Stay Safe This Labor Day Holiday – Spread the Word: Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over

During the 2019 Labor Day holiday, the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office and SAFE Coalition will partner with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to get drunk drivers off the roads and help save lives. The high-visibility national enforcement campaign, Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over, runs from August 14 through September 2, 2019. During this period, local law enforcement will show zero tolerance for drunk driving. Increased state and national messages about the dangers of driving impaired, coupled with enforcement and increased officers on the road, aim to drastically reduce drunk driving on our nation’s roadways.

Sadly, the statistics prove that we have a lot of work to do to put an end to drunk driving. According to NHTSA, 10,874 people were killed in drunk-driving crashes in 2017. On average, 10,000 people were killed each year from 2013 to 2017 — one person was killed in drunk-driving crashes every 48 minutes in 2017. That’s the equivalent of 20 jumbo jets crashing each year, with no survivors. This is why the Sheriff’s Office and SAFE Coalition are working with NHTSA to remind drivers that drunk driving is not only illegal, it is a matter of life and death. As you head out to the Labor Day festivities, remember: Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.

During the 2017 Labor Day holiday period (6 p.m. September 1 – 5:59 a.m. September 5), there were 376 crash fatalities nationwide. Forty-four percent of those fatalities involved drivers who had been drinking (.01+ BAC). More than one-third (36%) of the fatalities involved drivers who were drunk (.08+ BAC), and more than one-fourth (26%) involved drivers who were driving with a BAC almost twice the legal limit (.15+ BAC). Age is a particularly risky factor: Among drivers between the ages of 18 and 34 who were killed in crashes over the Labor Day holiday period in 2017, 42% of those drivers were drunk, with BACs of .08 or higher.

Labor Day should be a time for friends and family to come together to enjoy the last days of summer.  We need commitment from our community members that they’ll keep the streets free of drunk drivers so that everyone can have a safe holiday. This is a campaign to get the message out that drunk driving is illegal and it takes lives. Help us put an end to this senseless behavior. 

The Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office, SAFE Coalition and NHTSA are reminding citizens of the many resources available to get them home safely. Drunk driving is not acceptable behavior.  It is essential to plan a sober ride home before you ever leave for the party. That’s why, during the Labor Day holiday, we will make zero exceptions for drunk driving. There are just no excuses. 

The Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office and SAFE Coalition recommend these safe alternatives to drinking and driving:

·       Remember that it is never okay to drink and drive. Even if you’ve had only one alcoholic beverage, designate a sober driver or plan to get home safely with a ride from a family member or friend.

·       If you see a drunk driver on the road, contact the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office.

·       Have a friend who is about to drink and drive? Take the keys away and make arrangements to get your friend home safely.

For more information about the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign, visit https://www.trafficsafetymarketing.gov/get-materials/drunk-driving/national-mobilization/peak-enforcement-kit.

Back to School Activities

It’s 3pm on a school day. Do you know where your children are?

As summer vacations end and students start a new school year, here are a few reasons you should encourage them to get involved with after-school activities:

·         Children & teens are more likely to be the victims of crime during the after-school hours than at any other time.

·         Children & teens are more likely to participate in violent crimes during the after-school hours than at any other time.

·         Children & teens are more likely to engage in risky behaviors such as tobacco, alcohol or drug use or sexual activity during the after-school hours than at any other time.

Courtesy National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center

Our young children often attend after school daycare or programs provided by their elementary schools, but by the time children reach middle school they are often left on their own after school.  It seems sensible enough. They are old enough to get their own snacks and open their books to complete their homework. They know who to call if they have an emergency. However, adolescents benefit from after-school activities and supervision, too.

Youth who spend only a couple of hours per week in extracurricular after-school activities are significantly less likely to drop out of school; become teen parents; or use tobacco, alcohol or drugs. Spending 5-19 hours per week in after-school activities reduced the risk even further.

It is important that these activities are not just time wasters, but are programs that help youth develop skills and values and provide them with experiences that mean something to them.

It doesn't take a lot. Our schools and community offer a variety of after-school clubs, sports, and activities. Encourage your children to find something that interests them and participate regularly.  If your student is in Grades 7-12 please have them check into the Youth Leadership Council that meets at the VBCCSD Middle/High School.  This is a group sponsored by the Van Buren County SAFE Coalition and works on leadership skills with the youth involved to address health, wellness, and substance abuse prevention in Van Buren County. 

