Resources - Online Prevention News E-Newsletter - Volume 3, Issue 11, August 2, 2005

2005 Wisconsin State Prevention Conference - Last Chance to Register!
The Wisconsin State Prevention Conference, "Weaving a Tapestry of Health: Promoting Change Through Action," is only days away! But there is still time for you to register and join us in Wisconsin Rapids from August 8-11, 2005. Nearly 50 excellent workshops and trainings are being offered during this exciting week!

Plus, the Training Institute, which begins on Monday, August 8, features extended workshops including: Nurturing Father's Program Facilitator Training; Sticks n' Stones Bullying Prevention Facilitator Training; Community Trials to Reduce High-Risk Drinking; and Advanced Coalition Building.

Find out more about the conference and all of the workshops online. The full conference brochure is available to view or print. Register now online if you are paying by credit card or using a Purchase Order, or phone UWSP Continuing Education at 800-898-9472, press 3, and talk with a customer service representative. You may also fax your registration to 715-346-4045. More details can be found on the Web at: http://wch.uhs.wisc.edu/04-News/04-StateConf.html! Contact Sarah Apple at 800-248-9244 with any questions.
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**RESEARCH UPDATES**

MADD "Night of Compliance"
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) sponsored a series of nationwide compliance checks in mid-July to get a snapshot of alcohol sales to youth. The "Night of Compliance" found that 18 percent of the 867 retailers checked sold alcohol to underage buyers. Working with local police, MADD had under-21 youth go into stores in 21 cities and attempt to make illegal purchases of alcohol. They were most successful in Seattle, where 43 percent of retailers sold alcohol to youth. In Honolulu, however, 100 percent of retailers refused to sell alcohol to minors. The "Night of Compliance" checks (along with sales denial rates) were conducted in Albuquerque (85 percent); Atlanta (88 percent); Boston (90 percent); Clarksville, TN (87 percent); Clinton Township, MI (71 percent); Dallas (85 percent); Denver (81 percent); Fairfax County, VA (81 percent); Gwinnett County, GA (74 percent); Honolulu (100 percent); Jacksonville (91 percent); Louisville (86 percent); Minneapolis (62 percent); Nashville (76 percent); Reno (88 percent); Sacramento (90 percent); San Angelo, TX (81 percent); Santa Monica, CA (90 percent); Seattle (57 percent); Springfield, IL (83 percent); and Springfield, MO (77 percent).
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Youth see hundreds more alcohol sales ads than responsible drinking messages
The average American youth sees hundreds more alcohol ads than spots promoting responsible use of alcoholic beverages, according to a new report from the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY). A CAMY study found that between 2001 and 2003, teens saw an average of 779 TV ads selling alcohol, but only 9 ads from alcohol companies that discouraged youth drinking. That's a ratio of 32-1, CAMY said, adding that alcohol companies spent $2.5 billion on product ads and just $92 million on responsibility ads between 2001 and 2003. Youth ages 12-20 were surveyed for the report, and those in this age group were 96 times more likely to see an alcohol product ad than a responsibility message. The study factored in such variables as the number of ads, their cost, placement, and audience exposed. "Responsibility" ads were those having a primary focus on drinking responsibly, drunk driving, or not drinking before age 21.
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**RESOURCES/MATERIALS**

The Youth Policy Action Center
The Youth Policy Action Center functions as a central hub to issue action alerts and post resources for youth advocates, with the goal of promoting youth involvement and empowerment. The Center, a collaborative effort organized by a growing assembly of advocacy and youth organizations from across the county, strives to level the political playing field by bringing technological savvy and mass outreach efforts to scale for those who believe young people are the nation's most precious resource. For more information visit www.youthpolicyactioncenter.org/
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Microsoft FrontPage 2003
Does having a current, smart-looking website that doesn't break the bank seem like the stuff of dreams for your organization? Now you can seize control of your website with Microsoft FrontPage 2003. This full-featured website creation and management tool enables nonprofits with limited resources to build their own web pages quickly and easily. FrontPage lets even first-time builders set up, monitor, and update their own sites; import and edit HTML; and create templates to ensure a professional and consistent look across all web pages. FrontPage 2003 is available at TechSoup Stock for an administrative fee of $7 per license, thanks to a donation from Microsoft. The published retail price for this product is $199. Learn more and place your order at http://ga0.org/ct/FpAy2UK1Vzuz/.
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Elements of Effective Practice
MENTOR has available a comprehensive toolkit, "How to Build a Successful Mentoring Program Using the Elements of Effective Practice ," that offers step-by-step instructions for programs to follow to implement four key components of effective mentoring practice: Program Design and Planning; Program Management; Program Operations; and Program Evaluation. It also contains a CD with more than 160 tools and templates that mentoring programs can customize to suit their individual program needs. Programs can use these checklists to see how well they are progressing in implementing the components. Organizations can download the toolkit at www.mentoring.org/program_staff/eeptoolkit/index.php.
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Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire
With heavy drinking widely documented among college students, researchers created a new assessment tool to help prevention specialists and educators better understand the problem. The "Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire" can help assess alcohol problems among college students, track changes in alcohol problems throughout college, and measure the response to alcohol interventions. The questionnaire was tested on college students who drank at least weekly in a study published in the July issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. The study showed the 24-item scale is an effective way of identifying and rating the range of problems caused by college drinking. Researchers say the new tool can be used for a number of purposes, including college students as a self-assessment; community and educators to monitor alcohol problems on their local college campus; and to identify treatment needs. To learn more, visit www.rednova.com/news/display/?id=176194.
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Parent-Child Connectedness: Voices of African-American and Latino Parents and Teens
ETR Associates (Education, Training, Research Associates) has announced the release of its latest publication titled "Parent-Child Connectedness: Voices of African-American and Latino Parents and Teens." This report summarizes findings from an ETR focus group study, with the support of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, conducted in 2004 with a total of 135 African American and Latino parents and teens living in low-income neighborhoods. A total of 16 focus groups were conducted in San Diego, Sacramento, Baltimore, Miami, and Long Island. As the report indicates, the literature base for parent-child relationships consisted largely of white middle class families. Given that ETR and the Annie E. Casey Foundation place a strong priority on serving economically disadvantaged African-American and Latino families, ETR set out to learn more about how these African-American and Latino families understand parent-child connectedness and make heard the voices of these families currently missing from the academic study of this field. To download this report, visit the Resource Center for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention website (ReCAPP).
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**HEADS UP!**

