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________________________________________________________
ONLINE
PREVENTION NEWS
Information from the Wisconsin Clearinghouse for Prevention Resources
________________________________________________________
Issue #26
October 20, 2003
::::::::::::::::::::::::Table
of Contents::::::::::::::::::::::::
RESEARCH
UPDATES
Adolescent brain more sensitive to effects of alcohol than adult
Parents underestimate influence over children's decisions about
sex
Increase in teen drug use according to Pride survey
Students with more developmental assets show better school performance
RESOURCES/MATERIALS
Juvenile Mentoring Program
Aftercare Services OJJDP Bulletin
Online mental health screening tool
HEADS
UP!
Safe and Bright Futures for Children initiative
Faith Community Involvement in Substance Abuse Prevention
FUNDING
ALERTS
Corporation for National and Community Service
Good Neighbor Service-Learning Award program
Milagro Foundation
WORKSHOPS/CONFERENCES
CASAT Online prevention courses
Early education events
National Youth Summit
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
*RESEARCH UPDATES*
ADOLESCENT
BRAIN MORE SENSITIVE TO EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL THAN ADULT
Findings from an experiment conducted on rats lead researchers to
postulate that the brain of adolescent humans may be much more sensitive
to the effects of alcohol than an adult's brain. For the study,
led by H. Scott Swartzwelder, a neuropsychologist at Duke University
and the VA Medical Centers in Durham, N.C., researchers gave adolescent
rats alcohol injections. The rats were then given the task of swimming
to a platform in a small pool of water. The researchers discovered
that the adolescent rats took much longer to swim to the platform
than adult rats. The scientists also found that the alcohol caused
"a more powerful decrease in neural activity" in the hippocampus
of adolescent rats compared with adult ones. In addition, the researchers
found that adolescent rats had greater resistance to the sedative
effects of alcohol than adults. According to Swartzwelder, alcohol
generally enhances the brain chemical GABA in adults. However, his
study found that "adolescent rats injected with alcohol showed
a decreased responsiveness to GABA." The study's findings were
presented at a recent conference sponsored by the New
York Academy of Sciences. For more
information see www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20030922-020355-9713r
PARENTS
UNDERESTIMATE INFLUENCE OVER CHILDREN'S DECISIONS ABOUT SEX
Parents continue to underestimate the influence they have over their
children's decisions about sex, according to a new survey released
by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. While the majority
of teens say parents most influence their sexual decisions, parents
believe that teens' friends are most influential. The survey also
reveals that most teens (88%) say it would be easier for them to
postpone sexual activity and avoid teen pregnancy if they were able
to have more open, honest conversations about these topics with
their parents, yet nearly one in four teens (23%) say they have
never discussed sex, contraception, or pregnancy with them. Six
out of ten teens (59%) surveyed also said that their parents are
their role models for healthy, responsible relationships. In addition
to the new survey data, a new publication designed specifically
for parents is available. "Parent Power: What Parents Need
to Know and Do to Prevent Teen Pregnancy" is an easy-to-use
guide that brings together all the latest research on the influence
of parents and provides clear and specific advice based on that
research. For the full results of this survey or to read "Parent
Power," visit www.teenpregnancy.org/resources/reading/parentpower
INCREASE
IN TEEN DRUG USE ACCORDING TO PRIDE SURVEY
The latest Pride survey shows a two-percent increase in the use
of illegal drugs among teenagers over the previous year. The study
is based on responses gathered nationwide from 107,000 students
in grades six through 12 during the 2002-2003 school year. Marijuana
is the most popular illegal drug used by teens, accounting for the
largest increase in drug use over the previous year. According to
the report, marijuana use increased from 19.5 percent in 2001-02
to 21 percent in 2002-03. Significant increases were also seen in
the use of heroin, cocaine, inhalants, and depressants. In examining
the past five-year average, the survey found that alcohol use among
teens remained the same at 52 percent. The annual survey was conducted
by the National Parents Resource Institute for Drug Education, Inc.,
in Atlanta, GA. For more information, including the national summary
full report, go to www.pridesurveys.com/main/media.html
STUDENTS
WITH MORE DEVELOPMENTAL ASSETS SHOW BETTER SCHOOL PERFORMANCE
Students from many different backgrounds and cultures are more likely
to do well in school and have a higher GPA if they have more "developmental
assets," according to new research from Search Institute. Using
data from several community-level studies, researchers found that
middle and high school students who experienced more positive relationships,
opportunities, and personal strengths, known as "developmental
assets," were more likely to have high GPAs, regardless of
their family income level, family composition, or race-ethnicity.