For information about YLC and the coalition please contact the SAFE Coalition by phone at 319-293-3334 ext. 1017 or by email at safe.coalition@van-burencsd.org.

Botvin Life Skills Training Curriculum

The Van Buren County SAFE Coalition was awarded the Iowa Partnership for Success (IPFS) Grant in 2015 to address underage drinking and youth binge drinking in Van Buren County.  The Van Buren County SAFE Coalition’s IPFS project is funded by the Iowa Department of Public Health, through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 

In June of 2016 the Iowa Department of Public Health approved the use of the Botvin Life Skills Training Curriculum at the Van Buren Community Jr. /Sr. High School to address underage drinking and underage binge drinking in Van Buren County.  On July 20, 2016, the Van Buren Community School Board approved the implementation of the program in the 7^th and 8^th grade Explore Rotation.  In the 2016-17 school year both grades completed the Level I curriculum.  In the 2017-18 & 2018-19 school years the 7^th Grade students completed the Level I curriculum and the 8^th Grade students completed the Level II curriculum as the Life Skills Curriculum builds on the information provided each year.  For the 2019-20 school year the 7^th Grade students will again complete the Level I curriculum and the 8^th Grade students will complete the Level II curriculum. 

The Botvin LifeSkills Training Middle School program is a substance abuse and violence prevention program based on over 30 years of rigorous scientific research. It is proven to be an effective evidence-based program used in schools today. LifeSkills Training is comprehensive and developmentally designed to promote positive youth development. It teaches youth to resist drug, alcohol, and tobacco use.  It also supports the reduction of violence and other high-risk behaviors. 

The program learning objectives are as follows:

·         Personal Self-Management Skills: Students develop skills that help them enhance self-esteem, develop problem-solving abilities, reduce stress and anxiety, and manage anger.

·         General Social Skills: Students gain skills to meet personal challenges such as overcoming shyness, communicating clearly, building relationships, and avoiding violence.

·         Drug Resistance Skills: Students build effective defenses against pressures to use tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs.

For more information on the Life Skills Training curriculum please contact the SAFE Coalition at 319-293-3334 ext. 1017 or safe.coalition@van-burencsd.org

Picture provided by Botvin LifeSkills Training curriculum. 

Van Buren Students Attend National Youth Leadership Initiative Experience

Two Van Buren County Teens attended the CADCA Midyear and the National Youth Leadership Initiative Experience in Dallas, TX July 14-18, 2019. Lexee Fritz and Caylin Schmitt were selected by a team of adult SAFE Coalition members for the event. Their participation in the Youth Leadership Council (YLC) during the 2018-19 School Year and excitement to address Substance Issues in Van Buren County allowed them to be given the honor of attending this year.

           

CADCA's NYLI Experience is built on the framework of the National Coalition Institute's National Coalition Academy. In these sessions, both youth and their adult advisors learn how to help community coalitions be more effective in producing community change. The NYLI Experience helps coalitions build their capacity to foster youth leadership in the design, implementation and evaluation of action strategies addressing community problems. In addition, this training builds the relationship between the youth leader and the adult coalition advisor.

The participants learned about the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF), logic models, strategic planning, developing interventions, advocating for change, evaluation, and sustainability. The NYLI Experience is a CADCA workforce development strategy that teaches what is required to create and nurture the growth of committed leaders and their work within coalitions. It better equips youth and adults to develop an action plan that clearly defines the strategies that young leaders will carry out to address the problems and goals that the coalition is striving to affect. While there was a lot of work they also had an opportunity to have fun and meet new people. A meet-and-greet event, a night at the resort water park, and dance were held where they were able to participate in events with other youth participants, the girls made some great friends from this experience.

           

It is an honor to be selected to attend this event. The coalition only sends two Van Buren County students when able based on funding and the participation of the youth in YLC. These teens should be commended for their hard work and dedication to their community!

For more information on the Youth Leadership Coalition or the SAFE Coalition please contact us at 319-293-3334 ext. 1017 or safe.coalition@van-burencsd.org.