Stress balls to discourage drinking
October 25th 2011 08:15
Ten high school students will be out on Halloween night passing out brains rather than collecting candy.
Members of the Youth Action Board -- representing five Bloomington-Normal high schools -- will pass out 250 red- or blue-colored, sponge stress balls which have been shaped to look like brains. Accompanying each stress ball will be an information sheet for parents about dangers of alcohol to the teen brain.
The goal is awareness, so parents will learn about the effects of alcohol and will talk with their teens so we can have a stronger community," said Maureen Christensen, a board member and senior at Central Catholic High School.
Christensen and fellow board members Trenton Jones, a senior at Bloomington High School, and Maya Walker, a junior at Normal Community High School, joined board adviser Lisa Soliday, a Project Oz prevention specialist, in discussing the Reverse Trick or Treat Brain Campaign on Wednesday at Project Oz.
Youth Action Board promotes good decision-making among teens related to violence, alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. Recent campaigns have worked against suicide, tobacco use and sale of alcohol to minors.
Illinois Youth Survey recently reported that 20.5 percent of eighth-graders statewide, 31.4 percent of 10th-graders and 43.6 percent of 12th-graders had alcohol in the 30 days prior to the survey. McLean County numbers are comparable, Soliday said.
Dangers of underage alcohol use -- according to the students and Soliday -- include underdeveloped brains, increased vulnerability to alcoholism, increased sexual activity and accompanying unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases, higher levels of stress and depression and increased risk of suicide.
Teens who drink may not learn how to have fun with sports, recreation, art and other creative outlets, students said.
With support from the Illinois Drug Education Alliance, the students will pass out the stress balls and information sheets in the Golden Eagle subdivision in Bloomington simply because that neighborhood has a lot of teenagers.
"We're not targeting one neighborhood," Soliday said. "This is a communitywide campaign."
------
Information from: The Pantagraph, http://www.pantagraph.com
| 29 |
| Vote |
Add To: 
subscribe to this blog
