What is a Blog?

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You have maybe heard the talk about blogs and wonder to yourself… “What is a blog anyway?”
A blog (a blend of the term web log) is a type of website or part of a website. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. Blog can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.

Most blogs are interactive, allowing visitors to leave comments and even message each other via widgets on the blogs and it is this interactivity that distinguishes them from other static websites.

Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, Web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability of readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs. Most blogs are primarily textual, although some focus on art (Art blog), photographs (photoblog), videos (video blogging), music (MP3 blog), and audio (podcasting). Microblogging is another type of blogging, featuring very short posts.

The coalition also maintains a website which is updated monthly and has in-depth coalition information such as minutes, workplans, bylaws, and much more. Check it out at www.vbsafecoalition.com

For more information on the Van Buren County SAFE Coalition you may contact the coalition office at 319-293-6412.

SAFE Coalition receives DFC Funding

The Van Buren County SAFE Coalition was selected to receive an additional five years of funding for the Drug Free Communities Program. Announcements were made on August 31st.
The SAFE Coalition will receive $125,000 for the next five years to continue the work that began in 2005 making Van Buren County a SAFE place to live by reducing drug, alcohol and tobacco use in youth.

*Strategies to be implemented with the funds include, but are not limited to:
*Working with businesses to address the ease of access of alcohol.
*Collaborating with key community members on a social host ordinance.
*Developing a team of school and community members to address climate at the
school districts– focusing on substance use.
*Developing standardized protocols in both school districts regarding code of
conduct and substance use policies.
*Working with law enforcement in regards to laws related to marijuana use;
ensuring consistency and enforcement.
*Developing relationships with businesses to implement drug free worksite
policies.
*Empowering parents with resources & skills to take action in preventing
substance use.
*Developing a social norming campaign related to the use of marijuana
*Addressing the local conditions of near peers and parties as sources of alcohol
for youth.

The coalition will be hiring one new part time staff person to assist in the efforts. The grant will officially begin on October 1st 2010 and run through September 30th, 2015.

For more information on the grant or any coalition activities please contact Project Director; Heidi Bainbridge at 293-6412.

September is National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month

IS IT AN ADDICTION?

Stages of Addiction

Note: The following examples are used for illustrative purposes only. Please contact an agency that specializes in addictions to do an assessment or evaluation if you have concerns.

Non-use – When a person does not use alcohol or other drugs. An example of this is: A 30-year old woman goes to a restaurant, party, or bar and does not consume alcohol.

Use - The ingestion of alcohol or other drugs without experiencing any negative consequences. For example, a person in a social setting consumes alcohol responsibly and is given a ride home by a sober friend.

Misuse - When a person experiences negative consequences from the use of alcohol or other drugs, it is clearly misuse. For example, a 30-year old woman uses alcohol on an infrequent basis, her employer throws a party and the 30-year old woman drinks more than usual and on the way home she is arrested for DUI. She may not really have a problem with alcohol but in this instance, she experiences a negative consequence from drinking.

Abuse - It can be considered abuse if, in spite of negative consequences, a person continues to consume drugs or alcohol. If the 30-year old woman above had no substance abuse problem she would abstain from alcohol as getting a DUI would be enough of a deterrent. However, shortly thereafter this woman goes to another party and there she drinks in excess and then gets behind the wheel of her car again. This would be considered abuse.

Dependency/Addiction - The compulsive use of alcohol or other drugs in spite of adverse, repeated, or negative consequences. For example, the woman received two DUIs in one year. She was on probation and would be sentenced to one year in prison if she was caught using alcohol or drugs, but she continued to drink. The woman would be clearly addicted to alcohol because the negative consequences did not impact or deter her use.

Coalition Members Attend Conference

Four Coalition members were given the opportunity to attend the 12th Annual National EUDL Leadership Conference “Building Community Futures with Blueprints for Success”.

Van Buren County Deputy Sheriff; Jon Tharp, Reserve officer; Lee McIntosh, Coalition Coordinator; Heidi Bainbridge, and STOP Grant Coordinator; Tonja Jirak all traveled to Anaheim, California to learn about strategies that can be implemented locally to address underage drinking. Over the past 12 years, the Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws (EUDL) program has successfully built partnerships with law enforcement, community organizations, and government officials to implement evidence-based strategies to reduce youth access to alcohol. To establish and maintain a grasp on the problems and consequences of underage drinking, a blueprint must be developed to integrate three key elements: environmental strategies and laws, enforcement, and public support.

