One voice of hunterdon - redefining rites of passage - one voice of hunterdon - redefining rites of passage project abstract one voice of hunterdon is applying for the federal stop act grant (sober…

One voice of hunterdon - redefining rites of passage - one voice of hunterdon - redefining rites of passage project abstract one voice of hunterdon is applying for the federal stop act grant (sober truth on preventing underage drinking) in order to prevent and reduce alcohol use among youth and young adults ages 12-20 in hunterdon county, NJ. As a drug free communities coalition, one voice is the first coalition of its kind in the state of NJ, utilizing the outreach of faith leaders in prevention, and has been nationally recognized by community anti drug coalitions of america (cadca). As a result of the prevention work in our community, the past 30-day use of alcohol among our teens has decreased; however, there is still a lot of work to be done. The population of focus for this grant will be youth ages 12-20 who are at high risk for alcohol use; specifically the latino/hispanic population and youth and young adults in the more rural areas of hunterdon county. Additionally, we will be working to build better capacity among all parents in the county, as this sector has been our most difficult to reach in a meaningful way. The stop act program aims to address norms regarding alcohol use by youth, reduce opportunities for underage drinking, and reduce negative consequences associated with underage drinking. Our specific objectives for this project incorporate cadca's seven strategies for community change. One voice plans to collaborate with schools, faith youth organizations, and girl scouts of america to create and deliver a relevant and sustainable mixed media club - redefining rites of passage, which will address social norms around underage drinking. Capitalizing on the natural beauty of hunterdon county's parks and open space, we will work to create alternative activities for youth, which is the most commonly cited reason for underage drinking - 'there is nothing to do'. Collaborating with local liquor stores, we will help to implement state of the art ID scanners, which will deter youth from purchasing alcohol illegally. Our spanish speaking community is growing rapidly in hunterdon county. Engaging with this community is of great importance and, as a result of the latino/hispanic town hall meetings in the last three years, the population is eager for resources, support and education to help keep teens safe and alcohol and drug free. A spanish outreach coordinator will be hired to engage with the community, and recruit latino/hispanic community members in one voice through a dedicated spanish membership action team. Town hall meetings for this population will increase to two times per year. Finally, data shows that parents in hunterdon county have a low perception of harm of teen alcohol use; often citing this behavior as a 'rite of passage'. Through the stop act program, we aim to increase our education and outreach to parents, both in english and spanish, in order to connect with parents as their kids are entering a new phase of life. Within faith communities (confirmation or bar/BAT mitzvah years); school life (middle to high school or high school to college); and scouting (silver, gold awards or eagle scouts). These are all positive rites of passage and we aim to educate parents on the unhealthy rites of passage such as first drink or 'teaching kids to drink' before college. Feedback from a recent community event concluded that parents need to learn parental refusal skills since there is substantial peer pressure to fit in from other parents.