Vision
Racine County is a place where youth assets are increasing and all youth are healthy, involved and successful members of the community.
Mission
The Racine County Youth Coalition engages agencies, business partners, communities, families and schools, to promote and foster positive change in community practices, public policy, and youth programming in order to build assets and reduce risk behaviors including substance abuse among all Racine County young people.
Interested in joining the RCYC?
Contact Megan Kroes at Focus on Community for more information. (262) 632-6200 rcyc@focusracine.org Have information for the RCYC newsletter? Contact Erin Morey. (262) 632-6200 erin768@yahoo.com |
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Vodka Gummy Bears Intoxicating For Some Teens
Alcohol is still the number one drug abused by teens. It's cheap, it's accessible, and now your teen could be hiding it somewhere you'd never think to look!
For instance, at Ten Bells Bar in Milwaukee, gummy bear shots are a customer favorite. That's all well and good at a bar, but log onto YouTube and you can find video after video of teens experimenting with vodka gummy bears.
KC Missall and Karen Kolberg are counselors with 'Impact'-- a local group that coaches Milwaukee teens about drug and alcohol prevention.
They showed us a YouTube video with more than 80,000 hits. The video is a tutorial on how to make vodka gummy bears--a new way to disguise the effects of alcohol in teens.
Kolberg warns, "The brain doesn't fully develop until age 24-25, so if you put any substance, while the brains developing, and the brain gets used to that substance, and it actually affects long-term memory, and short-term memory."
Kids are now starting to drink at age 13, and experts fear fads like vodka gummy bears will only make that age continue to drop.
"So gummy bears may come and go, we don't know, but once it's on YouTube is it gonna stay longer--more people may know about it--it probably will. I mean fads I think last a little bit longer when they're exposed like that," Kolberg says.
They admit being in high school is tough, but alcohol isn't the answer. Kaela Wojtycski is also a teen counselor. She says, "I mean trying to keep your grades up, balancing between friends and school work, just that kind of stuff, kind of gets to you sometimes. But you know, doing things like drinking, smoking, not helping--just going to add on to your problems actually."
These teens haven't heard of vodka gummy bears in their school, but admit kids can be sneaky at times.
"I think if there's a high school student going to the point of sneaking alcohol into school, it's probably a high school student using on a regular basis, so it's not just using at school--it's using outside of school, using at other times, you know," Missall warns.
In some parts of the country, kids have been known to sneak the gummies into baggies at school. Vodka also barely has an odor to it, so it's easy to sneak in. There is a warning sign for parents: The gummies have to soak in vodka for a couple days-- so parents should be on the lookout for anything suspicious in the fridge.
We showed some local *college* kids the YouTube tutorial. One student said, "Yeah, I've heard about it. You do the gummy bears and vodka--kinda like cherry bombs almost, but with gummy bears."
While many parents worry about drinking and driving, our experts say the act of drinking itself-- whether at a party, at home, or at school--is just as dangerous--even in the form of a bite-sized candy.
"It's not just car accidents, it's other accidents as well--falling risks, drowning risks, fire risks," Kolberg explains.
Missall adds, "There's all these things could happen--they end up in you know, risky situations as far as sexual situations. They end up in situations unsafe or uncomfortable."
Despite the drinking culture here in Wisconsin, our counselors say kids here don't really drink more than the national average. Instead, the big issue here is teen binge drinking, and it can start with something as simple as a piece of candy.
Today's TMJ4
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Meth Project Goes Digital
The Meth Project announced the launch of a new integrated campaign to reduce methamphetamine use. Central to the campaign is MethProject.org-an encyclopedic online source of information about Meth for teens-supported by new television, radio, print, online, mobile, and social media campaigns. A web-centric social network built around the theme "Ask MethProject.org," the campaign challenges teens to consider what they know about Meth, and equips them with facts, tools, and resources to understand the risks of the drug and to influence their peers.
MethProject.org provides the immersive, multimedia experience teens have come to expect in the digital world. Organized around getting answers, speaking out, and taking action, MethProject.org addresses teens' most frequently asked questions about the physical, mental, and social effects of Meth use. Each question is answered with a range of content-more than 350 in all-from interactive facts, videos, animations, image galleries, polls, and quizzes, to personal stories from users, their friends and family, and first-hand accounts from experts.
