Monday, April 29, 2013

Van Buren Community Schools YLC Peer Teaching

By: Cassie Johnson
As Youth Leadership Council (YLC) Members we love to visit the Elementary School to peer teach.  When we peer teach we aim to teach a lesson or do an activity that educates them about drugs and alcohol.  We have visited 3rd through 6th grade. 

On Wednesday, April 24, 2013 we visited both 5th and 6th grade classes at Douds Elementary School.  The 5th graders wrote letters to high school seniors asking them to be safe during graduation.  The 6th graders participated in a “What would you rather do” activity, where they were asked to draw a picture of what they can do rather than drugs or alcohol. While we were visiting the 6th graders we also recruited them to join YLC in 7th grade.  7th grade is the first year students are eligible to join YLC. 

The YLC members visit the elementary center during the month of April since it is Alcohol Awareness Month. This reminds the students of the dangers of underage drinking and to think twice when they are faced with the choice to use alcohol. Choose to be alcohol-free!

For more information on YLC, their peer teaching and other activities please contact the SAFE Coalition office at 319-293-6412 or at info@vbsafecoalition.com.  You can also see what the students are doing through the YLC website at ylc.vbsafecoalition.com or the coalition blog at vbsafecoalition.blogspot.com. 


Van Buren County YLC Presents

Let’s  Go Fly A Kite

Friday, May 10th 6:00 pm– 8:00 pm

Van Buren High School Track

Alcohol Free Fun Family Event for
Alcohol Awareness Month!
An evening of Kite Flying and 
Fun Events.


YLC members will have kites for sale or you can bring your own!
Free fun activity stations for kids will be set up.  Bake Sale!

Come anytime between  6pm and  8pm to fly a kite and take part in the FREE fun activities!

For more information about this event please  contact the YLC office at 319-293-6412

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Sticker Shock Campaign

Have you seen these stickers around the community?

You may be wondering what it is all about. The Van Buren County SAFE Coalition and youth from the local Youth Leadership Council teamed up for Alcohol Awareness Month to remind adults that it is illegal to purchase or provide alcohol to minors. The goal of this youth-led initiative is to change adult attitudes about selling and providing alcohol to minors.

The students spent two days visiting each business in the county which sells carry-out alcohol to patrons. They placed bright red stop sign cooler clings, posters and stickers on beer products in the stores to remind adults “It is illegal to purchase or provide alcohol to minors.”

“Adults need to set a better example for kids,” said one youth member.  “When adults supply alcohol to youth it sends us a very mixed message.  Underage drinking is not a teen problem, but a community problem.  Adults, youth, law enforcement, and retail stores all need to be part of the solution.”

 Van Buren County SAFE Coalition recognizes the following stores for their desire to manage the sale of alcohol responsibly: Boyd’s Grocery, Casey’s, Circle B, Douds Kwik Stop, Jet Stop – Birmingham, Bonaparte and Milton, H&K Pony Express and Moore’s Grocery.  “A strong community message is sent when a business like this takes responsibility for speaking out against underage drinking,” said Heidi Bainbridge, Van Buren County SAFE Coalition coordinator.

Alcohol has been identified as the number one drug of choice among youth, and according to local youth, one of the easiest substances to obtain.  The Sticker Shock campaign hopes to cause adults to think twice before making it any easier for youth to access alcohol.

For more information on the sticker shock campaign you may contact the SAFE coalition at: 319-293-6412 or check us out on the web at www.vbsafecoalition.com

National Prescription Drug Take Back Day

THE VAN BUREN COUNTY SHERIFF’S RESERVE ARE
TAKING BACK UNWANTED PRESCRIPTION DRUGS
April 27, 2013
AT THE KEOSAUQUA SENIOR CENTER
On April 27th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Reserve, Van Buren County SAFE Coalition and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public another opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.  Bring your medications for disposal to the Keosauqua Senior Center, 801 Front Street, Keosauqua.  The service is free and anonymous, no paperwork, no logs, no questions asked.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue.  Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.  Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards.

Four days after the first event, Congress passed the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010, which amends the Controlled Substances Act to allow an “ultimate user” of controlled substance medications to dispose of them by delivering them to entities authorized by the Attorney General to accept them.  The Act also allows the Attorney General to authorize long term care facilities to dispose of their residents’ controlled substances in certain instances.  DEA is drafting regulations to implement the Act.  Until new regulations are in place, local law enforcement agencies like the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Reserve and the DEA will continue to hold prescription drug take-back events every few months.

You do not have to wait for a Drug Take Back event to dispose of your medication.  Lee Pharmacy in Keosauqua accepts the return of prescription medications (excluding controlled substances) during their regular hours at their pharmacy counter.

The coalition is asking for your help in promoting the event, please let anyone who may have unused medication know about this! If you would like to know more about the Prescription Drug Take Back Day or Prescription Drug Abuse please find additional details at the following link: http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/index.html or contact the SAFE Coalition office at 319-293-6412.

