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TOWN HALL MEETING ON
UNDERAGE DRINKING
Click here
for the Original Program for the Town Hall Meeting
Underage drinking continues to be a leading public health
problem in the United States. As part of a national effort to help
communities in their work to stop underage drinking, a series of Town Hall
Meetings took place across America during the week of March 31–April
4, 2008. This nationwide effort will support efforts to meet goals from
The Surgeon General's Call to Action To Prevent and Reduce
Underage Drinking
and is supported by the Interagency Coordinating
Committee for the Prevention of Underage Drinking (ICCPUD).
Arkansas towns across the state hosted their own Town Hall
meetings to explore local conditions that contribute to the problem and
discuss possible strategic prevention efforts that would make the most
impact in their communities.
Sixteen coalitions and/or organizations in towns from
“Ashdown to Wynne” received $500 grants to host the town hall meetings.
Concerned citizens met in school cafeterias, city parks,
churches, and fine arts centers. Community leaders took time to participate
in panel discussions and offer support for increased law enforcement of
underage drinking laws, decreasing youth access to alcohol, and increasing
parental awareness of this serious public health problem.
The Prevention Resource Centers across the state provided
technical assistance to coalitions and organizations to ensure that the
goals of the town hall meetings were met. Many of the town hall meetings
were publicized in local and state newspapers, increasing the awareness of
the underage drinking. The Midtown Health Alliance Coalition in Pulaski
County received television media coverage by KARK Channel 4.
While the town hall meetings in Morrilton served to “start
the conversation,” significant work is needed to lower actual drinking rates
among youth by changing the local conditions contributing to the underage
drinking problem, including apathy of parents and other adults.
Please support the Conway County ATOD Coalition as they
implement strategies to reduce underage drinking.
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