It’s time for this month’s #SubstanceFreeSaturday! Each month we try to give you ideas on what to do to celebrate, but we would also love to hear your ideas! Let us know on Facebook, or email us at info@actmissouri.org.
Spring is in full swing, so now is the perfect time to get outdoors and do something fun with your friends. Go for a bike ride, take a walk, or have a picnic in the park. What is your favorite outdoors activity?
Belton Cares’ After Prom Party is an event held the evening of prom from midnight to 4 -5 am at a local gathering spot, Aaron’s Family Fun Center. The goal of the After Prom Party is to offer an alternative place to go, so teens can gather and enjoy the evening while staying safe and sober. Juniors and seniors, along with their dates, are welcome to attend. The event provides plenty of entertainment with music and a dance area, snacks and soft drinks, goody bags, and lots of other fun activities such as sand volleyball and miniature golf!
Belton Cares has been providing this event for almost 15 years. Each year, approximately 200 juniors and seniors attend out of 995 students. The school provides support by promoting the event in the school announcements and through other high school media, as well as selling tickets in the cafeteria. The after-prom party has also gained community support. Community businesses, civic groups and parents donate prizes, cash and time. The event space costs $2,500 and event prizes are around $1,000. These costs are paid by donations and fundraisers.
Students also have a part to play in how their prom evening will turn out. SADD offers some great safety tips to help keep the night fun and healthy:
For more information from SADD about planning a safe prom, check out: http://www.sadd.org/promplan.htm
In the fight against underage drinking, adding caffeine to the mix only complicates the matter even further.
On February 20th Anita Jurkowski, PH.D., as a representative of MYAA and Compass Prevention, talked with 312 seventh grade students of Smith-Cotton Jr. High School in Sedalia about Alcohol and Other Drugs of Abuse. Over six class periods the dangers of underage drinking of alcohol, underage drinking of caffeinated alcohol, and underage vaping of alcohol were discussed.
Although few students were aware of vaping alcohol, they were well aware of caffeinated alcoholic drinks. A high percentage of Sedalia students reported the habit of “slamming” caffeinated energy drinks, which currently are legal to underage consumers. In fact, caffeinated energy drinks and caffeinated alcoholic drinks are primarily marketed to teenagers and young adults, respectively1. The jump from caffeinated energy drinks to caffeinated alcoholic drinks is easy to follow, especially since the cans for both are extremely similar.
Research is demonstrating that drinking caffeine in high amounts quickly primes the brain toward future binge drinking of alcohol2. Greater consumption of caffeinated energy drinks in teens and pre-teens is linked to earlier initiation of alcohol drinking, to greater amounts of alcohol drinking, and to a higher propensity toward sensation seeking, risky behavior, and future alcoholism3.
With the overconsumption of caffeinated energy drinks in teens and the aggressive targeted advertising toward the young of caffeinated energy and caffeinated alcoholic drinks, combined with the unawareness on the part of teens and parents alike to the association between caffeinated energy drink consumption and future alcohol, nicotine, and other substance dependence it is not a far stretch to predict an increase in underage drinking as a direct result of caffeinated energy drink use, abuse and addiction. It behooves teens, parents, and society to learn more about the dangerous combination of caffeine and alcohol.
Foot Notes
Kara Bernskoetter, MYAA Youth Ambassador and member of the MYAA Marketing Committee, provides us with a first-hand account of her experience at this year’s Prevention Day at the Capitol.
Prevention Day was held at the capitol on January 28th. The day began with us, the MYAA Youth Ambassadors, providing breakfast pastries to the General Assembly and their staff along with the visitors. This was a great opportunity to spread the word about MYAA and what we are and do. There was a display set up of photo voice posters created by us Youth Ambassadors. Photo voice is a way to communicate the message of prevention through pictures and captions. I visited my state senator, Mike Kehoe, and put my advocacy training into action. Talking to your legislator is a great way to prove that the youth have a strong voice and that we truly do care about the decisions made in our communities.
MYAA’s Youth Ambassadors are the main catalyst’s for the prevention in underage drinking MYAA continually strives to achieve. MYAA Ambassadors are hardworking, motivated students, who dedicate their time and their commitment to reaching out to their peers, their friends and others about the dangers of underage drinking and the benefits of abstaining. Youth Ambassadors are role models to younger students and enjoy the confidence of believing in the fun and the empowerment of healthy choices and how important it is to support yourself.
If you know of a young person who would be great for the Youth Ambassador Program, or you are a young person who wants to get involved, the applications are open now, and close on May 4, 2015. Check out the Youth Ambassador website (http://www.actmissouri.org/youth-ambassadors/) for more information and to access the application when it becomes available.
Here are three of MYAA’s Youth Ambassadors and a little information about them.