This relationship holds true in both cross-sectional and longitudinal
studies. The research was released in the premiere issue (October
2003) of Search Institute Insights & Evidence, a free, Web-based
periodical designed to address critical issues in promoting healthy
children, youth, and communities. To download the summary or complete
report, and to sign up for future issues of Search Institute Insights
and Evidence, go to www.searchinstitute.org/research/Insights/index.html
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
*RESOURCES/MATERIALS*
JUVENILE
MENTORING PROGRAM
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)
has launched a Web page that helps people learn about the benefits
and availability of mentoring. The page describes the Juvenile Mentoring
Program (JUMP) and provides links to relevant organizations and
publications. JUMP supports one-to-one mentoring projects for youth
at risk of failing in school, dropping out of school, or becoming
involved in delinquent behavior, including gang activity and substance
abuse. OJJDP has established three principal program goals for JUMP:
to reduce juvenile delinquency and gang participation by at-risk
youth; improve academic performance of at-risk youth; and reduce
the school dropout rate for at-risk youth. To access OJJDP's mentoring
Web page, go to www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ojjdp/mentoring.
To learn more about JUMP, go to http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org/jump/index.html
AFTERCARE
SERVICES OJJDP BULLETIN
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention has announced
the availability of "Aftercare Services." The Bulletin,
the first in OJJDP's online Juvenile Justice Practices Series, was
written by Steve V. Gies, a Research Associate with Development
Services Group, Inc. The series will provide updated research, promising
practices, and useful tools to professionals involved in developing
and adopting juvenile justice policies and programs. This Bulletin
describes aftercare services that provide youth with comprehensive
health, mental health, education, family, and vocational services
on release from detention. A comprehensive aftercare process generally
begins after sentencing and continues through incarceration and
an offender's release into the community. As detailed in the Bulletin,
aftercare prepares out-of-home placed juveniles for reentry into
the community by ensuring the delivery of prescribed services and
supervision. In the course of examining how aftercare can address
some of the problems that exist in the juvenile justice system,
the Bulletin also reviews relevant research, analyzes aftercare
as it relates to system change, and identifies six promising aftercare
programs. The Bulletin (NCJ 201800) is only available online at
http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org/pubs/delinq.html#201800
ONLINE
MENTAL HEALTH SCREENING TOOL
The Mental Health Association in Milwaukee County will have a permanent
link to free, online mental health screenings from their website
www.mhamilw.org.
The screenings are for depression, bipolar disorder, generalized
anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Visitors can
take one or more of the screenings. They consist of a series of
questions such as, have you lost interest in things you used to
enjoy, do you have feelings of hopelessness, and do you have thoughts
of death or suicide, which will help determine if a person has a
mental illness. Upon completion of the screening, the user will
be given information about how to find a local health care provider
who could make a diagnosis and provide treatment. Take advantage
of these free screenings to encourage their use by family, friends,
neighbors and co-workers who may have a mental illness or who simply
want to learn more about mental illness.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
*HEADS UP!*
SAFE
AND BRIGHT FUTURES FOR CHILDREN INITIATIVE
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced a new initiative to help
children who witness domestic violence develop into healthy, well-adjusted
adults and prevent the cycle of violence from continuing from one
generation to the next. The initiative, "Safe and Bright Futures
for Children," will incorporate evidence-based practices such
as treatment for child and adolescent trauma, and mentoring and
mental health services, while also addressing risk and protective
factors to negate the cyclical effects of violence. It will encourage
the integration of these services at the local and regional level
by building collaborations of community, faith-based or other programs
that identify, assess, treat, and provide long-term services. Under
the new effort, HHS expects to provide funding for demonstration
projects nationwide to serve children and adolescents who witness
or are exposed to domestic violence. Grantees must establish partnerships
between agencies, organizations and other referral services within
the community. For more information on this initiative see www.jointogether.org/gv/news/alerts/reader/0%2C2061%2C567180%2C00.html
FAITH
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT IN SUBSTANCE ABUSE PREVENTION
Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) will re-broadcast
a popular satellite program about Faith Community Involvement in
Substance Abuse Prevention on October 21, 2003 at 1pm, EST. The
program will provide a thorough review of the Federal Faith and
Community-Based Initiative, present research results addressing
the effectiveness of faith-based programs, and provide examples
of successful faith-based strategies. To register for this broadcast,
contact Ed Kronholm, downlink coordinator, at 877-820-0305 or dlnets@aol.com.
Contact Tanyanic Brown at tbrown@cadca.org
with any questions or comments about CADCA broadcasts. You can also
view the original archived webcast online at www.health.org/multimedia/webcasts/w.aspx?ID=220
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
*FUNDING ALERTS*
CORPORATION
FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE
The Corporation for National and Community Service has $4 million
in grants available to support new and start-up organizations. The
intent of the grants is to foster the next generation of national-service
organizations by providing seed money. Established organizations
proposing new projects or programs, or looking to plan and implement
new service programs are also eligible to apply for the funding.
Nonprofit and public agencies are invited to submit grant proposals.