Friday, April 12, 2013

Keeping Prom Night Safe

In the glow of graduation, college acceptance, and teen romance, even the most sensible kids take risks they shouldn’t on prom night. Binge drinking, drunk driving and unprotected sex can even seem like rites of passage. Here’s what you need to know to keep your teenager safe:

  • Make sure your child and, ideally, you know her date. If it’s a fix-up, ask her to meet the guy beforehand in a public space to confirm that he seems okay. Remind her that it’s best not to be alone with anyone she doesn’t know well.
  • For many teenagers, the prom itself is just one stop in a night that begins with dinner and may end the next day after brunch. Make sure you know your child’s agenda and approve of every stop. If he’s at loose ends and you’re brave enough, offer to host breakfast at your place; you’ll know where your kid is and be able to monitor everyone’s condition. 
  • While you’re sure to earn some eye-rolling, it’s worth asking your teenager to rehearse how he’d react if offered alcohol or drugs. 
  • While you’re at it, reiterate that sex isn’t something to be undertaken impulsively or lightly. Prom lasts one night; pregnancy and STDs don’t. 
  • The biggest danger teens face on prom night is auto accidents, either because the driver has been drinking or is simply distracted by a carload of exuberant pals. If you can afford it, chip in for a chauffeured limousine ride; you’ll know there are seat belts for every passenger, and you’ll know the driver is experienced and sober.
  • According to the National Highway Travel Safety Administration, car crashes were the leading cause of death for people between ages 15-20 in 2005 (the last year for which data was available), and 23% of drivers killed had blood alcohol content over .08. When someone drinks and drives, they are not only more likely to get into an accident; the accident is more likely to be severe, and the passenger is less likely to wear a seat belt. If you can’t afford a limo, tell your child you will be available at all hours to take his phone call and pick him and his friends up – no questions asked.
  • Don’t let your child out the door without a cell phone (yours if she doesn’t have one).

If your kids complain that you’re taking all the fun out of a night that comes once in a lifetime, remind them that it’s your job to make sure that lifetime is as long as possible. The fun is their responsibility.

For more information on talking to your teens and keeping them safe please contact the Van Buren County SAFE Coalition at 319-293-6412 or info@vbsafecoalition.com.  You can also visit the coalition’s website at www.vbsafecoalition.com.

*Adapted from an article by Hannah Boyd titled “Keeping Prom Night Safe”.

Lets Go Fly A Kite

Van Buren County YLC Presents

LET'S GO FLY A KITE

Friday, April 19th 6:00pm– 8pm
Van Buren High School Track
 
Alcohol Free Fun Family Event for
Alcohol Awareness Month!
An evening of Kite Flying and Fun Events.

YLC members will have kites for sale
or you can bring your own!

Free fun activity stations for kids will be set up with a Bake Sale!

Come anytime between 6pm and 8pm to fly a kite and take part in the FREE fun activities!

For more information about this event please contact the YLC office at 319-293-6412

National Drug Take– Back Initiative


Date: April 27, 2013
Time: 10am—2pm
Location: Keosauqua Senior Center
The Van Buren County SAFE Coalition will be working with the Van Buren County Sheriffs Reserve Officers and the DEA to hold the county’s fifth Drug Take-Back event. The law enforcement, with the DEA, will collect potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs for destruction. The service is free and anonymous, no paperwork, no logs, no questions asked.  The coalition is asking for your help in promoting the event, please let anyone who may have unused medication know about this! For more information contact the coalition office at 319-293-6412.

Monday, April 8, 2013

The Public Health Consequences of Marijuana Legalization

Evidence shows that the nation’s drug problem is a major public health and safety threat, and that drug addiction is a disease that can be successfully prevented and treated. Legalizing drugs would increase their availability and normalize their use, leading to increased negative health consequences, particularly among young people. Drug legalization also undermines preventative health strategies, a keystone in improving overall public health in the United States.

MARIJUANA USE POSES SIGNIFICANT RISKS TO PUBLIC HEALTH
Marijuana places a significant strain on our health care system, and poses considerable danger to the health and safety of the users themselves, their families, and our communities. We know that marijuana use, particularly long-term, chronic use that began at a young age, can lead to dependence and addiction. (Comparative Epidemiology of Dependence on Tobacco, Alcohol, Controlled Substances, and Inhalants: Basic Findings from the National Comorbidity Survey, Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology 2) 

Marijuana is not a benign drug:
• In 2011, approximately 4.2 million people met the diagnostic criteria for abuse or dependence on marijuana. (Results from the 2011 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary of National Findings. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. [September 2012].)

• Marijuana use is associated with addiction, (Comparative Epidemiology of Dependence on Tobacco, Alcohol, Controlled Substances, and Inhalants: Basic Findings from the National Comorbidity Survey, Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology 2(3):244-268.) respiratory illnesses, (Health care use by frequent marijuana smokers who do not smoke tobacco. West J Med 158(6):596–601, 1993.) and cognitive impairment. (. “Adolescent-onset cannabis and neuropsychological health.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. [August 27, 2012].)

