’s Safe Spring
brochure l
STOP DWI-NY’s new ".08 Don’t Blow It" card l Invitation letter to
stakeholders meeting of the Parent Education Coordinating Committee. |
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Topic
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Discussion
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Decisions/Actions
to be Taken
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| Announcements |
·
The Post Prom committee has
sold 60 tickets so far. Post-prom will take place at school directly
after the prom on May 15th. Anticipating 100 kids attending.
There’s been lots of interest in prizes, movies, games, etc. Committee
is hoping to triple last year’s numbers – about 40 kids came last year.
· The
Health and Human Services Coalition will host a workshop on
school-based harassment and bullying on Tuesday June 1st
from 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. in Susman room at the public library. Co-leaders
are John Meyers, NYS Director of the Coalition for Safer Schools, and
John Kettlewell, Dean of Students at The Adirondack School. To
register, call 581-1230.
· Diversity
Day will take place on Sunday, June 6th from 1- 5 p.m. at
the Saratoga Springs Visitor’s Center. There will be a bean-tasting
contest, a perennial exchange, dance performances, and different bands
playing all day, including Pangea. "Celebrating Difference" essays will
be awarded earlier. To enter the bean-tasting contest, dishes must
include any kind of bean as the main ingredient. Registration forms are
must be entered by June 1st and are located at:
http://www.ccesaratoga.org/hum_ec/bean_entry.htm .
· John
Kelly was named DARE Officer of the Year at the annual three-day
statewide conference for DARE Officers, which took place at the PRIME
this year. Congratulations Officer Kelly!
· The
Saratoga MADD chapter has received a grant to implement "Protecting
You, Protecting Me," a CSAP-approved model program, and is looking for
elementary school teachers interested in teaching the curriculum. They
can train up to 30 elementary teachers for one day for $20 each. People
would have to commit to teaching the 8-session program. Training must
take place by the end of August. The program can also be a peer led
program by high school students. Anyone interested or who knows a
teacher who might be, call Karen Pettigrew at 583-3600.
· There
will be a free ACT for Youth Mini-Conference on youth activism on June 7th
from 8:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. at the Desmond in Albany. Youth who need to
stay overnight are sponsored free of charge. For more information, call
607-255-7736.
· Judy
Ekman, on behalf of the Partnership, was one of three SICA sites
invited to testify for Center for Substance Abuse Prevention auditors
about our SICA experience. The auditors were impressed with the
prevention activities going on in NY state and our area specifically.
Our Partnership should be proud of the role we’ve played in helping
other communities establish coalitions. The Prevention Council is
planning to expand the Communities That Care (CTC) process throughout
the county.
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| Coalition
Study Group |
·
Since only a few people who
went through the CTC process are still coming to meetings, it would be
a good way to re-energize our own coalition to participate in
Prevention Council’s CTC process around the county.
· Also
to that end, staff is looking for 2-3 people to see how other county
coalitions operate over the next couple months. We need help asking
pointed questions by phone, e-mail, or in person so we can get ideas
about a more dynamic structure for doing business for next year.
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· Anyone
interested, call staff ASAP at 581-1230.
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| Spotlight
on Youth update |
·
Articles about youth in The
Saratogian are underway. First one ran on May 9th. Group
wondered about the "Cool Kids" title instead of the "Youth Building
Community" agreed upon at the last meeting. Staff will follow up.
· Concerns
included ensuring that we case a wide net to include as many different
kinds of kids as possible, and also keeping a continuous flow of
nominations to ensure we always have kids to feature.
· Group
offered feedback about ways to change the nomination form. Forms will
go out ASAP to partners and also to the SCYE group so that nominations
come in soon. Staff will notify partners when we have nominations to review so committee can be formed.
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· Staff
will forward nomination forms to partners and other community members
by next week.
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| Saratoga
County Youth Experience (SCYE) |
·
Had the first county-wide
meeting on March 15 with roughly 25 people who work with youth
throughout the county. Steering committee has about 10 people. There
was lots of excitement about how members can talk and work together. So
far SPP is instrumental only in bringing people together. Could work
for us in creating a Youth Advisory Council throughout the county. |
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| Parenting
Education Work Group Update |
·
This committee is studying a
gap in the county. There are families that are referred to parenting
education classes, but there may not be classes offered, or they may
not be effective programs.
· Goal
of this group is to be able to provide ongoing and effective parenting
education for parents who are mandated by Child Protective Services,
Drug Court, etc. Group will meet next with people who work on the
county level with at-risk parents to find out the kind of services
their clients need and to describe the kind of programs that work with
this population. Goal is to have one or two curricula that all agencies
can deliver and can schedule at different times throughout the year so
there’s always something available.
· Becky
Dixon suggested using a serious follow-up survey of the clients who
attend, because service providers are going to want to know six months
out whether the class is effective.
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·
Group will hold a luncheon
meeting for county stakeholders at Cornell Cooperative Extension from
12- 1 p.m. on Wednesday, June 26th. To attend, call 581-1230. |
| Key
Leaders update |
·
Group needs to call a meeting.
No update at this time. |
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| Underage
Drinking Campaign |
·
We’re already doing a lot of
things but want to name our initiatives more specifically as a
campaign. Need to have a good, well-attended annual meeting to plan for
the upcoming year with lots of things coming up.
· Partnership
discussed community forums a couple months ago and determined there
isn’t time to do anything this year. Group is committed to raising
awareness, but want to give it ample time.
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·
There is another meeting
scheduled for the 2nd Thursday of June, so our next meeting
will take place on June 17th.
· Since
money is tight this year, group decided to catere event at the PBA.
Staff will look into cost and report back.
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| Next
Meeting |
The next
Partnership meeting will take place on Thursday, June 17th
at the PBA Range on Weibel Avenue from 4 – 6 p.m. This will be a
planning meeting for the upcoming year, with dinner served at 6 p.m. |
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Actions
accomplished in April 2004:
l
Coordinated two All-Stars After
School Club events – Chess and Checkers Game Day and the Service
Project Info session (N. Karas, E. Nolan, S. Lang, J. Kelly)
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Hosted eight lunch groups, two each
Thursday, for DARE All-Stars campers at the Middle School (N. Karas)
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Coordinated mailing, curricula, and
other logistics for annual spring TIPS training (R. Ambrosino, B.
LaBarge, J. Kelly, A. Nolan)
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Continued coordination of Parent
Information Night about DARE All Stars camp (E. Nolan, N. Karas, J.
Kelly, S. Lang)
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Hosted last session of the spring
Strengthening Families program for fifth and sixth grade families (S.
Lang, E. Nolan, R. Ambrosino)
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Attended monthly Safe and Drug Free
Communities meeting to discuss prevention programming in school
district (E. Nolan)
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Attended Vigil for Crime Victims’
Rights Week, where John Kelly and Barbara Lombardo were honored for
their service to the community
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Coordinated Parenting Education
Coordination meeting to continue discussions about centralized,
county-wide parenting programming for mandated families (J. Ekman, E.
Nolan)
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Taught four sessions of the peer
leader-trained, anti-tobacco program, "Be Smart, Don’t Start" (N.
Karas)
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Met with Steering Committee for SCYE
(Saratoga County Youth Experience) (E. Nolan)
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Taught workshops on team building and
DARE-All Stars camp at the annual DARE conference (T. Moon, E. Nolan)
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