Designed to spark exploration and engagement, MethProject.org brings to life the breadth of research on the subject in a way that is highly interactive and accessible to young people. For instance, teens can take a normal beating heart to Meth-induced heart attack in the simulation "Heart in Overdrive," learn how Meth rapidly changes a user's appearance by pairing before and after photos in "Mug Shot Match-up," dose a healthy brain with Meth to watch its effects, or experiment with the drug's ingredients to see which ones explode or emit toxic gas. Personal stories from users are told through videos, rich animations, and drawings as teens describe their experiences with Meth in poignant detail.
The Meth Project's large-scale prevention campaigns have been developed in consultation with top experts in research, prevention, treatment, advertising, and digital media including experts from National Institute on Drug Abuse, the Department of Justice, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, RAND Corporation, UCLA, University of Illinois, and the Partnership for a Drug-Free America. Meth Project.org is the culmination of six years of campaign development and quantitative and qualitative research conducted with more than 50,000 teens and young adults, including 60 national and statewide surveys, and 112 focus groups.
MethProject.org also serves as a platform for teens to connect and share. In the "Speak Up" section of the site, teens can post their own messages about Meth through artwork, videos, stories, and photos, as well as comment on other teen submissions. "Take Action" provides ways for teens to get involved to prevent Meth use or find help, and showcases teen-led community action programs across the country.
The Meth Project is also expanding its presence on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. A new national Meth Project Facebook page will build upon its network of more than 27,000 fans across the Meth
Project's individual state pages. It will expand on the viral success of the Meth Project's previous campaigns-which have been shared and viewed by more than 15 million people on YouTube-with the launch of a dedicated Meth Project YouTube channel.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, methamphetamine is one of the greatest drug threats to the nation. The agency recently reported the drug is at its highest levels of availability, purity, and lowest cost since 2005 due to increased levels of Meth imported from Mexico, and growing rates of small-scale domestic production. RAND estimates methamphetamine costs the country between $16.2 and $48.3 billion per year in treatment, healthcare, and foster care services, as well as the costs of crime and lost productivity associated with the drug.
The Meth Project is a large-scale prevention program aimed at reducing methamphetamine use through public service messaging, public policy, and community outreach. Founded by businessman Thomas M. Siebel as a private-sector response to a critical public health issue, the research-based campaign has been cited by the White House as one of the most effective prevention programs and a model for the nation. Named the 3rd most effective philanthropy in the world by Barron's in its latest global ranking, the Meth Project has been credited with significant declines in teen Meth use in several states. Since the Project's launch, teen Meth use has declined 65% in Arizona, 63% in Montana, and 52% in Idaho.
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Prescription Painkiller Overdoses at Epidemic Level
The death toll from overdoses of prescription painkillers has more than tripled in the past decade, according to an analysis in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Vital Signs report released this week. This new finding shows that more than 40 people die every day from overdoses involving narcotic pain relievers like hydrocodone (Vicodin), methadone, oxycodone (OxyContin), and oxymorphone (Opana). The death rate was highest among persons aged 35-54 years. "Overdoses involving prescription painkillers are at epidemic levels and now kill more Americans than heroin and cocaine combined," said CDC Director Thomas Frieden. "States, health insurers, health care providers and individuals have critical roles to play in the national effort to stop this epidemic of overdoses while we protect patients who need prescriptions to control pain." The increased use of prescription painkillers for nonmedical reasons (without a prescription for the high they cause), along with growing sales, has contributed to the large number of overdoses and deaths. In 2010, 1 in every 20 people in the United States age 12 and older-a total of 12 million people-reported using prescription painkillers non-medically, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Based on the data from the Drug Enforcement Administration, sales of these drugs to pharmacies and health care providers have increased by more than 300 percent since 1999. The study found:
* State death rates from overdoses (from 2008 data) ranged from a high of 27.0 deaths per 100,000 people in New Mexico to a low of 5.5 deaths per 100,000 people in Nebraska.
* Nonmedical use of prescription painkillers ranged from a high of 1 in 12 people aged 12 and older in Oklahoma to a low of 1 in 30 in Nebraska.
