September 14, 2015
ISSUE 5-19
Greetings!       

Many organizations are gearing up for a busy autumn of prevention activities. Please keep us informed of your coming events, job opportunities, grant availability, and other activities! As always, your ideas and feedback are welcomed.

Yours in prevention,
Kari Lerch
Deputy Director, Public Policy Institute
Family Unity Night needs board games, card decks, and children's books!  
Every year in October, Family Unity Night brings together families from our Milwaukee Brighter Futures projects together to have a family dinner and encourage them to continue to do so at home. Family dinners present opportunities for parents to talk to their children, which fosters youth success in school and reduces risk for engagement in risky behaviors.
 
This year's event will be held on Thursday, October 7th, and our theme is 'Family Fun'! We're collecting gently used books, games or activities that can go to building 'family fun baskets' that encourage 'family fun' and interaction. Research suggests that families sitting down together to play cards or other games can help strengthen family ties; build character; teach memory, math and reading skills; help with executive function skill development; increase strategic thinking skills; and more. Please help us give our families these opportunities!
 
Items can be given to Kari Lerch at Community Advocates, 728 N James Lovell Street, Milwaukee WI 53233. Please drop these items off no later than Friday, September 25th.
Team City of Milwaukee Tobacco-Free Alliance is putting on its walking shoes!
 
According to the National LGBT Tobacco Control network, over 30,000 LGBT people die each year from tobacco-related diseases. In Wisconsin specifically, the WI Department of Health Services reports that twice as many LGB+ youth smoke compared to heterosexual youth (32% vs 16%) and smoking rates also remain much higher for LGB adults as well in comparison to their counterparts.

The City of Milwaukee Tobacco-Free Alliance LGBTQ+ workgroup, made up of dedicated community partners working in public health or LGBTQ+ serving agencies around Milwaukee, is raising awareness to these disparities at several events this fall. On Saturday, October 3rd come see us at the 26th annual AIDS Walk Wisconsin and 5K run at the Summerfest Grounds. This event, produced by the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin, is the largest HIV fundraising event in our state and has raised more than $11.8 million for the fight against AIDS since its inception. We're excited to have both a team of walkers and also a resource booth, where we will be distributing information on smoking cessation and sharing results from a community readiness assessment conducted with LGBTQ+ stakeholders around their knowledge and opinion on tobacco-related topics. Additionally, we have an interactive "share your tobacco story" activity, providing an opportunity for walkers to share how tobacco has impacted their lives or the lives of loved ones.
 
The event schedule will also include morning entertainment and activities, continental breakfast and an opening program with special guests! Please join us in raising awareness to tobacco prevention, while raising money for the fight against AIDS.
Survey sheds light on student drug use in Wisconsin
A new report released Tuesday, September 1st by Rise Together reveals one in two middle school and high school students in Wisconsin who experimented with risky substances such as illicit drugs, alcohol and tobacco are continuing active use and are at risk of developing substance use disorders.
Carrera Program video highlights
Check out this series of "What We Did in Carrera" videos (the first 6 listed) and see what the youth have been up to!
Beyond nicotine: the scary link between vaping and drug abuse
  It's hard to go anywhere these days without noticing the boom in popularity of e-cigarettes or vape pens, which are devices that heat liquid-most commonly filled with nicotine-into vapor to be smoked. A survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released last April showed that e-cig use tripled among U.S. teens last year. This isn't surprising considering aggressive marketing seemingly geared toward youth tastes with candy flavors such as grape and gummy bear. As it stands, e-cigarettes are not regulated by any federal agency, meaning there are not consistent manufacturing standards from brand to brand. Although marketing efforts also claim e-cigarettes are a safer alternative to smoking, some been found to contain nicotine, ultrafine particles, heavy metals, and cancer-causing chemicals.

A new CNN report brings up even more frightening concerns about the use of e-cigarettes and their link to discrete synthetic drug use. According to the report, water-soluble synthetics are being converted into liquid concentrate and put into device cartridges to be vaped just like nicotine and other legal substances, which is leading to a surge of synthetic drug overdoses. Because they are often odorless, it is nearly impossible for parents, teachers and even law enforcement to know what is in them without testing.

The City of Milwaukee Tobacco-Free Alliance and Milwaukee County Substance Abuse Coalition (MCSAP) are collaborating to educate our community on the dangers e-cigarettes and the new phenomena of using vape pens to inhale synthetic drugs.

--Deb Heffner, Community Health Coordinator
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In This Issue
Family Unity Night needs board games, card decks, and children's books!
Team City of Milwaukee Tobacco-Free Alliance is putting on its walking shoes!
Survey sheds light on student drug use in Wisconsin
Carrera Program video highlights
Beyond nicotine: the scary link between vaping and drug abuse
Event Announcements
BLACK MALE COLLABORATIVE 300 STRONG! RALLY
September 26
Milwaukee, WI
A new collaborative has formed this summer joining forces to provide exposure, support and mentoring to 300 young black males this school year. The collaborative will host a rally to launch it's 300 Strong! Campaign, sponsored by current collaborative partners. Resource tables are available for organizations with programs/resources targeting black male youth. More information available here.

24/7 DAD
SEPTEMBER 19, 26
MILWAUKEE, WI
Informational flyer available here.

BOOK READING: LUKE SHAEFER, CO-AUTHOR OF "$2.00 A DAY: LIVING ON ALMOST NOTHING IN AMERICA"
October 6, 7pm
Milwaukee, WI
More information available on the PPI blog.

SPECIAL VIOLENCE PREVENTION YOUTH LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE
October 9-11
This Youth Leadership Institute will give teens the opportunity to identify and design projects that will engage them directly in a huge problem that concerns us all - violence in our community. Download pamphlet, flyer, and registration form.

MCSAP FEST
October 22, 4-6pm
Milwaukee, WI
The Community Advocates Public Policy Institute invites you to party... prevention style! MCSAP Fest will bring community stakeholders together around substance abuse and tobacco prevention work, while sharing the latest efforts of MCSAP and City of Milwaukee Tobacco-Free Alliance. There will be resources, networking, and a short program recognizing youth, key partners, and community leaders. Register here.

THE HAPPIEST BABY ON THE BLOCK 
November 3 
Milwaukee, WI  
This training will explore positive and effective infant & toddler parenting techniques to increase caregiver bonding and reduce harsh treatment. Informational flyer available here.
Employment  Opportunities

VISION FORWARD ASSOCIATION JOBS   

Vision Forward is currently hiring a Teacher of the Visually Impaired and a Physical Therapist. More information available on their website. 

         Brighter Futures
 
The Prevention Journal is brought to you by the Community Advocates Public Policy Institute . For more information on each of our prevention programs, click on their respective logos above.