Coalition members took part in workshops and plenary sessions to gain valuable new information related to underage drinking. The conference gave the coalition and law enforcement officers an opportunity to work together to determine areas in Van Buren county where this issue can be addressed. The coalition members will now share what was learned with the larger group and facilitate discussions about new ideas and ways to address this issue locally.

Be watching for new coalition initiatives based on the information learned at this conference. For more information on the conference or getting involved with the coalition please contact the coalition office at 319-293-6412 or via email at info@vbsafecoalition.com.

We have been busy!

The SAFE Coalition has been busy over the past couple of months. Some of the things that have taken place and are upcoming include:
* JEL Booth at the 4th of July Kids Games- July 4th
* CADCA Midyear Training and Youth Leadership Training- July 26-29th
* Kids Fair- August 5th
* Iowa Underage Drinking Town Hall Culmination Meeting- August 9th
* AC4C Retreat- August 10-11th
* School Registration- August 11, 12, 13th
UPCOMING
* EUDL Underage Drinking Conference- August 17-21st
* Back to School Bash- Van Buren- August 23rd- 12-6pm
* Staff Appreciation Event- August 23rd 4:30-6pm
* JEL Walk 4 Breath Event- August 28th 7am-noon
* Volunteer Training- September 9th 6-9 pm

If you are interested in being involved in any of the above activities please contact the coalition for more information! Get involved today!
319-293-6412

SAFE Home Pledges!

The SAFE Coalition has begun their annual SAFE Home Pledge program, and this year they are including elementary parents as well. Members of the organization are asking parents to sign a SAFE Home pledge.
The pledge for middle and high school states that the parents will not provide alcohol to minors in their home. It also states that the parents are open to communication with other parents about the alcohol use of their children. For elementary the pledge asks parents to talk to their kids about drugs, alcohol and tobacco use, set rules and take an active role in their lives.

A directory of all parents who have signed a SAFE Home Pledge will be produced and provided to parents after the start of the school year. An updated directory will also be available on the SAFE website at www.vbsafecoalition.com.

If you are interested in having a SAFE home and signing a SAFE Home Pledge there are a number of things you can do:
1) Sign the pledge during back-to-school registration
2) Contact the SAFE coalition at 319-293-6412
3) Visit the SAFE website www.vbsafecoalition.com and sign an online pledge (middle and high school only)

For more information on the SAFE Home Pledge or the SAFE Coalition you can call 319-293-6412 or email info@vbsafecoalition.com. Information about the pledge and all SAFE Coalition activities are available on the SAFE website located at: www.vbsafecoalition.com.

Van Buren JEL Teens Helped “Break the Connection”

Pella, Iowa – July 8, 2010 – Five Van Buren County JEL/YLC members and nearly 200 teens from across the state gathered to learn new strategies to fight Big Tobacco at the 10th Annual “Break the Connection” (JEL) Summit, June 17-19 at Central College. Alicia Schalla (Executive Council Member), Carson Schuck, Drew Nolting, Tyler Runyon, and Cassie Johnson represented Van Buren County at the Summit.

The 3-day for-JEL-teens-by-JEL-teens event is designed to educate teens about the health effects of tobacco use, secondhand smoke and the methods tobacco companies are using to get teens hooked on their products. The youth were not taught this from adults, however. They taught the tracks and learned from each other.

Each Summit attendee participated in a variety of learning sessions ranging from general tobacco information. to media advocacy. to how to organize JEL events in their home towns. The JEL Executive Council, the youth leaders of the program, led these sessions.

“We want youth to know that they can be a part of something great in JEL and can make a difference in their towns and with their peers,” explains Bryant Hickie, new JEL President. “We want to create awareness of tobacco prevention throughout the state, which can save lives.”

The Summit closed with an hour-long street marketing demonstration in downtown Pella. The event symbolically ‘broke the connection’ between tobacco and the death and disease it causes. It is time for someone to finally break the connection and JEL was up to the task.

JEL activities and other tobacco use prevention and control activities are funded by the Iowa Department of Public Health, Division of Tobacco Use Prevention and Control.