Task Force to Address Underage Drinking
“Reducing Alcohol use/abuse by children & youth under 21 years”
In 2002, the United Way of Broward County Commission on Substance Abuse (UWBCCSA) created the Task Force to Address Underage Drinking to respond to the concerns of the community due to the continued increases in youth alcohol rates and their corresponding risk factor indicators.
Created in 2002 by the UWBCCSA, the Task Force to Address Underage Drinking is an interdisciplinary group comprised by energetic individuals from different walks of life including parents, law enforcement, social service, school district, health providers, and other organizations. The meetings are held every month, on the second Thursday at 9:30 a.m., and are open to anyone interested to keep an eye on the situation of Underage Drinking.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the earlier a person begins to use alcohol or other drugs the more likely they are to progress to more serious abuse and addiction. The Center for the Study and Prevention of Substance Abuse at Nova Southeastern University reports that the rate of current alcohol use among Broward's underage population aged 18 to 20 years is higher than the rates for the nation, the State of Florida, and neighboring counties.
Currently, the Task Force is addressing this issue thanks to the successful application to the Strategic Prevention Framework - State Incentive Grant (SPF-SIG); under the Substance Abuse Response Guide (SARG) Project, the group is working on the design and implementation of an outcome-based strategic response.
Click here for the latest Underage Drinking Logic Model Data Bank - Oct 2009.
Goals:
- To raise awareness in the community in regards to the dangers and consequences of underage drinking including effects on alcohol on the developing adolescent brain.
- To convene partnerships involving parents, law enforcement, school officials, and other community sectors in order to change social norms that are tolerant of underage drinking.
- To reduce alcohol use by children and youth prior to age 21, lowering the probability of risky and destructive behaviors that can cause death, drowning, injury, medical emergencies, unwanted pregnancies, acquisition of HIV/AIDS, syphilis and other sexual transmitted diseases, arrest, incarceration, a criminal record, disciplinary actions, mental health problems, alcohol dependency or other addictions in adulthood, etc.
For more information please contact:
Angela Ventura
SARG Coordinator/Program Assistant
954-760-7007, Ext. 212
email
 |  |