Jackson Hole, Wyo.-Communities Mobilizing Against Underage Drinking met on Thursday at First Interstate Bank to discuss subsequent action due to a rise in teenage drug and alcohol use, according to the recent 2008 Wyoming Prevention Needs Assessment (PNA).
The meeting outlined how children were surveyed, what their answers meant and engaged attendees on what they felt were suitable solutions. Possible reasons behind the tallied results and plans for a more aggressive marketing campaign were also raised during the meeting.
Teton County School District employees, including Jackson Hole Middle School principal Jean Coldsmith and High School principal Gary Elliot spoke, along with adolescent counselors of Curran Seeley – a local nonprofit, state-certified drug and alcohol counseling agency.
Director of a government grant to curb underage drinking, Pier Trudelle oversaw portions of the meeting while town officials, including Mayor Mark Barron and police officers sat in on the discussion, offering occasional input.
“Not All of Us,” an advertising campaign which focuses on social norms, will employ photos of students – some who are attendees of Teton County schools - accompanied with slogans emphasizing that drug- and alcohol-use isn’t necessary to “fit in.”
Ads will appear in newspapers, schools and movie theaters, and will also run on local radio stations, focusing on some of the positive accomplishments of students in academics and extra circular activities, and then relating their success back to not using drugs or alcohol.
Principal Elliot, as well as other attendees voiced concern that having local students speak out places them in vulnerable situations with their peers, and would be detrimental to the campaign if one of the students were ever to have a moment of indiscretion.
The need to not only target children, but also parents, was also raised.
“I feel really passionate about parents being the key,” said Curran Seeley youth addictions therapist Brianne Talbot, who raised the question of success levels in students wanting to rebel against the norm. She added, “I see every fifth- and sixth-grader for about six hours a year; I can’t compete in the same way with 11 years of parenting.”
But Trudelle replied that an adolescent’s need to fit in is exceedingly prevalent, and if young people do indeed believe that not using alcohol or drugs is the norm, they will assimilate accordingly.
The Social Norms aspect of the study did produce some of the most positive data for Teton County. According to the PNA, for example, sixth graders believed that 45 percent of their peers were using alcohol while only five percent actually reported drinking. In 10th grade, Teton County students alleged that 94 percent of their peers were using alcohol while approximately half that amount – 48 percent – actually claimed to be drinking alcohol. The same inaccurate perceptions were reported by students in areas of marijuana and methamphetamine use, other illegal drugs, binge drinking and the use of cigarettes and chewing tobacco.
According to the PNA, most students, ranging from sixth graders to seniors perceived more of their peers to be using drugs and alcohol than what students had actually reported. PJH