* States with more non-medical use tend to have more deaths from drug overdoses.
* Prescription painkiller sales per person were more than three times higher in the highest state, Florida, than in the lowest state, Illinois. States with higher sales per person tend to have higher death rates from drug overdose. CDC is releasing "Policy Impact: Prescription Painkiller Overdoses," one in a series of issue briefs highlighting key public health issues and important, science-based policy actions that can be taken to address them. Through this new publication, CDC supports state-based efforts to reduce prescription drug abuse while ensuring patients have access to safe, effective pain treatment. CADCA's website,preventrxabuse.org, also offers resources for coalitions interested in getting involved in reducing prescription drug abuse. |
Baseball Labor Deal Limits Smokeless Tobacco Use By Players But Doesn't Ban It
A new labor deal between Major League Baseball (MLB) and the players union limits the use of smokeless tobacco by players, but does not ban it during games. Some public health groups and legislators had sought a total ban on smokeless tobacco by players during baseball games. Under the agreement, players will not carry tobacco packages and tins in their back pockets while fans are in the ballpark. They will not use tobacco during pregame or postgame interviews and at team functions, NBC Sports reports. Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, one of the groups that has advocated for a smokeless tobacco ban in MLB, said in a statement that the new contract represents "a historic first step to protect the health of big-league players and millions of young fans who look up to them." Myers said that while his group continues to support a complete ban on tobacco use at games and on camera, "this agreement marks the first time that the league and the players have recognized it is time to break this unhealthy addiction. We urge individual players to go further than the agreement, and completely eliminate their use of smokeless tobacco at games." New Jersey Senator Frank Pallone, who had co-authored a letter to MLB and the players union asking them to ban smokeless tobacco, said in a statement, "I'm disappointed in this agreement because it doesn't go far enough to ban smokeless tobacco entirely from baseball. The fact is that smokeless tobacco use by baseball players will still appear on television screens across the United States." |
Alcohol Watchdogs Target Supervised Alcopops As Urgent Issue
Following the success of a coalition of public health organizations, government agencies and health experts in forcing the alcohol industry to remove caffeine from alcoholic beverages, a new public health threat is emerging: supersized alcopops.
These products come in 23.5 ounce, single-serving cans that look like soft drink containers, with up to 12 percent alcohol content-the equivalent of 4.7 standard drinks.
"These products are extremely dangerous because they're cheap, taste like soda and provide young people with a big bang for their buck," says Michele Simon, JD, MPH, president of the consulting firm Eat Drink Politics, and the former research and policy director of Alcohol Justice, an alcohol industry watchdog group. "We need to bring these drinks down to a single serving." She helped Alcohol Justice write model state legislation that would accomplish this.
In early October, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) forced an agreement with the manufacturer of the alcopop Four Loko to change the labels of the cans to say the drinks contain as much alcohol as four to five cans of beer. The FTC says the manufacturer, Phusion Projects, falsely claimed that a 23.5-ounce can of Four Loko contains the same amount of alcohol as one or two regular 12-ounce beers. Drinking a single can of Four Loko in one sitting constitutes binge drinking, according to federal guidelines.
Phusion Projects also will be required to use only resealable containers for flavored malt beverages that have more alcohol than the equivalent of two and a half regular beers. The company has not admitted to any wrongdoing, but says it will relabel the drinks to better inform its customers.
Simply putting a new label and resealable cap on the can is not enough, Simon argues. "This is really a win for the companies making these products," she says. "We have no evidence that putting a label on the can to essentially advertise how much alcohol it contains is a deterrent, or that a resealable container will discourage people from drinking the entire contents at one time."
A major concern with the FTC agreement is manufacturers may use it to dissuade states who want to go further in regulating alcopops. "Companies can just point to the FTC agreement as a stamp of approval and claim nothing else is needed," Simon notes.
The campaign that eliminated caffeine from alcoholic drinks was built on a number of factors, including research showing the detrimental health effects of mixing caffeine and alcohol. One study showed this combination makes a person feel less drunk but does not lessen the effects of alcohol. Another showed a higher risk of injury from mixing alcohol with energy drinks than from alcohol alone.
