Teen Ambassadors Rally On Capitol Hill During National Conference

Shawn Conerton, Alysha Eichelkraut & Taylor Irby

Illinois Teen Institute/Operation Snowball Teen Ambassadors, Shawn Conerton, Taylor Irby, and Alysha Eichelkraut joined nearly 3,000 substance abuse prevention and treatment specialists and advocates from throughout the country for Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America's (CADCA) 22nd annual National Leadership Forum and its Capitol Hill Day. The delegation learned how to become better anti-drug advocates at week-long conference workshops and town hall meetings attended by national policy makers, researchers and media members. In addition, coalition members had a unique opportunity to meet and brief staff members of Illinois Senators Durbin and Kirk on Capitol Hill.

CADCA's National Leadership Forum is the nation's largest training for substance abuse prevention and treatment professionals and researchers, featuring more than 100 training courses to help community and state leaders prevent and reduce substance abuse and its related problems. CADCA is the national membership organization representing more than 5,000 coalitions and affiliates working to make America's communities safe, healthy and drug-free. CADCA's mission is to strengthen the capacity of community coalitions by providing technical assistance and training, public policy advocacy, media strategies and marketing programs, conferences, and special events. Learn more at: www.cadca.org.  

Illinois Teen Institute 2012

The 2012 Illinois Teen Institute will be held at Illinois Wesleyan University from July 22nd-26th. Staff training will be held at IWU on Friday, July 20th-Saturday, July 21st. Applications are available online at www.os-iti.org. For news and updates visit our page on Facebook, Illinois Teen Institute, and follow us on Twitter @iti2012.

The 2012 ITI Reunion Tour was held on February 4th in three locations across Illinois; Oglesby, Warrenville, and Springfield. The event was organized in order to evaluate the Illinois Teen Institute, which is a week-long leadership development conference for high school students in Illinois. The reunion was also an opportunity to gather information on the on-going community action team (CAT) plans. These CAT plans are strategies to help improve the participants' schools or communities that may be struggling with ATOD issues. The Reunion Tour was also a way to refresh and re-energize the volunteers' commitment to prevention.  

There were a total of 56 people that participated in the Reunion event. Each site had its own special presenter that had their own unique presentation to celebrate the hard work and dedication of the volunteers. They had fun, interactive activities that allowed the participants to share their experiences with ITI and what they are currently doing to improve their schools or communities.  

To show appreciation to the participants and volunteers, IADDA raffled off an Apple iPad to one special winner. The winner of the iPad came from the Oglesby site. IADDA also gave a short, but informative presentation on synthetic drugs and the current trends of these products. Participants were then invited to offer any input on the subject and to ask any questions or address any concerns they may have.

The event wrapped up with a survey to evaluate the Illinois Teen Institute. The surveys were done anonymously and the data will be compiled by a third party. Everyone was then given the opportunity to give feedback on the Reunion event.

Mike Waxman - District 01

Linda Pfeifer - District 02

Suzanne Hamilton - District 03

Spike Grossheusch - District 04

Melissa Byrne - District 05

Teri Belgio - District 06

Open - District 07

Open - District 08

Erin Emery - District 09

Rob Grupe - District 10

Brianna Belgio - District 11

Laura Ferrell - District 12

Jack Irwin - IADDA Appointment

Charla Waxman - IADDA Appointment

Patrick Ferrell - IADDA Appointment

Sheri Huber - IADDA Appointment

Kay Daniel - IADDA Appointment

We are pleased to announce the addition of C.J. Cavazos to the IADDA team. C.J. recently joined IADDA as the Prevention Program Coordinator. He will be working with the Illinois Teen Institute and Operation Snowball to plan and coordinate prevention activities and events. He will lend his talent to the Program Manager on ITI's high school and middle school conferences (MLI). In addition, C.J. will assist with other IADDA initiatives and external funding resources.

His experience and interest in prevention programs comes from his previous involvement in the Illinois Teen Institute and the Mid-Level Institute. In 2009, C.J. worked as an intern at IADDA, where he played a key role in organizing, staffing, and overseeing operations of the Institute. He assisted in addiction prevention/treatment advocacy, as well as conducted policy research and developed advocacy programs. C.J. continued to volunteer for ITI and MLI, where he was able to develop relationships with our fantastic volunteers and young people who share his dedication to prevention.  

C.J. is a recent graduate of Syracuse University with a Master of Forensic Science. He also holds a Bachelor of Sociology from Purdue University.  

C.J. is excited at the opportunity to apply his ATOD prevention knowledge and skills, and his keen insight into human behavior towards the IADDAs prevention programs. We are fortunate to have him on board. Please help us welcome C.J.! He can be reached at cjcavazos@iadda.org.

IADDA CEO Discusses Rise In Synthetic Drug Abuse

Sara Moscato Howe, IADDA CEO was honored to recently present to parents at her alma mater, A.A. Stagg High School in Palos Hills about the rise in synthetic drug abuse. Synthetic drugs are chemically laced substances akin to marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamine that are sold over the counter at convenience stores, gas stations and tobacco shops throughout Illinois.

These drugs are commonly divided into two categories: Cannabinoids (Popularly known as K2 or Spice, cannabinoids contain chemical compounds designed to mimic the effects of THC) or Cathinones (Often known as "bath salts," cathinones contain chemical compounds to mimic the effects of cocaine or meth).Though the drugs' packaging states the products are not intended for human consumption, their design, labeling and marketing clearly allude to the product being smoked and inhaled.

One reason that synthetic drugs are extremely dangerous is that buyers don't know what chemicals they are ingesting. Individual products can contain a vast range of different chemical formulations and potencies, some of which can be two to 500 times stronger than THC.

According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, calls nationwide indicate a dramatic rise in synthetic drug abuse. In 2010, poison control centers received 302 calls about bath salts. In 2011, centers received more than 5,600 reports of bath salt abuse. Synthetic marijuana use is also on the rise. In 2010, there were more than 2,900 calls from around the country to poison control centers, and in 2011, there were more than 5,700.

Though states, including Illinois, have implemented bans on specific formulas of synthetic marijuana and bath salts, drug makers can easily sidestep these regulations. Manufacturers adapt simply by replacing the strain of a banned synthetic cannabinoid or cathinone with a newer version that is not yet on the market and not yet known to authorities. This modification process poses further risk to its young users, who are unaware of the risks and reactions new chemicals may cause.

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By International OS President, Jack Irwin 

January in Lithuania? Not the best time to visit northern Europe, but the warmth of Snowball made it a wonderful trip. With the death of our

Snowball director in Skaistgirys, I wanted to visit the new volunteer director there. So I decided to visit all of our chapters in this former republic of the USSR.

Our Snowball programs in Lithuania are found in villages, towns, and cities. Because the country is about the size of Iowa, it's possible to visit all of the chapters in a short period of time. Most days I was able to visit two chapters. Many of the chapters demonstrated their understanding of the Snowball program by doing skits and performances. What a thrill to see "Turn Around" and "Betty Buzz," performed by Lithuanian teens.

Snowball is growing very rapidly in Lithuania because of mandated

prevention programs in the schools. Snowball is the most respected substance abuse prevention program in the country. On the first day of my travels, I found out about a new chapter. Within a week, there were two more.

Of our 24 programs, I was able to visit 21 but not 3 others because of a snowstorm and conflict in scheduling. I met about 850 teens who were excited about Snowball. We worked together to understand their importance in making a difference in their communities, as well as their significance as role models.

The photo shows the one Snowball camp I visited. The small groups each did a skit about prevention. One had a slogan stating, "Let everything crumble, but let Snowball live on." Quite a compliment for Snowball.