• Marijuana is also the second leading substance for which people receive drug treatment (Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), Substance Abuse Treatment Admissions by Primary Substance of Abuse, 2010. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. [2012].) and a major cause for visits to emergency rooms.( Highlights of the 2010 Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) Findings on Drug-Related Emergency Department Visits. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. [July 2012].)

• Studies also reveal that marijuana potency has almost tripled over the past 20 years, (“Potency Trends for Δ9-THC and Other Cannabinoids in Confiscated Cannabis Preparations from 1993 to 2008.” Journal of Forensic Sciences, Vol. 55, No. 5. [September 2010].) raising serious concerns about implications for public health – especially among adolescents, for whom long-term use of marijuana may be linked with lower IQ (as much as an average 8 point drop) later in life.( “Adolescent-onset cannabis and neuropsychological health.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. [August 27, 2012].)


It is for these reasons that ONDCP continues to oppose legalization, and instead focuses on drug prevention, treatment, support for recovery, and innovative criminal justice strategies to break the cycle of drug use and crime. This approach is helping improve public health and safety in communities across the United States.

For more information, please visit ONDCP’s Marijuana Resource Center: www.whitehouse.gov/ondcp/marijuanainfo or contact the SAFE Coalition at 319-293-6412 or info@vbsafecoalition.com.  You can also check the Coalition Website for information at www.vbsafecoalition.com.

Let’s Go Fly A Kite

Come join the Van Buren County Youth Leadership Council(YLC) for a fun family event on April 19th.  Families are encouraged to come out and spend the evening flying a kite and enjoying other fun activities. This event is to help promote family activities during  Alcohol Awareness month and keep kids from the dangers of alcohol abuse.

Parents have more influence on their child’s values and decisions about drinking before they begin to use alcohol.  Parents can have a major impact on their children’s drinking, especially during the preteen and early teen years.  According to the 2010 Iowa Youth Survey:
§         One in four eighth graders reports drinking alcohol within the past month.
§         24% of eighth graders reports that during the last 30 days they have had 5 or more drinks of alcohol in a row on at least one occasion.
§         49% of eighth graders say that it is easy to get alcohol in Van Buren County.

The youth have planned a variety of activities along with the kite flying. There will be a  bean bag toss, music, buttons, a bake sale and much more! Kites will be available for $2 as long as supplies last. Come out to the Van Buren Community High School track anytime between 6pm and 8pm. Enjoy the activities and spend time with your family at this free event in support of alcohol awareness month.

What: Let's go fly a kite
Where: Van Buren High School track/football field
When: April 9th 6pm-8pm
Cost: FREE (kites available for $2)

For more information about this event please contact the SAFE Coalition at               319-293-6412 or visit us on the web at www.vbsafecoalition.com.

The Van Buren County SAFE Coalition Supports After Prom Parties:

Van Buren High School
April 20th 
12:00 A.M. – 5:00 A.M.
Van Buren High School Gym  
Activities to include: Airbrush Tattoos, Hypnotist, DJ,Chair Massages, Rock Band and other games, Karaoke and much more!Food and drinks provided!Door Prizes will be drawn at the end!For more info contact: Mary Dawn Schuck –319-293-3183


Harmony
April 27th
12:00 A.M. – 6:00 A.M.
Kroc Carter – Quincy, Illinois

Pool, Game Room and Climbing Wall!  Door Prizes will be drawn during Breakfast!  Breakfast Pizza served at 5:00 am!  For more info contact:Lola Marsh – 319-878-4124 or lolamarsh1@gmail.com

Monday, April 1, 2013

Students Taking Charge

By: Cassie Johnson

On April 4th, 2013 the YMCA in Boone, Iowa will once again be hosting the Students Taking Charge Conference.  This same event was held last year in which Van Buren Youth Leadership Council Students attended. 

Students Taking Charge is about making your school or community a healthier place by teaching you nutritional facts in your favorite drinks or how easy it can be to be fit and exercise daily.  Many different groups and organizations from Iowa will also be attending this conference, such as Team Nutrition, I-STEP, and SIYAC.  Each group will have a chance to share their information with “Breakouts”. 

Students Taking Charge is a national movement to mobilize, organize and speak out for healthy and active schools in every state. High school students will attend a one-day workshop that helps them develop leadership and advocacy skills, to gain knowledge about health issues and to connect them with other students statewide. The workshop will held in partnership with the Iowa Department of Education, the Iowa Department of Public Health, Iowa State University Extension, and the State of Iowa Youth Advisory Council. Learn more about Students Taking Charge on their website (http://www.studentstakingcharge.org)

Two students from Van Buren High School’s Youth Leadership Council, Drew Nolting and Cassie Johnson, are part of the Executive Council for I-STEP.  Cassie and Drew will assist with the breakout session involving I-STEP. 

For more information on this event, I-STEP or YLC please contact the SAFE Coalition at 319-293-6412 or at info@vbsafecoalition.com.