Krista S., Kara, Raine, Krista O., and Tali
Tali Azar
Parkway Central High School, Chesterfield
Raine Ryerson
Morgan County R-II High School, Versailles
Madeline Partridge
Eldon High School, Eldon
MYAA Project Director Chelsea, Kara, Madeline, Raine, and Krista S.
Each quarter we will be highlighting some of our Missouri Youth Adult Alliance Youth Ambassadors. To learn more about the Youth Ambassador Program or MYAA, visit our website.
With all the excitement from the 2015 #SpeakHard Youth Conference, we almost forgot about this month’s #SubstanceFreeSaturday! Luckily, the dates are all printed on our #RedRibbonWeek calendar!
This month is a great time to get friends together and watch some March Madness basketball! Is your team still in the tournament?
Even if you don’t like basketball, you can still get a group of friends together and do something fun and #SubstanceFree! Make some yummy snacks, watch a movie, or play a game. Saturdays are a great time to hang out with your friends without the stress of homework!
Did you know that over St. Patrick’s Day weekends from 2009 to 2013, there were a total of 276 lives lost in drunk-driving crashes? There are so many other #SubstanceFree fun things to do this year for St. Patrick’s Day.
In 2014, college students in Michigan organized #SubstanceFree events to combat binge drinking. You can do the same thing in your community! Organize a school dance or lock-in, have a Lucky Charms cereal eating contest, a parade with your friends and pets, or watch movies. The possibilities are endless!
If you see a drunk driver on the road, call local law enforcement. You could save a life. A third of all crash fatalities in the United States involve drunk drivers. If you know someone who is about to drive drunk or ride with someone who is impaired, help them make other arrangements to get to where they are going safely. If a friend is drunk and wants to drive, take the keys away. Don’t worry about offending someone—they’ll thank you later.
We hope you have a safe and #SubstanceFree St. Patrick’s Day!
For more information on safety during St. Patrick’s Day, visit the Traffic Safety Marketing website.
We are so excited for all of you to meet the 2015 Keynote Speakers of #SpeakHard! M&P Presentations is a positive public speaking team of two gentlemen that enjoy spreading positive energy and acting as proof that a great life is very achievable. But enough from us…check out the video they made just for you!
To learn more about Speak Hard and register for the event, visit our website.
Connect with M&P on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram before Speak Hard.
Connect with ACT Missouri on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram too!
February 21st is #SubstanceFreeSaturday! This Saturday would be a great time to invite some friends over, or hang out with your family and have a movie marathon! You can also make some yummy snacks to go along with your movies. Need some ideas?
Harry Potter: Here are a ton of fun recipes to try, from Butterbeer to Cauldron Cakes!
Lord of the Rings: Lembas Bread is the way to go.
Marvel Cinematic Universe: Captain America’s Breakfast S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fun vegetarian option!
Star Wars: Who doesn’t love a Watermelon Death Star?
Twilight: Edward’s Cornflake Chicken: yum or done?
Of course you could also just serve up some popcorn and soda, but where’s the fun in that! Snap a #SubstanceFreeSelfie, and tag us on Facebook or Twitter so we can see all the fun you’re having!
When working to support the health and well-being of young people, working with young people is essential to that process. That is why the Youth Ambassador Program is such an important piece of MYAA.
The MYAA Youth Ambassadors are a talented group of students from across Missouri who serve as the statewide youth voice for substance abuse prevention. They go through training with some of the top professionals in the field, design their own presentations to give in their communities, meet with legislators, and help plan the Speak Hard Youth Conference.
Youth ambassadors play an integral role in the overall development and operation of our statewide underage drinking prevention initiative. MYAA’s adult members work together with the Youth Ambassadors in planning and implementing prevention practices and programs, as well as yearly events including the annual statewide youth conference, Speak Hard and annual Prevention Day at the Capitol.
Members of MYAA’s Youth Ambassador Program are hardworking and well versed individuals who have demonstrated their commitment by reaching out to peers, friends, and younger students. Youth Ambassadors serve as role models for other students and agree to abstain from using drugs and alcohol.
If you know of a young person who would be great for the Youth Ambassador Program, or you are a young person who wants to get involved, the applications will open on March 25, 2015 and close on May 4, 2015. Check out the Youth Ambassador website (http://www.actmissouri.org/youth-ambassadors/) for more information and for access to the application when it becomes available.
Krysta Ott
Smith-Cotton Junior High, Sedalia
Kara Bernskoetter
Calvary Lutheran High School, Jefferson City
Krista Stanford
Calvary Lutheran High School, Jefferson City
Kara Bernskoetter, Krysta Ott, Becky Bade, Krista Stanford, and Tali Azar at a Youth Ambassador training at ACT Missouri.
Each quarter we will be highlighting some of our Missouri Youth Adult Alliance Youth Ambassadors. To learn more about the Youth Ambassador Program or MYAA, visit our website.
