Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Prevention

Messages for parents about the dangers of social hosting (providing alcohol to people under the age of 21.)

   

OCP is involved in drug prevention on many levels. For the third year we helped coordinate Woodstock's involvement in Prescription Drug Take Back Day -  which provides an opportunity for community members to  legally and safely dispose of their prescription drugs that are no longer needed. 

In school, OCP leads  Vermont Kids against Tobacco and Our Voices Exposed the middle and high school anti-smoking groups whose work touches on all manner of healthy choices through its' programming. These groups reach out to elementary schools as well as to adults with an anti-smoking, pro-health message.  In February WUMS VKAT youth completed Red Ribbon week- 5 themed days of health awarness including; exercise day, healthy choices day, ATOD prevention day, compliments day and get enough rest day. Red Ribbons provided by the group were worn by many staff and students. Kick Butts Day included nearly 100 youth pictured behind the "gut board" depicting a brain, lungs and stomach, reminding youth to follow your "gut" and not smoke. Middle schoolers cap off their Kick Butts Day with a Kick Butts dance.

Support of VTLSP (Vermont Teen Leadership Safety Program) and Spectrum Teen Center resulted in a youth led, school based community forum on alcohol in the spring of 2011 and a continuation of the Sticker Shock program. With Sticker Shock youth put labels on alcohol containers to remind adults not to provide alcohol to youth. This is done pre-prom and graduation each year.

The youth advocacy groups host a state sponsored retailer tobacco/alcohol training- giving adults a chance to hear from youth about the need for retailer clerks to uphold legal use age.

OCP will support youth in creating a  first in the nation evaluation project of Sticker Shock- developing and utilizing pre and post event surveys of retail staff and customers.

We partner with the Town of Woodstock Police and other community coalitions and police departments in Windsor county with the START team- Stop Teen Alcohol Reaction Team. The goal of START is to help educate youth about alcohol and safety. The team also focuses on preventing underage drinking parties. The cooperative nature of the team; working across community as well as police/civilian lines helps all involved understand the danger and complexity of youth substance use.

 

Youth Risk Behavior Survey

To enhance youth and community understanding of youth behavior, communities across the country have youth participate in the bi-annual Youth Risk Behavior Survey- a CDC (Centers for Disease Control) designed and scored survey, created to measure numerous risk behaviors faced by our youth. The YRBS is particularly valuable to look at trends over time in a particular community and is used by OCP to help youth and adults assess areas of particular risk on which the community would like to work.

WUHS is one of the six just six schools  in Vermont to have a trained YRBS youth study group that elicits youth input and evaluation of the results. 

To link the latest state and local results:

 
2011 Youth Risk Behavior Survey 
Smoke Free Zones
 
     Empowering youth to take political and public action builds both internal and external assets in our youth.
     In service to their community, VKAT and OVX  (Vermont Kids Against Tobacco and Our Voices Exposed) groups from WUHS/MS have worked with the Village Trustees to create Smoke Free Zones in all Woodstock public parks. 
     By limiting smoking we are keeping the community safe from the hazards of second hand smoke and responding to the wishes of people in our area. In nearly 200 surveys over the past 4 years, 95% of locals and visitors support Smoke Free zones.  A number of visitors commented that they expected that we would have already limited smoking in our community.
    What began as a photo-mapping project by youth, to a request for a SFZ in Teagle Landing, has had a far greater impact than anticipated.  Our thanks to the Village Trustees for their vision and kindness to the groups and helping them become stronger and more knowledgeable youth.