Date:  

March 8, 2007

Facilitator:  Maureen Cary

Location:

3 Blue Streak Blvd., 2^nd floor, School District Administrative Offices

Recorder: Robin Ambrosino

Attendees:

S. Lang, M. Cary, K. Behrens, E. Stanton, J. Ekman, D. McGarry, K. Pettigrew,
D. Tallman, C. Lamport, B. Vincenton, B. Boehmke, K. Sephas, L. Beer,
M. Hadden, D. Torres, R. Ambrosino, J. Kelly
 

Materials Distributed:

Flyer about OASAS push to increase parental awareness of underage gambling

Overview

Discussion

News & Announcements

The Saratoga County Youth Bureau enabled several area youth to attend a 2 day youth summit in Albany. Youth got to meet legislators and it was a great experience.

The Prevention Council's annual Youth Leadership conference, Safe Spring, will take place on Thursday, March 15th. Partnership members are welcome to come between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. to hear workshop speakers.

This week is Problem Gambling Awareness Week. There is a push to get the word out for available services, warning signs. etc. Preliminary new data about youth gambling is in from the state. It was anticipated to be 4-5 %, but actual pathological gambling numbers are in the 20% range. The results confirmed that problem gambling are going up and that there is a correlation with substance abuse. 42% of problem gamblers also have substance issues. Michelle is still conducting Underage Sales Compliance Tests.

The Prevention Council was on a panel of speakers at a program last night on the effects of alcohol and training for the Saratoga Rowing Association. The group has a new substance abuse policy. Parents Who Host Lose the Most was discussed. The program was videotaped for future use. All families who become members of the Rowing Association have to watch it in order to join - both parents and kids. This is a great model to build on for other teams -- school sponsored or not.

Partnership has a new e-newsletter. Previous paper version felt very repetitive about Partnership programs. This new one is more of a news resource in the field of prevention.

 

The SSPD will be doing a reverse sting this spring. Business owners asked SSPD to have undercover kids hang out in their parking lot, asking adults if they'll buy alcohol for them. John thought sending reporter could work on the night of the stings if a paper would like to cover them.

The Prevention Council is looking into buying licenses for an online version of the Parenting Wisely program. If we can find 10 families to participate, it would cost the Council $19 per family to buy 10 licenses for one month.  the Council would get a record of whether people completed activities, and took the pre and post test -- so we'd not only have follow up data, but also to see if parents met mandated requirements for their court requirements. Age range is 13-18 year olds. When the Council has 10 volunteer families we can buy licenses.

Several people offered to conduct them. Michelle will get them the materials.

If anyone has information they'd like to include in the summer edition, please forward info to Robin by May 18th.


Eleanor Stanton suggested putting an archive of newsletters online.

Judy Ekman needs volunteers from the community who have teenage kids willing to go through parenting scenarios. Then parents would need give feedback about how realistic, engaging the program is. For more information, contact Judy.

Partnership Survey
Follow Up

Partnership staff met with school administrators about survey results. Concerns were the gap between the high school and the national average.
Plans are underway to put together a community forum in early October on the high school campus. It would be a Saturday a.m. breakfast meeting. Community stakeholders and anyone concerned about community youth are encouraged to attend. The event will be invitation only from the school superintendent with an RSVP required. Hoping to invite a large number of people.

Focus of the meeting will be to develop a community action plan. There are issues going on now that were not there two years ago. The district looks very good at the middle school level and then it goes downhill in the high school. A high percentage of 8th graders say they wouldn't be seen as cool for using substances, but that changes by 40% by 9th and 10th grade.

Staff will be meeting with both youth and parent focus groups this spring and summer to identify the issues and determine the forum agenda.

Partner comments:

There is a long gap between the no-use messages kids get in health class in elementary and middle school and 10th grade, when they have their next health class. Madeline Daley has brought this up before.

Skidmore should be represented at the forum because college culture influences high school kids downtown.

MADD is raising money for a program called alcohol.edu, which would replace the multimedia presentations that used to run in schools each spring. It's a computer course for 9th graders. MADD may be able to allocate some money for Saratoga High School. Cost is roughly $3,000 for 400 kids. School would get feedback on the 9th grade class that takes it, and you have use of the program for three more groups of kids, but no more feedback. Siena college required all new students to take the course. MADD plans to pilot the program in a couple schools to see how it goes. Program needs to be evidence-based to spend Safe and Drug Free Schools money on it. Partners were urged to visit www.outsidetheclassroom.com and we'll put the topic on the agenda for the next meeting.

Suggestion was made about the possibility of a high school seminar for incoming 9th graders.

Dave Torres said he doesn't feel 9th graders should be here with the older high school kids. 80 minute blocks are not suitable for that aged kid either. Not mature enough to handle it.
 

Partners were asked to identify parents, youth, and community people who can contribute to this meeting and to come to the next meeting with a list of people to invite -- even if it's people you don't know. People from throughout Saratoga County can be invited.

A reminder will be sent out in advance of next month's meeting.

Suggestions included:

Have childcare available on Saturday a.m.

Outreach to families who won't come, but so we can have their input

Outreach to religious community - i.e., Maxine Washington, the Byrds.

How can we  get input from people who can't come?

One of the break out groups could be "How to Reach all the Groups We need to Reach."

To generate interest in forum, flyer could list some reasons to come:  "You might need to come to this forum if . . ."

Publicity
about
Survey Results

Staff is talking with The Saratoga about a series of Sunday articles on the survey results, which may start after Board of Ed presentation on March 22. Main topics will be binge drinking, marijuana use, parental attitudes. Staff would like to put a face on the data with personal stories. Partners were asked if they know anyone who'd be willing to be featured.

Ideas included:

Tips for parents sending kids to college

How to keep kids safe around prom and graduation

What to do for latchkey kids who are bored and parents have to work

Kid from Greenwich/Navy guy who bought for younger kids who ended up died in a car crash

25-year old who went to jail for 3 months for killing 81 year old. Being released from jail this month.

Older man who rented a room for one night to HS kids who threw a huge party.

Kids who got kicked out of homecoming dance/brought to hospital.

Check out myspace.com and YouTube.com for inventory.

Take kids to movies to ID who's drinking -- how much drinking going on in the movies.

Check out www.camy.org . It has lots of info about advertising industry.

Maureen Cary passed out an idea for an ad during prom season. It's a letter format, signed by many community supporters, with tips about how to be responsible at prom time. Partners expressed interest in having this letter run as an ad in both The Saratogian and Community News, since the Shenendehowa Community Coalition will be helping to foot the bill for the cost of the ad. Suggestion was made to also include the information in Saratoga Today and Metroland -- both of those are free papers available in bars.
 

Karen Pettigrew, Lori Beer, Dave Torres and John Kelly volunteered to help with this project.

Info should be added to the letter about long-term effects on the brain
 

Next Meeting

Still to be determined.