THE COALITION

LIFESTEPS: YOUTH SUBSTANCE ABUSE PREVENTION COALITION
LifeSteps: Coalition on Underage Drinking was formed in September 2004 to reduce underage drinking in Williamson County. In January of 2009, our Coalition became the Youth Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition so that we would be able to have an even greater impact on families across Williamson County. Our Coalition includes representatives from all communities in Williamson County and multiple sectors -- youth, parents, law enforcement, business, medical community, media, faith-based, educators, counselors, social services, and other community organizations. We have developed partnerships with statewide underage drinking prevention efforts, including the Mothers Against Drunk Driving and Texans Standing Tall. Our Coalition is grant funded through DSHS.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP PREVENT AND REDUCE YOUTH SUBSTANCE ABUSE:
Become part of our Coalition: represent your community, school, agency, church or business and join us as we work together to change the perception that underage drinking and the use of tobacco and other drugs is a “rite of passage” for our youth. Contact for more info:

Program Director, Bebe Johnson, MPA, CPS
512.819.4200 | bebej@lifestepscouncil.org | www.lifestepscouncil.org

CALENDAR

The Coalition meets monthly during the school year. The meetings are held on Wednesdays in our LifeSteps Round Rock office at 2111 North Mays. The meetings are “brown bag” and held from 11:30am-1pm.

The Coalition will be working weekly with two Williamson County High Schools for the 2009-2010 school year.

We will be training a group of peer educators at McNeil High School (Round Rock ISD) to educate their peers as to the consequences of ATOD use. We hope to bring in graduate students in the Spring to help our peer educators develop a social norms campaign for their campus.

We will be working with the Queens Court girls empowerment group at Taylor High School to help raise awareness about the consequences of ATOD use and to develop strategies to address those issues on their campus.

ATOD prevention presentations available for youth and parents in Williamson County include but are not limited to the following:

Tobacco Prevention Presentations for K-12th
ATOD Prevention Specialists provide developmentally appropriate information to educate students about health, social and legal consequences of using tobacco products; including cigarettes, cigars, pipes and smokeless tobacco. These presentations are designed to be 45 minutes but can be formatted to fit any venue or time constraint.

“Myths or Facts” Prescription Drugs, OTC, and Inhalant Presentation for 5th-8th
Community members including a pharmacist, nurse, and Williamson County Juvenile Probation Officer join an ATOD Prevention Specialist to provide insight and education to students concerning the health and legal consequences of abusing prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs and inhalants. This presentation is designed to be 45 minutes but can be formatted to fit any venue or time constraint.

“Trashed Lives” Underage Drinking Presentation
Trauma Coordinators and a flight nurse from local hospitals put together a presentation that captures student’s attention with graphic images and real-life stories from accident scenes in Williamson County; as well as educational information about how alcohol affects the human body. These presentations are designed for 11th and 12th graders but are appropriate for 9th and 10th. This presentation is designed to be 45 minutes but can be formatted to fit any venue or time constraint.

“Alcohol Literacy Challenge” an Underage Drinking Prevention Curriculum for Middle School
The Alcohol Literacy Challenge draws from the latest "Alcohol Expectancies" research to deliver the only media literacy lessons HYPERLINK "http://medialiteracy.net/pdfs/Alcohol_Literacy_Challenge_FAQ.pdf" proven to reduce alcohol consumption. This 90 minute curriculum features a fun, interactive game that teaches students how beliefs about drinking are created by advertising, and challenges the power of those beliefs to dictate their drinking behaviors. This curriculum can be taught in two 45 minute classes.

“Alcohol Literacy Challenge” an Underage Drinking Prevention Curriculum for High School
The Alcohol Literacy Challenge draws from the latest "Alcohol Expectancies" research to deliver the only media literacy lessons HYPERLINK "http://medialiteracy.net/pdfs/Alcohol_Literacy_Challenge_FAQ.pdf" proven to reduce alcohol consumption. This 90 minute curriculum features a fun, interactive game that teaches students how beliefs about drinking are created by advertising, and challenges the power of those beliefs to dictate their drinking behaviors. This curriculum can be taught in two 45 minute classes.

For more information about these presentations or others available please contact:
Bebe Johnson bebe@lifestepscouncil.org | 512.819.4200
Lisa Wallace lisa_wallace@lifestepscouncil.org | 512-869-2571