Grant amounts vary depending upon the concept of the project. The
deadline for applications is November 17, 2003. For details call
the Corporation for National and Community Service at 202-606-5000,
ext. 408. Or see www.nationalservice.org/whatshot/notices.html
GOOD
NEIGHBOR SERVICE-LEARNING AWARD PROGRAM
Youth Service America and State Farm present the State Farm Good
Neighbor Service-Learning Award program. This award provides resources
for teachers/professors, youth (ages 5-25), and school-based service-learning
coordinators to implement service-learning projects for National
Youth Service Day 2004, on April 16-18. National Youth Service Day,
the largest service event in the world, mobilizes youth as leaders
to identify and address the needs of their communities through service
and service-learning, supports youth on a lifelong path of service
and civic engagement, and educates the public, media, and policymakers
about the year-round contributions of young people as community
leaders. One hundred grants of $1,000 are available to youth, teachers/professors,
and school-based service-learning coordinators. To apply, use the
online application at www.ysa.org/awards/profile/login_parent.cfm.
For printed copies, send a written request and a self-addressed
stamped envelope to: Good Neighbor Service-Learning Award, c/o Written
Request, Youth Service America, 1101 15th Street, NW, Suite 200,
Washington, D.C. 20005. Completed applications must be postmarked
or submitted online by December 8, 2003. To learn more about this
grant and how to prepare a quality grant application, or to access
resources to help you develop a great service project for National
Youth Service Day, go to www.ysa.org/nysd/
MILAGRO
FOUNDATION
The Milagro Foundation focuses on serving at-risk, underrepresented,
and disadvantaged youth through educational programs and health
services. The Foundation also supports artistic and culturally enriching
programs that strengthen youth and communities. The three main areas
of concentration are helping children and youth live healthy lives
through education and prevention of disease; helping them live literate
lives through learning; and helping them live culturally enriched
lives through arts education. Most grant amounts are between $2,500
and $5,000. Creative programs from grass roots organizations working
with and for underrepresented and underprivileged children and youth
take precedence. The application deadline is on-going. For more
information see www.milagrofoundation.org/
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
*WORKSHOPS/CONFERENCES*
CASAT
ONLINE PREVENTION COURSES
The Center for the Application of Substance Abuse Technologies is
pleased to announce the availability of three online prevention
courses this fall. Enrollment for each course is limited, so register
early to ensure availability. "Introduction to Substance Abuse
Prevention Specialist Training" will be held October 6-31,
2003. This course will teach the science-based fundamentals of substance
abuse prevention programming. Participants will learn about prevention
theory, research-based practices, the Institute of Medicine classification
scheme, and the importance of culture in successfully implementing
prevention principles of effectiveness. "Evaluation" will
be held November 3-December 5, 2003. This online workshop will include
information on the steps to evaluation, designing a logic model
for evaluation, understanding the purpose of evaluation, using the
logic model as a guide to create an evaluation plan, identifying
measures and sources of data for evaluation, and identifying circumstances
for which external evaluation consultants may be needed. "Native
American Prevention" will also be held on November 3-December
5, 2003. This online course provides participants a look at the
effective, science-based fundamentals of drug and alcohol abuse
prevention programming. There will be a special focus on the specific
cultural factors regarding Native Americans and how researched-based
"best and promising" practices are implemented in Native
American communities. Participants will learn what makes a program
successful for Native Americans, and how to create prevention strategies
that are culturally appropriate. Call 866-617-2818 with further
questions about these online courses.
EARLY
EDUCATION EVENTS
Marathon County Special Education is sponsoring a number of events
relating to early education over the next 9 months. These include
"Implementing Successful Strategies in Early Childhood Settings"
featuring Melisa Genaux M.Ed., on November 4, 2003; "Strategies
for Early Childhood Educators" featuring Robert Sorenson, Ph.D.,
on February 6, 2004; 11th Annual Institute on Educating Children
with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders on March 3-5, 2004; and
7th Annual Summer Law Institute on June 21-23, 2004. The first three
events will be held at the Westwood Conference Center in Wausau,
WI; while the last will be at the Radisson Hotel in La Crosse, WI.
Additional information is available at www.mcspecialeducation.com
NATIONAL
YOUTH SUMMIT
Youth and adults from across the nation will gather in Washington,
DC on November 6-8, 2003 for the National Youth Summit, "Building
on the Strengths of America's Youth." Convened by the Family
and Youth Services Bureau of the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, the Summit will bring together youth leaders; youth service
professionals; policymakers; staff from local, state, and federal
agencies; and representatives of faith- and community-based organizations.
The Summit will feature skill-building sessions, a youth town hall
meeting, and workshops organized around the following interest areas:
civic engagement, healthy choices, positive role models, safe places,
and skill acquisition. Summit participants will share knowledge
and experience to advance Positive Youth Development, a policy perspective
that emphasizes opportunities and services that help youth succeed.
Each of the more than 30 interactive workshops will involve youth
and adults. At the town hall meeting, youth will engage in dialogue
with national political leaders; and during the closing session,
youth will help craft the Summit's report to the White House and
the Secretary of Health and Human Services. For access to further
information about the National Youth Summit or to register online,
visit www.ncfy.com/Summit2003
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
This
update has been brought to you by the Wisconsin Clearinghouse for
Prevention Resources.
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Prevention News welcomes potential submissions of information, but
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