State attorneys general became involved, negotiating agreements with several alcohol manufacturers to stop producing various caffeinated alcopops. In addition, a number of states introduced legislation to ban caffeine in alcohol, although all of the bills were defeated. Several states then successfully passed legislation regulating where alcopops were sold. In November 2010, the FTC and the Food and Drug Administration notified four companies, including Phusion Projects, that their products were unsafe, unapproved and deceptively marketed.
This November, attorneys general in 35 states and the San Francisco City Attorney asked the FTC to limit the amount of alcohol sold in a single-serving can to two servings.
The campaign to remove caffeine from alcopops demonstrates how important advocacy on the state level is in building momentum that drives federal action, Simon says. "The industry doesn't want to deal with 50 state policies, and is at times willing to consider one uniform federal policy," she says. "But this solution is unacceptable."
Until the federal government takes steps to rid the market of supersized alcoholic drinks, advocates recommend that states pass laws against them. "From a legal perspective, no matter what the federal government does, states still retain the authority to go further," she adds.
Concerned citizens who want to do away with supersized alcopops in their communities have several options, according to Simon. "Contact your state legislator about introducing a bill that would require these products to be sold in single-serving containers," she says. She also advises getting in contact with your state alcohol beverage control agency and state attorney general's office to encourage them to work on the issue.
Simon also recommends that community groups put pressure on local retailers and wholesalers to stop carrying supersized alcoholic drinks. "It's important to hold every sector of the market chain-from manufacturers to distributors to retailers-accountable for flooding our communities with these dangerous products and helping to put them in the hands of young people."
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Keep Teens Actively Safe During Winter Break Winter break is upon us and teenagers find themselves more often on their own during school holidays. There are an estimated 13.7 Million single parent households in the United States with approximately 49.8% single moms and 71% single dads working full-time year round, and those with teenagers are often left unsupervised while out of school. Studies show that unsupervised teens are more likely to engage in risky behaviors such as underage drinking, sexual activity and cigarette smoking than other teens. Planning ahead can help keep your teen safe and out of trouble. It is a good idea to set clear rules, go over upcoming parties and agree on appointed check-in times. It is also important to set-up your teen with engaging activities that will keep them entertained and safe while out of school, all you need is a little creativity. Here a couple of ideas to keep your teens busy this winter break:
- Earn Extra Spending Money. Are there any full-time working parents in your neighborhood who are wondering who will care for their young children while they are out of school? Maybe your teen can earn some extra money by babysitting for them. Other possible jobs include shoveling snow or tutoring.
- Give back to the community. What better time to start teaching your teen about the importance in giving back to the community? The holidays are the perfect time to volunteer at your local soup kitchen or food bank. Organizing and running their own toy or clothing drive is a great way to have your teenager stay occupied while experiencing the joys of giving back.
- Spend Time as a Family. In planning ahead for your teen, is it possible to pencil in some family time as well? The holidays can bulk up an already busy schedule, making it easy to overlook the lack of family bonding. Schedule family activities like game night or movie night and make it a priority. Also plan on visiting family members who rarely get to spend time with your teenagers.
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RCYC Member Spotlight ___________________________________ Jeremy J. Krusemark In his own words: I am a second shift patrolman at the City of Burlington Police Department. I have been with the department for approximately 5 years. I was in the U. S. Navy for over 14 years. I was stationed with the U.S. Marine Corps. I am one of the department's firearms instructors, concealed weapons carry instructor, field training officer, and a shift commander. I am an advocate of community oriented policing and my community involvements include being a member of the Marine Corps League, Veteran of Foreign Wars, American Legion, and Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run. I volunteer my time to speak to middle school students about my involvement in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps. I also volunteer my time to Karcher Middle School outdoor education program. I was selected to conduct alcohol compliance checks within the city of Burlington and continued to be the alcohol officer in the city. I have attended the OJJDP train the trainer course for alcohol compliance. I am married with four children, two of which are 14 years old and one is a member of Partners2 at the high school. I am originally from Nebraska and yes a Cornhusker fan. If you are interested in sharing your story with us, please contact Erin at erin768@yahoo.com.
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Next Racine County Youth Coalition Meeting
Thursday, February 9, 2012 11:30-1:00 Mount Pleasant Municipal Building
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