Spirit of the Youth Award
Do you know a young adult who is under 28 years old; not a member of the Coalition for Juvenile Justice (CJJ); an adjudicated delinquent/involved in the juvenile justice system; and currently involved, directly or indirectly, in bettering the lives of youth? Each year, CJJ gives the Spirit of the Youth Award to recognize and celebrate a young adult who has made great strides following involvement with the juvenile justice system, has overcome personal obstacles, and is today making significant contributions to society. The deadline for nominations is August 26, 2005. For a nomination form email Wendy Paget at wpaget@wccf.org. For more information, call CJJ directly at 202-467-0864 ext 124.
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Family Day - A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children
Family Day - A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children, spearheaded by The National Center on Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA), is a national effort to promote parental engagement as a simple, effective way to reduce youth substance abuse risk and raise healthier children. Held September 26, 2005, Family Day emphasizes the importance of regular family activities to improve communication between parents and children. CASA and CADCA will once again conduct a Family Day Coalition Contest to recognize the most creative and effective ways for coalitions to celebrate this annual event. General Mills, a Family Day National Presenting Sponsor, will provide free dinners for a month to the five CADCA member coalitions that conduct the best Family Day programs. Program activities can include celebrations and events, as well as promoting Family Day through schools, religious congregations, businesses, the news media, and other community organizations. To receive contest guidelines and entry forms for the Family Day Coalition Contest, download the form or call Natalia Martinez Duncan at CADCA at 703-706-0560, ext. 256. Also a proclamation request letter, sample proclamation, fact sheets, brochure, and other activity ideas are available at www.casafamilyday.org.
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"Pharming" Parties
Prescribed Ritalin, OxyContin stolen from medicine cabinets at home, and other psychoactive prescription drugs are the stock in trade at so-called "pharming parties," where young people trade medicines and often mix pills with alcohol to get high. Time reported that even as use of "hard" illicit drugs like heroin and cocaine has declined in recent years, abuse of narcotic painkillers and stimulants has skyrocketed. An estimated 2.3 million kids ages 12-17 abused legal medications last year, according to the Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA). At pharming parties, painkillers like OxyContin, which can produce a strong high but also present a great danger of overdose, are highly valued. Part of the allure of prescription drugs is that they can be easier for kids to get than illicit drugs. Some trade on their own prescriptions (obtained legitimately or by faking symptoms), while others steal from family members or order drugs from online pharmacies. Read more about this serious issue in the recently released CASA report, "Under the Counter: The Diversion and Abuse of Controlled Prescription Drugs in the U.S."
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**FUNDING ALERTS**

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation InformationLinks
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is soliciting state and local public health agencies to join InformationLinks, a grant program intended to encourage health information exchanges between public health agencies. The program lasts one year, with grants of up to $75,000 for local health agencies and up to $100,000 for state agencies. State and local health departments and nonprofit public health agencies are eligible to apply. The deadline for application is September 7, 2005. For more information and an application, visit RWJF's Grantmaking Online System.
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The Verizon Foundation
The Verizon Foundation awards grants to non-profit organizations serving the needs of diverse communities, people with disabilities, victims of domestic violence, and the economically and socially disadvantaged. Throughout the year, applications are accepted on a rolling basis and grants may be awarded at any time. Verizon supports non-profits that work to improve the lives of the disadvantaged, and grants funds as well as volunteer support. Last year, the Verizon Foundation awarded $71.4 million to nonprofit agencies that focus on improving basic and computer literacy, enriching communities through technology, and creating a skilled work force. More than 26,500 grants were awarded in 2004 alone. To learn more about the Verizon Foundation or for information on how to apply, visit http://foundation.verizon.com/.
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**TRAININGS/WORKSHOPS/CONFERENCES**

Bureau of Justice Statistics/Justice Research and Statistics Association
On October 27-28, 2005, in St. Petersburg, FL, the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) and the Justice Research and Statistics Association (JRSA) will sponsor the BJS/JRSA 2005 National Conference. Conference sessions will cover such topics as cybercrime, reentry, juvenile crime and education, juvenile justice, and many others. Pre- and post-conference professional seminars on October 25-26 and October 29, respectively, include all-day seminars on writing for the web and logistic regression analysis, as well as shorter seminars on assessment, evaluation, and other subjects. To access further information and register online, visit www.jrsa.org/events/conference/index.html. Address any questions to Karen Maline at kmaline@jrsa.org or 202-842-9330.

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This update has been brought to you by the Wisconsin Clearinghouse for Prevention Resources.

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